Brooklyn’s Heather “The Heat” Hardy never envisioned her boxing career ending this way. The former World Boxing Organization featherweight champion now lives with debilitating daily headaches, seizures, convulsions, and muscle spasms. She says she suffers from symptoms consistent with Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, a neurodegenerative disease most commonly associated with professional football players.
At 43, Hardy has launched a Manhattan Supreme Court case that legal experts say represents the first lawsuit of its kind filed by a female boxer. The litigation targets her doctors, promoters, and even an equipment manufacturer who signed her to an endorsement deal, alleging they medically cleared her for matches she wasn’t healthy enough to compete in and denied her access to required health insurance coverage.
“The boxing industry … has catastrophically failed Heather Hardy,” the court papers state.
Hardy’s attorney Priya Chaudhry didn’t mince words when describing the situation to The Post: “They lined their pockets with her pain — but when she was broken, they tossed her on the scrap heap.”
The Gerritsen Beach resident turned professional in 2012, motivated by the need to provide for her infant daughter. Over her career, she competed in 27 bouts, achieving an impressive record of 24 wins and 3 losses, earning a total of $236,450.
According to the lawsuit, Dr. Nitin Sethi, chief medical officer for the New York State Athletic Commission, allegedly “fabricated or misinterpreted the results” of her MRI tests, “resulting in clearances for multiple fights for which she should have been sidelined.”
The legal filing also claims Hardy was wrongfully denied access to millions in “commission-mandated” medical insurance policies that boxing promoters were supposedly required to purchase “for bout-related injuries.” Hardy contends that earlier medical intervention might have slowed the progression of her symptoms. Sources indicate that standard insurance policies for New York fights typically expire one year after a match if no claims are submitted.
While not named as a defendant, the state Athletics Commission was aware of her deteriorating physical condition, according to court documents. Despite this knowledge, “The Commission … continued to issue licenses to Ms. Hardy to continue to fight.”
Her final appearance in the ring came on August 5, 2023, at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, where she absorbed 278 punches from Amanda Serrano before losing by unanimous decision.
Several months after that punishing bout, Hardy lost her vision for three days while training. A doctor recommended by the commission advised her to consult a neurologist, but she couldn’t afford the appointment, according to the legal filing.
The lawsuit names multiple defendants, including Everlast Worldwide and its U.K.-based parent company Frasers Group, Larry Goldberg’s New Jersey promotions company Boxing Insider, and boxing promoter Lou DiBella.
Keith Sullivan, attorney for Goldberg, categorically rejected the allegations as “absolute horses**t.”
“I proved, with documents, the allegations are false, and provided that proof to the plaintiff’s attorneys, which is why this lawsuit should not proceed forward,” Sullivan stated.
DiBella’s attorney, Alex Dombroff, called the lawsuit “sensationalist fiction” in court papers filed this week and is seeking dismissal of the case.
The lawsuit requests unspecified damages along with reimbursement for out-of-pocket medical expenses.
Several boxing industry sources have criticized the legal action, with multiple individuals characterizing it as “a shakedown.” Some found it peculiar that the suit doesn’t name the promoters of Hardy’s final boxing match—Most Valuable Promotions, co-owned by social media personality-turned-boxer Jake Paul and his manager, Nakisa Bidarian.
“Heather should never have been in the ring with Serrano,” one source commented.
Hardy has been transparent about being a victim of domestic violence. She stated in court papers that doctors at New York University Langone connected her neurological issues to her boxing career.
Today, when she’s physically able, Hardy trains boxers at Gleason’s Gym in Dumbo.
Representatives for Everlast, Sethi, and Most Valuable Productions did not respond to requests for comment.
