03 June 2023 , 20:20
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Former NFL defensive end Greg Hardy was knocked out for the second time in two months during a Team Boxing League bout on Friday night.
Hardy, 34, has embarked on a career in combat sports since leaving the league in 2015 following a suspension for violating NFL policies. After initially turning to mixed martial arts, the former one-time All-Pro and Pro Bowl selection has more recently taken to boxing, with mixed results.
Earlier this year, Hardy made his bare-knuckle debut at BKFC KnuckleMania 3. He was dispatched similarly in the second round by Josh Watson. Two months on, he suffered the same fate when switching back to professional boxing to face former heavyweight title contender Alexander Flores in Team Combat League.
With just over a minute-and-a-half remaining in the second round, Hardy was caught clean with a left-right combination that sent him crashing to the canvas. He did bounce back to his feet, though, almost immediately forcing Flores into a corner while throwing a flurry of punches in response.
Unfazed, Flores caught Hardy with a clean shot to the chin after the exchange. He soon followed up by catching his retreating opponent again. That ended up being the last punch thrown as Hardy was dropped and briefly slumped onto the ropes before the referee waved the contest off.
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It was his first Team Combat League defeat after winning the previous two. Hardy has taken to social media in the aftermath.
Greg Hardy was dropped to the canvas twice before the referee stopped the fightHAVE YOUR SAY! What have you made of Greg Hardy's post-NFL combat sports career ? Join the discussion in the comments section .
"Win some you lose some, tonight was my night for the first fight and the second I got sloppy looking for a knockout," the Instagram post reads. "Forgot to fight my fight and paid the price against a good boxer. More to learn, u trolls have fun. I’ll be back Tomm to talk ish.
"Prolly suspended next week but back week after next if the Dallas Enforcers will have ya boy back. Thank you to the Team Combat League for being classy and bringing real boxers together to do work."
Before becoming a boxer, Hardy spent three years in the UFC. However, he was not re-signed by the organisation after being knocked out in each of his last three fights.
Hardy spent six years in the NFL but was arrested before the fifth season started on assault charges. He was initially found guilty by a judge before those charges were later dropped after an appeal, and eventually, domestic violence charges were expunged from his record after reaching a civil settlement with the victim.
During that time, Hardy was put on the exempt list by the league for the remainder of the season. Eventually, the NFL suspended him for ten games, which was later reduced to four.
He left the Carolina Panthers at the end of his contract. The Dallas Cowboys then signed him for the 2015 season, and he played 12 games there before being released and never returning to the league.