(FEB 9) In a Supreme Court ruling on obscenity (Jacobellis v Ohio 1964)
Justice Potter Stewart famously wrote, "it (obscene material) is
often difficult to define, but I know it when I see it." I
thought of those words, this week, sitting in Gleasons Gym,
talking with Heather Hardy, the newest incarnation of a proud
and select assemblage, generally defined throughout the sport of
boxing as "New York" fighters.
Like the subject matter in Justice Stewart's court, New York
fighters, ranging, over the years, from Billy Graham (the
Greenwich Village welterweight, not the evangelist) thru Paulie
Malignaggi to Hector Camacho, are, as a group, often times
difficult to define, but you know them when you hear them.
Listening to Heather Hardy talk about her sport and her goals in
the ring, above the din of a midmorning Gleasons, reinforced an
opinion that Hardy fit comfortably into the category of New York
fighter, the distaff wing, quintessentially epitomized, today,
by
Melissa Hernandez. Qualification is not all about attitude,
it is not all about self assurance, it not even all about
"telling it like it is" on any and all issues, in and out of the
sport. It is rather, an in-your-face mixture of all of these
elements, along with a quick talking, quick stepping, "what's
next" persona that most readily defines a New York fighter both
inside and outside the ropes.
Hardy, who turned professional last August, has started 4-0,
against a conventional "starter" quartet of opponents, the
latest win coming via a four round unanimous decision over Peggy
Maerz on January 23. Maerz came to the bout with a 2-2 record
and was the lone fighter, of the four opponents, to have a win
on her record. This type of debut is business as usual for any
promising professional ring prospect and Hardy qualifies, given
her bona fides as an outstanding amateur. Notwithstanding, Hardy
was eager to provide her perspective on her four bout start:
"Look, I spent a year and a half in the amateurs, won metro,
regional and national titles, was named an "Outstanding Fighter"
in the Gloves (NY Daily News) so I was ready and when my chance
came to turn pro, I took it. My first bout, I got knocked down
in the opening round (Mikayla Nebel 0-2), I got up and dominated
the next three rounds to win on all the judges' cards. I got my
chance, came back after hitting the deck to win the fight and
got another chance; won that one (UD over Unique Harris, pro
debuter in October); got another chance, won that one (Ivana
Coleman 0-3 UD in December); got another chance and beat Maerz.
So now I get another chance, hopefully stepping up to a six
rounder in the near future. It's a process and I just want to
keep getting chances until I reach the top."
Hardy fights at 122 and the super bantamweight/featherweight
divisions in Women's boxing are among the deepest, most
competitive in the sport. I mention
Jackie Nava,
Lisa
Brown,
Jelena
Mrdjenovich as three examples of longtime, top ranked
fighters in the weight class. While acknowledging the talent in
the division, Hardy remains solely focused on what the future
holds for her: "Go out in the street, ask thirty people about
Jackie Nava, who's a very good fighter. I doubt anyone knows the
name. What I want is for people, when asked, in the future,
about Heather Hardy, to answer, 'you mean the fighter, sure I've
heard of her,' that's where I want to get to in this sport.
Worrying about other fighters is not going to get me there.
Following the plan that they (Hardy points to her trainers on
the gym floor) and my promoter have for me, that's what I have
to be concerned about."
Hardy's promoter is DiBella Entertainment, the leading local
boxing promoter in New York City. Despite the concentration of
top ranked female fighters in the largest market in the country,
the opportunities for bouts has been, in the past, few in
number. (The aforementioned Melissa Hernandez, another
outstanding boxer in the 120-130 pound class, fought her debut
bout in New York City in October 2005 and, over a 24 fight
career, has not been back.) I ask Hardy if she feels that, given
the disappointing history of female boxing in New York, she will
be able to achieve the opportunities against the top flight
competition in her weight class. "I feel I'm working with the
best people available in the sport, both in and out of the
ring," she quickly and pointedly replies. "I'm positive they
have my best interests, as a fighter, as their priority. Right
now, I don't concern myself or do I worry about doing extensive
research into who I'm going to fight. My promoter tells me when
the bout is, my trainer prepares me to get in the ring and I
wait for the bell. They know I don't want a career of walkover
bouts. I want opponents who will come to fight, who are capable
of giving me a good fight. That's going to put fans in the
seats. That's going to get me more good fights and more
opportunities to get to where I want to go in the sport."
The morning of our interview, Hardy had been featured on NY 1, a
local news outlet, in a segment (Tomorrow, AM) touching on her
life as a single Mom, her amateur titles and her initial success
in the professional ring. She's also been profiled on the local
NPR outlet. It's logical, admittedly in a cynical sense, to
question whether this type of publicity, for a fighter with just
four professional bouts, might be straying into the area of "too
much, too soon." I posed the question to a boxing official, a
woman with extensive knowledge and insight into the local boxing
scene, particular Women's boxing, whether Hardy might be
susceptible to distractions that, in the past, have sidetracked
several up and coming female boxers. The official replied,
"[Hardy) is very different, she is a tough, driven girl, without
the Hollywood extras. (I've) seen her fight, (the) potential is
there." Again, a cynic recalls what a high school coach once
said about potential: "all it means is that you haven't done
anything yet.". But facts, somewhat, mitigate that concern with
Heather Hardy. She's had a good amateur background, she's
started well in the professional ranks and she is bolstered by
top flight management. And when you listen to Hardy speak of her
plans and goals in the sport, you get a sense that she knows
where she wants to go and that she has a fairly clear-eyed view
of what it is going to take to get there. New York fighters are
like that. And that may be one of the biggest things Heather
Hardy has going for her, she's every bit a New York fighter.
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