Heather Hardy – “I’ve had too much brain damage”
On April 28, boxing and MMA star Heather Hardy announced that her bare knuckle debut was off but did not offer much more information at the time.
Today the 42-year-old “Heat” who was to challenge Christine Ferea at BKFC 61 on May 11 provided a little more context to the situation.
To all my fans who purchased tickets, I’m sorry! I’ll be releasing a full statement tomorrow but I WILL NOT BE FIGHTING MAY 11 with BKFC. pic.twitter.com/ptCLpvFk8N
— Heather Heat Hardy (@HeatherHardyBox) April 28, 2024
“My fight for May 11 is off,” Hardy wrote on Instagram. “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 the after effects of a concussion. 6-8 months i should be fine. 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 went 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 and everything got worse with my sight. 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 shit for two days. I didn’t eat or sleep Friday to Monday, and i knew i was too weak to do this shit. 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.”
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A true pioneer in women’s combat sports, Heather Hardy boasts a professional boxing record of 24-3 over her 11-year professional career. Victorious over long-time rival Shelly Vincent on October 27, 2018 at Madison Square Garden, the popular Brooklyn, New York native fulfilled her lifelong dream of becoming a world champion – earning the WBO Women’s Featherweight World Title.
Hardy has also fought four times in Bellator including victories against fellow boxing world champion Ana Julaton and Ana Yauger.
