Heather Hardy, a women’s boxing star who held WBC, WBO, and NABF titles among other accolades while also posting a 2-2 record for Bellator MMA, has likely retired after experiencing ongoing concussion symptoms.
Hardy (24-3, 1NC) was last seen in action in August, when she lost a unanimous decision against Amanda Serrano. Hardy was to have returned on May 11, competing in bare-knuckle for BKFC, but recently withdrew from the fight.
On Monday, “Heat” opened up about what had taken her out of the fight, and the news isn’t good.
“My fight for May 11 is off. 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 [Texas] and it was diagnosed the after effects of a concussion. 6-8 months I should be fine,” Hardy revealed in a post on social media. “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 want 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.”
Not only had her vision worsened, but Hardy was experiencing unexpected weight loss. “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 sh*t for two days. I didn’t eat or sleep Friday to Monday, and I knew I was too weak to do this sh*t.”
“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.”
It likely means Heather Hardy is retired. If that is the case, she finishes with an illustrious record, having gone undefeated through her first 22 fights, while capturing multiple titles. In MMA, she’s best known for her bloody war with Kristina Williams that left her with a shattered nose, and for defeating fellow boxer-turned-mixed martial artist Ana Julaton.
