Bruce Silverglade Congratulates Heather Hardy

Heather Hardy received a phone call from Gleason’s Gym boxing boss Bruce Silverglade, during the taping of the Everlast “Talbox” podcast. The Gleason’s bossman was proud as punch of the fighting pride of Gerritsen Beach, Brooklyn, who wowed the HBO announce team with her smart boxing skills as she downed Shelly Vincent at the Madison Square Garden Theater on Oct. 27.

“I’m especially happy for Heather for this win. I know from day one when she came in to Gleason’s Gym and started training, and I know from her amateur days, when she lost a fight, and she said I’m not gonna lose any more, and she went on and became a very good amateur. She was a 125 pound national champion in the amateurs, and along the way, I’ve known her for quite a few years now, there’s been quite a few hardships, things that haven’t affected you and me, fires in her home and being a single mother, just so many things coming along. And to be a boxer and to be a good boxer, you have to concentrate and you have to be able to focus, and with so many distractions Heather never lost focus of what her main goal was, which she really wanted to win a world championship. It means a lot to her, but it means an awful lot to me to see this development to come out of Gleason’s Gym. This isn’t someone like Muhammad Ali who lived outside the area and ducked in and would come in to Gleason’s and use it for training camp before his fights and we’d say Muhammad Ali trained here. Heather is born and bred Gleason’s Gym, it means a real lot to me and it means a real lot to Gleason’s Gym and the people that train here. They can see that with hard work and determination you can overcome anything and get what your goal is, she’s just a role model for everybody at Gleason’s. You’re one of Gleason’s champions now,” he said to her, “and to me, you’re one of the special ones, because you worked so hard for it, and it meant so much to you, and we all love you up here, we’re real, real proud of you.”

So youse all know, the banner that hangs in Gleason’s when one of their fighters wins a world title will be delivered next week….