Heather Hardy has put knot to her professional boxing career that has spanned over a decade from 2012 to 2023, with her last match occurring against former women’s featherweight undisputed champion Amanda Serrano on August 5th in 2023. Coupled with Hardy’s decision, however, comes some chilling news as she reveals the actual reason for her retirement: brain damage.
Despite venturing late into boxing at the age of 28, Heather “The Heat” Hardy still corralled an impressive career for herself; including in the amateurs where she rose to become the #1-ranked female American amateur boxer in 2011 after winning the USA Boxing Women’s Championship held in the same year.
As a professional, Hardy’s achievements came later than expected but were no less substantial after she won the [vacant] WBO featherweight title in 2018 after beating Shelly Vincent; six years after making her pro debut. Prior to her world title win, Hardy had been active in both boxing and MMA, winning her first MMA match in 2017 whilst fighting for Bellator. In MMA, Hardy went on to compile a record of 2-2, with her MMA debut win becoming the only fight she’d win by knockout or stoppage [technical knockout].
Roughly a year after her first world title win, Heather Hardy faced Amanda Serrano (46-2-1, 30 KO’s) in the first defense of her WBO 126 lbs title, but lost to the Puerto Rican fighter by unanimous decision (UD). Serrano who would eventually go on to become undisputed at featherweight in 2023. Years later, Hardy would receive the opportunity to rematch Serrano in 2023, where she again suffered a UD loss.
Though Heather Hardy had been set to compete on May 11th in her Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) debut against Christine Ferea, but her last fight against Serrano would prove to be her final bout in combat sports as she went on to explain on social media.
“My fight for May 11 is off.” Hardy stated on Instagram on May 6th. “After my fight last summer with Amanda, my vision remained blurred for a few days. I went for an MRI and to get my eyes checked while I was still in TX and it was diagnosed the after effects of a concussion. 6-8 months I [thought] should be fine.
“So basically I needed a fight, and it never got better. My daughter is in college. Everyone thinks I made millions in my career but i didn’t; I went paycheck to paycheck keeping that kid in the best neighborhood so she could go to the best schools. And I needed to take the fight, so long story short a month into training for Christine [Ferea] and everything got worse with my sight.
“I was down to 123 pounds because i couldn’t eat, I wasn’t sleeping―I was so weak. I hadn’t told anyone how bad it was, not my boyfriend not my coaches. I thought I could make it through the ten-minute fight, but after a very light sparring session i couldn’t see shit for two days. I didn’t eat or sleep Friday to Monday, and I knew I was too weak to do this shit.
“After finally seeing a doctor, he said I’ve had too many concussions. When you have a concussion, a piece of your brain dies and you never get it back. Imagine that? In ten years I’ve had too much brain damage. I can’t get anymore or else I won’t be able to see. No running, no jogging, no jumping rope, and no getting hit in the head. . So I said the thing, ya know what that means.“
The news of Hardy’s retirement due to brain damage as a result of an excessive amount of concussions sheds a light on the dangers and harsh realities of in boxing, and is a testament to the former world champion’s resilience at wanting tp continue to fight even at the age of 42; until she could no longer compete. The damage Heather Hardy accrued over the years put her between a rock and a hard place, forcing her to make the decision to definitively retire from combat sports.
While retirement was forced onto Hardy, she has left a pronounced mark on the combat industry, becoming one of the few female boxing world champions to compete in other fighting sports, and having created one of the most prominent stories in boxing due to her late entry into the sport; as well as her achievements in said sport. Hardy retires with a record of 24 wins, with 4 coming by way of knockout/stopapge, and just 3 losses.
Peculiarly, Hardy’s scheduled match on May 11th against Christine Ferea at BKFC 61 is not the only match to be cancelled, with three other bouts set to feature on the card having also been aborted. Through a recent post on Twitter/X, Hardy again clarified her decision to pull out of her BKFC bout that was set to occur this weekend.
“Full story on IG [Instagram] but the long and the short of it was I had to choose between my brain and my fight,” Hardy explained. “So I’m blessed to be alive but gutted. I said the hard words, gonna sit in that for a while remaining strong and true to God.”
Amanda Serrano has also responded to the news, offering a heartfelt message towards Heather Hardy who she considers a friend.
“Today is a sad day for me,” Serrano stated on Twitter. “One of my only friends in the sport of boxing is calling it quits. Yes, we fought twice cause it’s a business but the history between us [only] few know.
“Heather Hardy and I have been friends and sparring partners our entire boxing careers. We were both outcasts in the beginning. No one liked us so we stuck together. I don’t want to talk about her issues because it’s her story to tell.
“Heather with my entire heart I wish you a full recovery & a great retirement. You’re a ruthless warrior & I’m thankful to have shared twenty of my hardest f****** rounds with you I love you always.“
