Hasim Rahman Jr and Greg Hardy squared off today for the first time ahead of their fight at the Moody Centre in Austin this weekend. Safe to say, things got slightly heated.
Former UFC fighter Hardy came in as late replacement for Rahman Jr after original opponent Vitor Belfort withdrew from the contest earlier this week.
And the two exchanged some choice words at the press conference, with KSI and Shannon Briggs amongst those in attendance.
Although proceedings started relatively amicably between the two heavyweights, things soon took a sour turn – somewhat kickstarted by incessant shouting from Shannon Briggs, who will be in Hardy’s corner for the fight.
The back and forth gradually got more and more spiteful and culminated in Rahman Jr referencing the domestic abuse charges faced by Hardy in 2015. The men were separated at this point by DAZN presenters Ade Oladipo and Wade Plem.
Rahman Jr, who holds a professional boxing record of 12 – 1 with 6 KOs, rose to prominence earlier this year when he himself was drafted in as a late opponent for YouTuber Jake Paul, however the fight ended up not happening over weight issues.
Greg Hardy is a former NFL defensive end turned UFC fighter who scored 6 knockouts in 12 MMA contests, though was cut from the UFC roster earlier this year after suffering three consecutive losses. This will be the Tennessean’s first time entering a professional boxing ring.
The fight will headline the third edition of the DAZN + Misfits Boxing series, and features a host of influencers on the undercard.