Greg Hardy earns second-round KO in boxing debut (Video)

Greg Hardy isn’t done swinging leather following his UFC release.

Hardy was back in action this past Saturday night, but this time he was in a boxing match. Hardy went one-on-one with Mike Cook, who competed under the BYB bare-knuckle fighting promotion last year. Black Sheep Boxing promoted the Hardy vs. Cook bout. Hardy scored the second-round knockout.

Here’s how the fight ended:

https://twitter.com/fightdigitale/status/1579002336609202176?s=46&t=YAFVZP662HyJxvlB-V7ngA

This was Hardy’s first combat sports affair since he was released by the UFC. The former NFL star hadn’t scored a win in combat sports action since October 2020 before he earned the KO over Cook.

Hardy had long been eyeing a transition to the “sweet science.” Back in 2020, he expressed his belief that he can hang with the likes of Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua, Deontay Wilder. Here’s what he told reporters at the time (h/t MMAJunkie.com).

“After I get done shutting this down, handling my MMA business, I want to venture into the boxing realm. I’m trying to holler at Dana (White). Hopefully, we can get some fights in the Zuffa Boxing world, Top Rank, Al Haymon – somebody come holler at this dude because I definitely want to go over there and knock out ‘The Gypsy King,’ make light work of that English cat Joshua, or whatever it is, ‘Cry-baby Bomber.’ We’ll knock all those guys out, man. Of course, you know I’m going to work for it. It’s an aspiration I think will come true real fast, and I can’t wait for it,” Hardy said.

While few are taking Hardy’s ambition to topple the top heavyweights in boxing seriously, the former UFC heavyweight is sticking to the fight game. Just how far he can go in the boxing world remains to be seen.