Who is boxer Heather Hardy?
SINCE becoming a boxer herself, Heather Hardy has been an outspoken advocate for women in the sport.
The Brooklyn-based fighter started her boxing career in 2010 and has gone on to earn an impressive record.
Who is Heather Hardy and what is her boxing record?
Heather Hardy is an American boxer and trainer of Irish descent.
She was born on January 25, 1982, and has two younger siblings, Kaitlyn and Colin.
Heather and her family grew up in Brooklyn, New York, specifically the Gerritsen Beach neighbourhood.
She began boxing in 2010, at the time she was going through a divorce.
She told the Bleacher Report in 2015: “It’s hard to say where I’d be if I hadn’t found boxing.
“When I came here, I was going through a divorce.
“I wasn’t getting child support, I was supporting my sister and her son, and I was working anywhere from three to six jobs at any given time.”
Heather “The Heat”‘s boxing record is 22 wins and two losses.
Her coach is former kickboxing champion Devon Cormack.
She has been outspoken about women’s boxing and the gender pay-gap debate.
In 2017, she slammed Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn for comments he had made on Twitter, suggesting female fighters should not expect equal pay until they match the commercial income of male stars.
Branding his comments “abusive”, Heather fumed on social media: “How F****** dare he. How many of his men did he give this speech to?”
Heather made her professional MMA debut in 2017, winning a flyweight bout against Alice Yauger at Madison Square Garden.
At the time, she said she had “fallen in love” with the sport after just one match.
Hardy has been scheduled to take on Amanda Serrano on August 5, 2023 at the Jake Paul vs Nate Diaz bout.
The pair are close friends, with Amanda even describing Heather as her “sister” to ESPN.
Serrano explained to the publication: “Heather opened the doors for women to fight at the Barclays Center.
“She opened the door for [promoter Lou] DiBella to actually want to look into continuing to sign females.
“I consider her my sister and it was always us.”
Is Heather Hardy married and does she have children?
Hardy was previously married to her high school sweetheart.
The former couple wed in 2004 but divorced in 2010.
Heather has one daughter, called Annie, who was born in 2005.
Hardy has often spoken about balancing her boxing career with parenting.
She told ESPN in 2018: “It’s hard to be a mom and be responsible for keeping someone alive and happy and fed and make sure she’s doing ok in school.
“It’s hard to be a mom and do f****** anything, so just to have a career isn’t easy.”