BLOOD. SWEAT. MONEY.
In 2011, 28 year old Heather “The Heat” Hardy fell in love with boxing and found herself in the process. For Heather, a single mom from Gerritsen Beach Brooklyn, every fight was a fight for her daughter’s future. At the time there were almost no opportunities for women boxers, so “The Heat” created her own. Her professional career is a storied list of firsts - the first athlete to ever be co-promoted in boxing and MMA, the first woman to headline a boxing card at Barclays Center. Her bout with Shelly Vincent was the second and last female boxing match ever televised by HBO.
In 2019 Hardy lost her WBC and WBO Featherweight titles to fellow brooklynite Amanda Serrano. Despite her pioneering accomplishments, outside of the world of NY Boxing Heather Hardy has remained relatively unknown. Now at 41, Heather has no titles to her name, Annie is in college. So she put out a public challenge for a shot at another world title Ring Magazine. “The Heat” wants one last shot at a real payday in the ring.
Since taking the first title from Heather, Amanda Serrano has gone on to become the current Unified Featherweight Champion of the World. She’s earned a place in the Guinness World records for most professional wins in multiple weight classes of any female boxer and broke the glass ceiling headlining Madison Square Garden with Katie Taylor in 2022. Serrano’s collaboration with Jake Paul and his Most Valuable Promotions is bringing unprecedented visibility and opportunity to women’s boxing, and has made her a millionaire.
In an act of sisterhood, Serrano responded to Hardy’s public challenge offering her a chance to not only take back the title she lost, but a chance to become the new Unified Featherweight Champion of the World at 126lbs.