[caption id="attachment_66905" align="aligncenter" width="600" caption="Thomas Hardwick, right, with sparring partner Bobby Gunn. "]
Knockout victories in his first two pro bouts have left Thomas Hardwick yearning for a win the classical way as he prepares to face Jamell Williams at The Cordon Bleu in Woodhaven, Queens, this Friday. "I will try to outclass and outbox him, that's my objective," the Yonkers-based heavyweight told the Echo on Sunday.
According to boxrec.
com, that may not
be terribly difficult for Hardwick to accomplish.
Williams, a 23-year-old out of Arkansas, is winless [0-3] as a pro and was stopped in the fourth round by one Quantis Graves in his last outing three months.
However, Hardwick, three years old than Williams, will be flying in the dark against his young foe.
"I don't know anything about
him and haven't seen him fight,"
the Dubliner confessed. "I'm just
getting ready and happen to be in good shape.
That, in part, is thanks to the sparring he's done with the likes of former world cruiserweight titlist Wayne "Big Truck" Braithwaite and Bobby "The Celtic Warrior" Gunn.
Irish-American Gunn is the heavyweight World Bare Knuckle Boxing champion and holder of the IBC International and WBF Americas cruiserweight belts.
"I'm ready," Hardwick declared.
He's coming off a third round TKO over Rodelle Bolar in Atlantic City last July.
Friday's show is co-promoted by New Legend Boxing, Universal Boxing and Hardwick handler Jim Foley's Old World Boxing. The Cordon Bleu is located at 9601 Jamaica Avenue in Woodhaven.
There will be ten bouts on the card. Tickets are $60 and $80 and available in advance from Old World Boxing at (718) 765-1860. Visit www.oldworldboxing.com for more information.
ROONEY IN AC
Junior middleweight Kevin Rooney, who was earlier scheduled to appear on Friday's card is off and will now fight October 1 at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City. Andy Lee's grudge match with Brian Vera, the only man to defeat the Limerick southpaw, is the co-feature on the DiBella Entertainment event with an Irish flavor.
Rooney's probable opponent in a four-rounder will be Danny Lugo [0-1] from Philadelphia.
"He's a tough Spanish kid - I think he's Mexican - so that will work out good for me," the 2-0 Rooney said. "He's gonna come forward [and] it should be exciting while it lasts."
SEANIE RETURNS
Seanie Monaghan, the undefeated [8-0, 5 KOs] Long Island light heavyweight, is also tapped to box at Boardwalk Hall against an opponent to be announced.
He'll be making the jump to the six-rounder level and said that he was ready. "I'm feeling very good and sparred a lot of rounds with guys like Will Rosinsky and Joe Smith," Monaghan said.
AC BUS
James Moore, the Queens-based fighter whose own career is on hiatus, is organizing a 50-seat bus for fans to cheer Andy Lee in Atlantic City on October 1.
Tickets are $160 and will include entrance into Boardwalk Hall and drinks on the bus. The vehicle will leave the Sunnyside establishment, Maggie Mae's [41-15 Queens Boulevard] at 4 pm, Oct. 1, and return to New York at 12:30 am the next day.
"Space is limited," said Moore, who can be reached at (347) 301-5917.
Lee-Vera II is presented by DiBella Entertainment in association with Caesars Atlantic City. The show will air live on HBO's World Championship Boxing, beginning at 10 pm EST.
Tickets are priced at $300, $200, $100, and $50, and can be purchased online at Ticketmaster.com, by phone at 1-800-745-3000, at any Ticketmaster retail outlet, or in person at the
Boardwalk Hall box office.
