Greg Hardy, a former UFC heavyweight contender and NFL standout, won his boxing debut in spectacular fashion. Hardy made his professional boxing debut on Saturday against Michael Cook at Delray Fight Night IV in Delray Beach, Florida.
This was his first fight since being released by the UFC earlier this year. Hardy put on a dominant performance against an opponent half his size to kick off his boxing career.
The boxing fight was not a great match-up. He fought an opponent who was considerably smaller and did not even look like he belonged in the same weight division as the 6’5 former NFL running back.
Hardy clobbered his opponent with a left hook followed by a right hand to knock him down. Luckily for his opponent, the former UFC fighter missed a huge uppercut as his foe was about to hit the deck.
Hardy is a multi-sport athlete. He began his career in the NFL after being drafted by the Carolina Panthers in 2010. He had a standout college football career with Mississippi and continued his run of form into the NFL. However, in 2014, domestic violence accusations marred his career and he had to part ways with the Panthers. He spent his final days as a footballer with the Dallas Cowboys in 2015.
In 2018, Greg Hardy made an appearance on Dana White’s contender series and made his UFC debut a year later. The former NFL Defensive End started his MMA career on the wrong foot, losing his first fight by disqualification. He ended up losing his last three fights in the UFC before being cut. He has a professional MMA record of 7-5-1.
Twitter reacts to Greg Hardy’s first professional boxing win
Twitter fans were not very impressed with Hardy’s boxing debut. Many felt that his opponent was put in the ring to lose.
However, this is a technique followed by boxers around the globe early on in their careers. They fight journeymen boxers to build up their experience and resume before facing better competition.
One user pulled out a line from Tyson Fury’s book and called Hardy’s opponent a middleweight:
“Knocked out a middleweight looks like.”
Take a look at the tweet:
Another user joked Greg Hardy is ready to fight WBC Heavyweight Champion Tyson Fury:
“I think we can all agree he is ready for Tyson Fury”
Take a look at the tweet:
One user commented on the stark size difference, saying:
“Guy he’s fighting looks half his size”
Take a look at the tweet:
Another user asked Greg Hardy to fight either Logan Paul or Jake Paul next:
“Let him fight one of the Paul’s”
Take a look at the tweet: