Heather Hardy dedicated her life to boxing. But has the sport always been kind to her? It’s been over a year since she stepped into the ring. And perhaps she may not be able to do so anymore. On account of serious brain injuries, the former featherweight champion might have to stay away from fighting sports. Rather, as it appears, her challenges only seem to have compounded.

After the rematch with Amanda Serrano, Heather Hardy had a fight scheduled in the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship. However, the fight never materialized. Just a few days before her debut, through a detailed Instagram post, Hardy revealed her condition. It appears she even hinted at her eventual retirement from combat sports. The last few days witnessed Hardy speak about her condition and the latest developments with fans and followers.

Heather Hardy reflected on her experience with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). She suggested that perhaps the condition may affect women differently than men. Hardy highlighted the emotional and psychological toll the condition takes on a person.

Despite what some might expect, she has not reacted with anger but with a deep sense of struggle. “But I spent almost a year in the darkest places, sad and scared,” said the former world champion. The following tweet saw her explaining the importance of speaking up openly about such critical issues. Addressing critics who told her to stop discussing the brain damage, Hardy emphasized the seriousness of her situation. She said, “It sounds bad. It was a very real thing. I’m lucky [it] didn’t kill me.” The Brooklyn-born boxer made the difficult decision for the sake of her daughter. She gave her a reason to keep going, even when things went completely downhill.

The next message from Heather Hardy served as a powerful reminder to prioritize personal well-being over the temporary glory of the sport. ‘The Heat’ cautioned—while fighters have to deal with the consequences of their injuries, the sport and its community often won’t offer the support they need. “I was the first woman to do a lot of s**t in boxing. Wasn’t a big deal because I didn’t box that well, but now I’m the first woman with a brain injury,” said Heather Hardy in the thread’s final tweet.

Expressing sorrow, she lamented that perhaps her struggle with brain injury has been largely overlooked because of her perceived lack of success in sports. Just a few days ago, in another series of tweets, in an outpour of emotions, talking about the ‘inflammation around the optic nerves’ in her brain, Hardy revealed the frightening developments in her health. Subsequently, with a resigned acceptance, she acknowledged that it involves permanent loss that cannot be undone.

Heather Hardy: Living through battles, inside and outside the ring

Heather Hardy entered the boxing ring on August 5 last year. She faced Amanda Serrano on the Jake Paul–Nate Diaz card in Dallas. The rematch for Serrano’s undisputed titles follows their famous fight in 2019 when she lost her world championship to the Puerto Rican great. Nevertheless, life started going downhill for the 42-year-old. On May 11 this year, she was supposed to take on BKFC women’s flyweight champion Christine Ferea on her bare-knuckle debut. But in May, through a detailed Instagram post, Hardy explained her whole ordeal.

“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 TX, and it was diagnosed as the aftereffects of a concussion,” said Heather Hardy. With the possibility of a return to combat sports turning dim, she explained how the whole situation was hurting her life. She closed the message with a touching one-liner: “So I said the thing 😔 ya know what that means.”

Many fans interpreted this as an indication that her career in combat sports might be coming to an end. You may share a few words of encouragement for Heather Hardy in the comments section below.