Heather Hardy: The former world champion left behind by boxing
Hardy’s path to boxing was far from conventional.
She had graduated from New York’s John Jay College of Criminal Justice with a degree in forensic psychology and admired the late Supreme Court justice and women’s rights pioneer Ruth Bader Ginsburg before she even conceived the idea of a career in boxing. .
Hardy knew she was a “powerful woman,” but wasn’t sure how to fully harness her power.
Working two to six jobs to make ends meet as a single mother, Hardy first entered a boxing gym in 2010 as a way to escape her day job. It quickly became a passion and possibly a way out as she worked to provide a better quality of life for her daughter.
In April 2011, the 29-year-old Hardy participated in his first amateur competition and became the U.S. national featherweight champion two months later.
After making his professional debut in the summer of 2012, Hardy began a six-year unbeaten run, participating in 23 games, and finally defeated Shirley Vincent in the theater inside Madison Square Garden to win the WBO featherweight title. King title.
She also challenged herself in the world of mixed martial arts and competed four times under the promotion Bellator, winning two and losing two.
Her first defeat in the ring came against seven-division world champion Serrano in 2019, when she retired with an overall record of 24 wins, 3 losses and 1 no record.
Despite facing challenges that few could imagine or hope to experience in their personal lives, Hardy found success in the ring.
“Everything from hurricanes to homelessness and house fires happened,” she said.
“We were on the street, my parents lived in a church basement, and anything that could happen happened.
“But I’m sitting here because I have faith in God and I’ve been with him through this journey. It’s a simple idea, you go the right way, you do the right thing, you don’t look back. You don’t If you don’t stop, you will get what you deserve.”
