Heather Hardy blasts Billy Joe Saunders for controversial video, Saunders issues apology

Boxer turned Bellator MMA fighter Heather Hardy was initially very unimpressed with a controversial video posted by boxer Billy Joe Saunders, but later accepted his apology.

In the midst of the Coronavirus pandemic, many fighters have been posting “how-to” videos on social media. That includes Boxing star Billy Joe Saunders who filmed himself striking a punching bag and telling viewers how to hit women.

This video did not go over well with Hardy.

“This is not funny,” Hardy wrote in a Tweet that she has since deleted. “I can’t imagine the number of people quarantined in abusive and dangerous spaces right now, and this dumb piece of sh*t makes a joke about ‘how to hit your annoying wife.'”

As Hardy pointed out, the self-isolation measures enforced to prevent the spread of Coronavirus have resulted in a spike of domestic abuse cases. The BBC has warned of a “domestic abuse pandemic” due to current lockdown measures.

Saunders later issued a lengthy apology for his video, which can be seen below.

My Sincere Apologies. pic.twitter.com/5AtmiF2tJh

— billyjoesaunders (@bjsaunders_) March 30, 2020

Hardy went on to praise Saunders for his “sincere” apology and apologized for her initial reaction — though it was certainly understandable.

What a breath of fresh air, hearing someone acknowledge, apologize, and an attempt to rectify. 👏🏼 Thank you Billy and I’m sorry I called you a stupid dick head. https://t.co/IklvSQpzF1

— Heather Heat Hardy (@HeatherHardyBox) March 30, 2020

Billy Joe Saunders is currently undefeated and holds a 29-0 record as the current WBO super-middleweight champion. In his last bout in November 2019, he beat Marcelo Esteban Coceres by TKO in the eleventh round. In fact, he has finished almost half of his fights by knockout. The boxer was pegged to fight superstar Canelo Alvarez in a potential May bout. However, due to the current COVID-19 outbreak, the world of boxing is at a standstill.

This article first appeared on BJPENN.com on 3/30/2020.