No!
Sleep!
Till Brooklyn!
?My job aint a title, it?s a damn good time. City to city, I?m running with my rhymes.?
Beastie Boys
She doesn?t sleep on anything. Not her diet. Not her habits. Not her training. Not her conditioning. Not even time.
We all gained an hour a few days back, but chances are, Heather Hardy (7-0, 2KO’s) was somewhere busy thinking she lost something- even if it wasn?t sleep.
The sport of boxing is an oddly glamorous sport. In its storied history, most of them don?t really consist of women, and those that do- don?t necessarily force the collective conscious to embrace some sort of warm feeling of nostalgia. For all of its sweat, blood and tears, the cheers are mostly reserved for men who have championed themselves and defeated their past, in order to forge a path of greatness.
And this is where Heather has a chance- a chance to be immortal.
?I?ve always had this sort of superhero, tough girl vision for my future?, said Hardy. ?Get my degree in Forensic Science, fight crime and become a detective. When I started training for my first fight it was really supposed to be for fun. Then something happened and it clicked. This is what I?m here for.?
Outside of the day that you are born, the day that you find out why is the most important day of your life. Brooklyn?s own undisputed badass is fast becoming the cover-girl face of women?s boxing. She?ll soon be featured in Ring Magazine and is on the heels of having just signing a new promotional contract with Lou DiBella and DiBella Entertainment. Think this has changed her? She doesn?t have a car or even a driver?s license, and she might just put on a pair of headphones and add a 9-mile trek to her daily regimen.
This principle driven purpose is also part of the reason why filmmaker Natasha Verma decided to chronicle her fascinating and truly inspirational story in the upcoming film, ?HARDY?. Some people beg to be on screen while others just belong on it. Those gifted enough to know the difference, are usually the ones who present us with the difference makers who can change our world. Boxers aren?t necessarily supposed to inspire or be able to give birth ? but Heather can and has- while injecting life into an aspect of the sport that has been somewhat dormant. I look at her, and listen to some of the things she says and the way she says them, and I can?t help but think of the brilliant Clint Eastwood film ?Million Dollar Baby? starring Hilary Swank. Not because there?s many parallels- there aren?t- it?s all in the compelling nature she has. Hilary?s jumped off the screen and so does Heather?s persona.
In laymen?s terms, she?s got ?It?.
It?s not often in life that people do things without motive- that?s almost always not the case. Rarer still, are those who do things more for the glory of ?you?, than that which they can keep for themselves. Most fighters represent a warning. They reside in that shadowy place of darkness that creates a valor with a sense of emptiness. Heather represents hope, and fights with a heart full of it.
As she vied for and won the UBF International Super Bantamweight belt over Ana Laura Gomez (4-4, 1KO) via dominant 2nd round TKO this past Saturday night at the Aviator Sports and Event Center in Brooklyn, I not only unabashedly cheered for her in the ring- but I’m cheering for her in life. Not just for all that she represents, but for all who don?t know she represents them. We are what we are.
History and legacy are entwined, for they are both made at the same time and constructed daily with little thought for how it is being done. It?s just done. Once it?s clear what both have become, and has the added element of perspective, together they form either one of two words that forever defines you. One is forgotten.
The other is timeless.
