By: Sean Crose

After close to a year and a half out of the ring, former WBO world featherweight titlist Heather Hardy, 22-2, returned to action Thursday night when she squared off against the 20-15-3 Calista Silgado. The scheduled 6 round lightweight bout was the main event of Boxing Insider’s “New Beginnings” card at Sony Hall in Times’ Square.

The first was an exciting affair – with each woman landing effectively on the other – though Hardy may have edged it. Silgado had a strong second, swinging and moving forward aggressively. Silgado continued the attack in the third, but Hardy was able to come back and finish the round strong.

The fourth round saw Hardy asserting herself effectively. In the fifth, the fighter known as “The Heat” continued to keep Silgado from gaining momentum. The sixth and final round, while competitive, may have been too little to late for Silgado. Suffice to say, the forty year old Hardy walked out of the ring with a unanimous decision win under her belt.

“After a long layoff, lots of nerves, new coaches in the back, it was a long day,” Hardy said afterward. “Not bad for forty, huh?”

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