Heather Hardy Watched Taylor vs Persoon, Saw A ROBBERY

She has her own fight to deal with, on June 14, at Madison Square Garden, and she's in dialed-in mode, as she counts down to the MMA tango on a Bellator card.

But Heather Hardy still has bit of free time in her day, so after training a couple times, and doing some house chores, while her stomach grumbled and demanded food it would not receive, the DUMBO, Brooklyn resident watched the DAZN Katie Taylor lightweight title scrap against Delfine Persoon.

Hardy took note of moments like this, when Persoon cracked Taylor, at MSG. (ED Mulholland pic, for DAZN.)

Irishwoman Taylor, age 32, came in to MSG Saturday night at 13-0, and holding the IBF, WBA and WBO titles, while the Belgium based Persoon, who works as a cop, entered the ring with the WBC strap.

They went back and forth, hammer and tong, for ten two minute rounds. (Yes, women's bouts are two minutes each, and yes, this title fight was for ten rounds.) Taylor coming in was seen as the best women's boxer pound for pound in many eyes, and though folks, some of them, thought Persoon would test her, the Taylor rep had most thinking Persoon would experience her first defeat since 2010.

And after watching ten rounds, many folks didn't agree at all with the decision of the judges, who scored it a majority win for the Irish lady. The “R” word was tossed about, not across the board, but quite often on social media. Hardy certainly felt so…

Hardy posted this on Twitter after watching Persooon take the L.

“I had Persoon winning 4 of the last 5. The first five were so close… Come on Mike Woods,  she nailed down that fight in the last 3,” Hardy told me.

So, you HATED the scores turned in by Don Trella, Allan Nace and John Poturaj?

“Enough to make me not wanna be in boxing,” Hardy stated.

So, Persoon (43-2 with 18 KOs) at least deserves a rematch, yes?

“Doesn’t matter though,” said Hardy, age 37, who fights Taylor Turner in NYC underneath a Sonnen-Machida main event. “She still gave her heart and soul for what should’ve been a win and no rematch can replace that. She lost the belt she’s been defending for YEARS! To see the tears in a champion's eyes because of politics is fucking disgusting. The politics of the sport disgust me. This is one small part of what goes on. It’s the sport I love but how much can you defend it man? And I love Katie too! I’m not at all being any type of way, I’m a total Katie Taylor fan. But that just was awful!”

Judging a boxing match is at the top of the list of most subjective subjects on this earth. That's because there is no one set of criteria for judging. So, what you see depends on what you favor when you are assessing. Me, I thought Persoon's aggression, most of of it effective, had her deserving to win the fight over Taylor (14-0 with 6 KOs), by maybe two points. Those rounds were close, though, and though it's not fair, it has to be said, going into a bout, the less heralded boxer, the less connected boxer, should assume they enter the arena two points down.

Back to Hardy–I get it, I get her passion, I was feeling emotions Saturday night, too…so I can only imagine the intensity of her feelings. We on these sidelines can never understand the depth of feeling that those warriors experience…and that's why anyone who gets into a cage or ring and gives their utmost effort deserves nothing but our full respect.