Brooklyn-born boxing sensation Heather “The Heat” Hardy never wanted to retire from the ring — but she had no other choice. The one-time World Boxing Organization featherweight champion suffers from daily headaches, seizures, convulsions, and muscle spasms, symptoms consistent with the neurodegenerative disease commonly seen in pro football players, Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), she revealed in a lawsuit.
The 43-year-old’s Manhattan Supreme Court case—the first of its kind filed by a female boxer—accuses her doctors, promoters, and even the equipment manufacturer who signed her to an endorsement deal of medically clearing her for bouts she wasn’t well enough to take part in, while denying her the required health insurance.
“The boxing industry has catastrophically failed Heather Hardy,” she said in court papers.
The “lionhearted” Hardy, of Gerritsen Beach, began boxing professionally in 2012 to support her infant daughter. She fought in 27 bouts, compiling a record of 24 wins and 3 losses, earning a combined $236,450 over the course of her boxing career.
“They lined their pockets with her pain but when she was broken, they tossed her on the scrap heap,” one of Hardy’s lawyers, Priya Chaudhry, told The Post.
According to court documents, Dr. Nitin Sethi, chief medical officer for the New York State Athletic Commission, allegedly “fabricated or misinterpreted the results” of her MRI tests, which “resulted in clearances for multiple fights for which she should have been sidelined.”
Hardy was also denied access to millions in “commission-mandated” medical insurance policies that boxing promoters are required to purchase “for bout-related injuries,” the suit claims. She contends that earlier medical intervention could have delayed the progression of some of her symptoms.
Sources told The Post that standard insurance policies for fights in New York typically expire one year after a match if no claims are filed. The lawsuit further alleges that the State Athletic Commission was aware of her declining physical condition but nonetheless “continued to issue licenses to Ms. Hardy to continue to fight.” Notably, the commission is not named as a defendant in the suit.
Hardy’s final match took place on August 5, 2023, at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, where she endured 278 brutal punches from Amanda Serrano. She lost the bout by unanimous decision.
Months later, Hardy lost her vision for three days while training. A doctor recommended by the commission urged her to see a neurologist, but she couldn’t afford to follow through, according to the legal filing.
In addition to medical and promotional personnel, Hardy is suing Everlast Worldwide and its parent company, U.K.-based Frasers Group; Larry Goldberg’s New Jersey promotions company Boxing Insider; and boxing promoter Lou DiBella.
Goldberg’s lawyer, Keith Sullivan, dismissed the allegations as “absolute horses-t.” He stated, “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 against Boxing Insider.”
The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages as well as reimbursement for out-of-pocket medical costs.
DiBella’s lawyer, Alex Dombroff, called the lawsuit “sensationalist fiction” in court papers filed this week and is pushing to have the case dismissed.
Multiple boxing sources criticized the lawsuit as “a shakedown,” with several noting it was odd the suit failed to name the promoters of Hardy’s final boxing match—Most Valuable Promotions, co-owned by YouTube boxer Jake Paul and his manager, Nakisa Bidarian.
“Heather should never have been in the ring with Serrano,” one source said.
Another source suggested there could be other contributing factors to her illness, including domestic abuse at the hands of boyfriends, heavy drinking and drug use, and an e-bike accident earlier this year.
One source claimed Hardy “admitted to drinking a bottle of wine every night for 10 years” in an online video, though The Post was unable to locate the alleged footage.
Hardy has spoken openly about being a victim of domestic violence. According to court papers, doctors at New York University Langone attributed her alcohol use to the neurological issues caused by her boxing career.
Representatives for Everlast, Dr. Nitin Sethi, and Most Valuable Promotions did not respond to The Post’s requests for comment.
https://nypost.com/2025/10/18/us-news/brooklyn-boxing-legend-heather-hardy-suing-for-access-to-medical-insurance-for-bout-related-injuries/