Heather Hardy has been fighting on and off the court all her life. Therefore, fighting to win is second nature to her; she won’t let a life-threatening injury keep her down. The former featherweight champion has been dealing with CTE-related brain injury, caused by repeated head trauma, for more than a year now. It has been more than a year since her last about and maybe we might never see her in the ring again. She was preparing for her debut in the Bare Knuckles Fighting Championship but had to give that up because of the symptoms of her condition, which included blurred vision, headaches, brain fog, and insomnia.

After repeated blows over a long career, her brain could no longer support a rigorous training regime, and she was forced to give it up. She had to choose between her life and her boxing career. A few days ago, Hardy posted a series of tweets where she expressed her frustration over her inability to afford the necessary treatment. However, despite the knocks that she may be facing in life, she refuses to be a charity case, as she revealed recently.

Gratitude for Fans, but No Donations Accepted

Turns out after her last series of posts, fans expressed their wish to help Heather Hardy get the treatment she needs. In response, she thanked the fans for all the support that they have given her. However, she declined offers for any kind of donations from the fans for her treatment. “My fans bought all those tickets. I sold almost all my fight merch to fans just to pay my rent. MY FANS HAVE SUPPORTED MY CAREER and i won’t let them support my retirement. NO DONATIONS from fans. Don’t let boxing ask YOU to do more for me cause I won’t take it Thank you but NO!” she explained in her recent post.

She further clarified her situation, stating that she is not asking for charity, but has simply come to terms with the reality that boxing has not been kind to her. The Brooklyn native explained that the posts were not for attention but rather to seek proper help and encourage others to take these types of injuries seriously. “This ain’t me with my hands out, just my eyes open. Boxing raw dogged me OUT,” she confessed.

After a few hours, Heather Hardy once again posted, but this time with good news. She informed her fans that she had found someone in New York who was ready to help her get the much-needed MRI that she had been needing for a long time. The fans were glad at the update and wished the former champion well wishes for her treatment. She revealed, “Turns out NYC is going to help me and i didn’t need boxing at all! Someone is meeting me tonight to get me in the system! Independently taking my life back one MRI at a time 🥰.”

Hardy then revealed that she was done with boxing rants on X for the time being.

Heather Hardy: A fighter on and off the court

Hardy has been dealing with injury issues for a long time. But she still tried to compete in the BKFC and did not tell anyone. She only gave up when things got so out of control that she was not able to eat properly for 3 whole days. The 42-year-old then had to make the hardest decision of her life to step away from boxing. However, the apathy from the rest of the boxing community toward her illness was greatly demoralizing.

Hardy revealed in her last post that she was done with talking about boxing on X. She revealed that she wouldn’t rant about the situation anymore and would get the right treatment herself on her own terms, regardless of external support. “✌🏼I’m done with my boxing rants. The court of law wouldn’t help me, but the court of public opinion is a real thing. I am independently taking back my health and not giving time to boxing no more. I’m out twitter, i don’t know how to deactivate but I am deleting the app! 🥰.”

Maybe this is the right choice for Heather Hardy as she can enjoy her personal life with her daughter now. As she transitions away from the ring and social media, supporters and fans alike can only wish her the best in her journey toward healing and a fulfilling personal life.

Is Hardy completely done with boxing? Leave your thoughts on her decision and some words of encouragement for her down below.