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Greg Hardy's Boxing Coach: 'Everyone Deserves a Second Chance'



Controversial UFC heavyweight Greg Hardy has had an asterisk next to his name from the moment the former NFL star announced he would be taking up MMA.

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The football player turned fighter was convicted in 2014 of domestic violence charges by his former girlfriend who claimed Hardy assaulted and threatened to kill her. Hardy vehemently denied these accusations. Hardy appealed the conviction and the case against him was dropped when his former partner failed to appear in court to testify.

Hardy was signed by the UFC after impressing on Dana White's Tuesday Night Contender Series last year with a series of first-round stoppages.

The 30-year-old eventually made his promotional debut earlier this year in the first event of the UFC’s new deal with ESPN, landing the coveted co-main event slot despite his limited time as a professional fighter and despite -- or perhaps because of -- his controversial past. In his second bout three months later, Hardy was again given another co-main event slot, this time as part of UFC Fight Night 150 in Ft. Lauderdale.

Billy Padden, who is Hardy’s boxing coach at American Top Team, doesn’t believe Hardy deserves the criticism his fighter receives from fans. Padden, who previously served as a probation officer and as a court investigator in Philadelphia, has formed a tight bond with Hardy and wants fans to give him a second chance.

“I watch Greg Hardy hit grown men and make them limp as a noodle in seconds,” Padden told Bloody Elbow. “If he had any malice the night of this alleged incident, the woman would be dead. [I’m] used to giving people second chances, everybody deserves a second chance.

“The Greg Hardy I know is one of the best living guys I’ve met down here. Every time I’m walking him to the ring, I hear, ‘You woman beater,’ I hear nasty things said to him. I don’t think he deserves it.”

Hardy is coming off his first win in the UFC this past weekend when he stopped Dmitri Smoliakov in just over two minutes. His debut in January was fraught with controversy after he landed an illegal knee to Allen Crowder at UFC Brooklyn in the second round, leading to a loss by disqualification.

“We all knew Greg was better than what he showed when he fought Allen Crowder,” Padden said. “The UFC got to him. I could tell he was acting different when he was in the cage.

“We had a nice talk after he came back from that, and I said, ‘Listen, the weigh-in doesn’t matter, the pre-fight staredown doesn’t matter, the s--- talking doesn’t matter. The only thing that matters is when that buzzer sounds.’

“We tried to slow this thing down. We didn’t want this to happen,” Padden continued, referring to Hardy’s co-main event placements. “He doesn’t want to be the co-main event. It takes guys 10 years to get to this level, to the UFC. He knows this happened quickly; we know this happened quickly.

“Management teams are not always on the same page as the trainers. The management people felt he was ready; we have to respect their decision. Greg felt he was ready. I’m gonna train him to the best of my ability no matter who they put in front of him.”
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