Proud owner of South America’s fastest knockout, Simeon ‘Candy Man’ Hardy had his breakthrough year this year in the sport of boxing. The undefeated pugilist who stopped all of his four opponents for 2011 improved his record to six wins.
Ever since Hardy made his professional debut last year October with a 20- second demolition of Patrick Boston, he has been on an impressive tear and yesterday he projected to Stabroek Sport that the year 2012 will be even better.
The ‘Candy Man’ revealed that he is training for a fight that will take place on the 20th edition of the Guyana Fight Night Pro Am card next month against Guyana’s welterweight champion Iwan ‘Pure Gold’ Azore for the vacant World Boxing Council (WBC) CABOFE welterweight title.
Hardy said there is a lot of bad blood between the two and he will settle the score when they enter the ring. The knockout specialist did not hesitate when he was asked what he thinks will be the outcome of his first encounter for 2012, “I will knock out Azore before round four” boasted Hardy.
The Candy Man who has a patented punch called the ‘chin checker’ now says he has a pillow list for 2012.
“Azore is the first one on my pillow list, I have a pillow list that I made and when I knock him out I will scratch off his name off the list and go on to the next one”.
The 24-year-old Forgotten Youth Foundation product said his ‘pillow list’ is a list of names of boxers that he will put to sleep on canvas. He disclosed that one of those names is Guyana’s first world champion Andrew ‘Sixhead’ Lewis.
“The ‘pillow list’ is not that long but Denny Dalton and Sixhead are some of the names on it, I need to put these guys to sleep, next year whoever steps in the ring will sleep, Sixhead comes he will sleep, Dalton comes he will sleep, Azore will just be my stepping stone to bigger things”.
Hardy noted that the WBC will celebrate their 50th anniversary next year and a tournament will be held to commemorate the achievement. The tournament will see all WBC CABOFE title holders in selected weight divisions enter a tournament that will be very lucrative for the winners.
“The WBC’s 50th anniversary tournament that will be beginning in May next year and me holding that title will make me the best welterweight in South America, I am focusing on the tournament and Azore is an obstacle in my way for me to get my big bucks and exposure. I have been training right through I didn’t have a Christmas I have been training morning and afternoon throughout so it is do or die”, said Hardy.
If the ‘Candy Man’ can live up to his prophecies the year 2012 will be his best yet in boxing.
