GYM 01 charge Hardy relishing his hometown battle

The GYM 01 featherweight faces Geoffroy Puigvert on Unity Fighting Championship’s card in Darlington tomorrow night.

The 23-year-old, who has been training at the Southsea gym for two years, is out to deliver back-to-back victories in the co-main event of the evening.

In February, Hardy clinched a swashbuckling TKO success over Mohamed Kadiake.

He landed a front kick to the face which dropped his opponent before finishing the bout with ground-and-pound punches in the first round.

The win moved Hardy to 1-1 in his professional career.

He lost on his debut to Daniel Rutkowski on the undercard of BAMMA 29.

Nevertheless, after racking up a perfect 3-0 amateur record, Hardy admitted his defeat to Rutkowski was a blessing in disguise.

He insists he’s in fine fettle heading into the contest against Puigvert.

And Hardy believes he will thrive on the roaring atmosphere his supporters will create.

He said: ‘I’m feeling really good going into the fight, especially with it being in my hometown.

‘I’ve sold quite a lot of tickets so there will be a good crowd around me – it’ll pretty much be better than the main event.

‘I went away and now I’m making the most of being back.

‘I’m getting straight back in there and I’m buzzing to take every fight that I can.

‘The thing for me was I went away and I was losing sleep over not being able to get back in the cage and correct all of my mistakes.

‘However, I have learnt a lot from that fight.

‘A few changes I’ve made will mean I’m more composed in the cage.

‘I’m not thinking about my opponent and what they are going do too much.

‘Instead, I’m thinking about what I’m going to do.

‘I’ve been taking everything in. To have had three amateur fights and make my debut on a BAMMA show was massive for me.

‘However, it’s prepared me much better for my professional career and I’m not going to get any shock after that.’

Hardy revealed he hasn’t watched too much footage of Puigvert’s previous bouts during his camp.

Instead, he will quickly work out where his French opponent’s strengths lie when they meet inside the cage.

And Hardy feels confident he can come out victorious – whether it’s a stand-up battle or contested on the ground.

He added: ‘I’ve seen a little bit of footage of my opponent but all we need to work out is if he’s a striker or a grappler.

‘I work on my own skills more than anything.

‘My strength is definitely my stand-up – I’ve always been a stand-up fighter.

‘But wherever the fight ends up I will feel confident.’