Heather Hardy is never coming back to the ring. The former WBO female featherweight champion last appeared in the ring against undisputed featherweight champion Amanda Serrano on 5th August 2023 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. It was a bloody battle of wits—despite blood pouring out of her eyes, Hardy refused to give up.

She met Serrano in the center of the ring each time, refusing to lie down. After 10 rounds of frantic action, Serrano won the fight via unanimous decision. However, Hardy didn’t just lose the fight that day. Hardy told BBC she had a concussion, double vision, and other stuff that often comes with boxing, but things just got worse from there on. 

The toughest decision for Heather Hardy

Long story short, those symptoms didn’t go away and became a regular part of her life. By the time May 6th, 2024, rolled around, she had to make a tough decision, which wasn’t easy for the proud former world champion. In a statement on Instagram, the 42-year-old confirmed that her Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) debut against flyweight champion Christine Ferea wasn’t happening. 

The former WBO featherweight champion was never a quitter, but pulling out of her debut from the BKFC fight five days before had forced her to accept her fate. Even then, she could not muster up the word retirement. Instead, Hardy wrote, “So I said the thing, ya know what that means,” signing off her career. 

It was a sad moment for her, and her fans, but she needed it. In the months following her loss to Serrano, Hardy lost nearly 30 pounds in weight. To top it off, she was grappling with persistent headaches and was unable to sleep, which were all eerily similar symptoms to Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE). 

“What I learned after was that every time you get a concussion, a piece of your brain dies and you never get it back—your brain just goes on living without it because it doesn’t know what it lost,” BBC quoted Hardy. Fast forward to last evening, Hardy hopped on X to share an update on her condition, lamenting, “I am permanently disabled and that is official.”

Seeing this, the boxing community erupted on social media, wishing Heather Hardy the best.

Fans urge ‘The Heat’ Hardy to step into the next chapter

Hardy is a popular name in both boxing and MMA, meaning it didn’t take long for people to share their thoughts on Hardy’s latest post. Former professional boxer Sulem Urbina was sympathetic to Hardy’s cause, as she wrote, “I am so sorry Heather.” It was the overarching sentiment in the comment section of the post. 

The next user tried to motivate Hardy with their kind words. “Always a warrior. You will find a way forward,” the user commented. While there are treatments available for some symptoms of CTE, there’s no cure for it. 

Another user revealed that they will include Hardy in their prayers. “So sorry sis, praying for you and for brighter days ahead,” the user wrote. Because of the way CTE works, things may only get worse. 

Someone else called to Hardy’s determined soul. The user wrote, “Don’t give up! Gotta stay strong 💪.” From the looks of it, Hardy has always done that and will continue to do it. 

One user came up with an idea for Heather Hardy to take up, as she permanently moves away from the sport. “Sucks but you had an awesome run and I’m sure motherhood will be so good to you. Maybe start training fighters,” the user wrote. Heather has one daughter named Annie, who came into this world back in 2005.

That being said, Heather Hardy has a tough road ahead of her, as she navigates life after combat sports. Everyone from EssentiallySports wishes ‘The Heat’ to stay strong through this time. What’s your take on this?