The year is 2022, and fight fans have started to become accustomed
to expecting the unexpected when it comes to aging combat sports
greats.
A boxing event that will feature the return of Ricky Hatton (45-3,
32 KOs) against Marco Antonio Barrera (67-7, 1 NC; 44 KOs) is now
officially
on the books for July 2. This card that will go down at the AO
Arena in Manchester, England, will also feature an undercard
bringing a pair of bouts with unexpected participants. Youtuber
Casey Walsh will face fellow musician Don Strapzy in the ring, but
more significantly, Dan Hardy
(25-10, 1 NC) will come out of combat sports retirement to throw
down with Diego
Sanchez (30-14).
The Hardy-Sanchez fight will be an eight-round exhibition, where
the participants will wear 16-ounce gloves and fight in two-minute
rounds. If the fight goes to decision, it will automatically be
ruled a draw. This spectacle of a fight card will currently feature
a pair of musical guests, with British rapper Tion Wayne and
England-based band Bad Boy Chiller Crew performing throughout the
night. Additional matchups and entertainment will be announced in
the future, per the promotion.
For several years, Hardy has flirted with returning to combat after
hanging up his gloves in 2013. Hardy moved on from MMA when he was
diagnosed with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, a heart condition
that would put him at severe risk should he fight again. “The
Outlaw” joined the UFC commentary team as an analyst when the
organization was partnered with Fox Sports, and he called 513
fights from 2014 to 2021 across 44 events around the world. In the
past, Hardy
explained to Sherdog that his competition days were not
completely behind him; in 2022, he will get a chance to fight once
again.
A year and a half older than his adversary, Sanchez last stepped in
a cage or ring in March, when he competed under the Eagle FC
banner. The appearance was Sanchez’ first not as a UFC fighter
since 2005, and “The Nightmare” fell short to Kevin Lee in a
hard-fought battle as the headliner. Both Hardy and Sanchez were
released from their UFC contracts in 2021, and neither has ever
competed in a boxing match.