Heather Hardy Hopeful Holly Holm's Win Will Open New Doors for Female Boxers

Holly Holm’s Internet-breaking knockout of Ronda Rousey on November 14 in Australia has been kind of a big deal in the world of combat sports. At UFC 193, her vicious kick to the neck left the previously invincible Rowdy unconscious on the mat.

That Holm is a former world champion boxer who had to jump ship to MMA to become a star is a fact not lost on those who have long advocated for better opportunities and more exposure for female fighters in a business notoriously tough on them.

Heather Hardy (14-0, 3 KOs), who will rematch Florida-based Noemi Bosques (10-3-2, 2 KO's) Saturday night at the Barclays Center in her native Brooklyn, New York, is both an advocate and a fighter. Hardy senses the conversation has changed when it comes to women in the industry and hopes Holm’s win opens some new doors.

“What I think Holly Holm did was she opened the world’s eyes that there are more female fighters out there than just Ronda Rousey,” Hardy told Bleacher Report on Wednesday.

“Ronda Rousey was a world champion. An undefeated champion. She could fight. Holly didn’t expose her. Holly was also just a good fighter. My hope is that people will see that there is an entire pool of talent just waiting to be discovered.”

Julio Cortez/Associated Press

The road to discovery for female fighters is never an easy one. The market is severely underdeveloped, making it difficult for even the elite level to find much breathing room in a sport traditionally dominated by men.

The end of Rousey’s reign, permanent or not, remains to be seen. Her loss came just weeks removed from her appearance on the cover of the Ring Magazine.

Hardy took a bottom-line approach in her reaction to that decision, which she describes as nothing more than a play by the “Bible of Boxing” to sell a few additional magazines, but you can certainly see how it can be viewed as tone-deaf by the many women struggling to get exposure in boxing.

Rousey’s ability to get where she was is a testament to her own dedication and ability to overcome struggles common to many women in combat sports. However, the story was about her—not what she could do to elevate the many others who could be one break away from being her.

“Not to disrespect anyone in the world, but I feel like when one woman rises it’s your responsibility to pull the rest of us up,” Hardy said of the in-this-together mentality of the many fighters who she sees in the gym and in the ring working to get a shot.

“I’m not looking for anyone to hold the door open for me. When I get out and people talk about me I always try to mention my sparring partners and the other girls in the gym. This isn’t just about me. There’s a whole bunch of us who are being unrecognized, ignored, unseen.”

One of the true ironies of the return of big-time boxing to major network and new cable outlets is that women haven’t benefited at all.

HBO and Showtime have been out of the female boxing business for quite some time, and Premier Boxing Champions, which broadcasts on CBS and NBC (among others) along with their affiliates and secondary cable outlets, is happy to give you plenty of free fights—but (as yet) not one involving a woman.

“I don’t think there is the proper research being done by the networks because it’s not important to them,” Hardy said. “I'm not saying I should be the co-main event on Saturday night. Of course not. But let it be on merit and not gender.

“These undercards, a lot of times you’re seeing these club fights, and there are elite female fighters, not even myself, elite fighters who can boost ratings rather than just throwing on some guys who just rolled out of the amateurs.”

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Hardy has built herself a nice career largely on the strength of her willingness to hustle. She’s a self-promoter, selling tickets (you don’t sell, you don’t fight, she says) via her website and various social media platforms.

She’s up before the crack of dawn to get her daughter ready for school before running to the iconic Gleason’s Gym to train a few clients. Then she gets down to her own training. Later, it’s back to school to pick up her child, do homework, be a mom and then get back to work.

Most nights end just a few hours before the next day will begin, but she’s still promising to go toe-to-toe (if necessary) against Bosques, who she beat via split decision in their first fight on May 29 at Barclays Center.

For a fighter who has overcome as many personal and professional obstacles as Hardy, crazy is normal, and that helps her keep perspective.

“My life is no different, in terms of responsibilities, than any other single mom, or any mom or any parent who needs to juggle work and family. You just do it. There’s s--t that needs to get done so you adjust to it. My mom taught me that.”

Kevin McRae is a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. You can follow him on Twitter @McRaeWrites. All quotes were obtained personally.

You can follow Heather Hardy @HeatherHardyBox and her opponent Noemi Bosques @NoemiBosques on Twitter.