Heather Hardy makes her pitch Thursday night

February 22, 2023 Andy Furman

Heather Hardy, left, punches Amanda Serrano during the third round of a WBO world female featherweight championship boxing match Friday, Sept. 13, 2019, in New York. Serrano won the fight. AP Photo/Frank Franklin II

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GERRITSEN BEACH — All she ever wanted was to become the first female pitcher for the New York Yankees.

That didn’t happen.

Heather Hardy became world champion – winning the World Boxing Organization featherweight title with a unanimous decision win over Shelly Vincent at Madison Square Garden, October 27, 2018.

The Yankees didn’t pan-out – and the native of Gerritsen Beach, Brooklyn, went on to major in Forensic Psychology at John Jay College of Criminal Justice.

She graduated at the age of 22.

“And I was a boxing rookie at 28,” she told the Brooklyn Eagle. “I remember my first fight. It was in front of an average-sized audience in Long Island, and I won.”

She says that fight was just for fun –and she entered the ring after just three-weeks of training.

“When I got in that ring,” she remembers, “A cousin in my corner told me to pretend a tiger was dropped in the ring and only one of us was getting out alive. I pummeled that girl so bad. Ever since,” she continued, “I’ve had the passion to beat up the world. I still fight that way.”

Hardy takes that passion – and a career record of 23-2 – in the ring Thursday night (Feb. 23rd) at Sony Hall, Times Square.

She’s dedicating her fight to former trainer, and recently passed, Hector Roca.

“I’m very grateful to DiBella Entertainment and Boxing Insider for going out of their way to ensure me on this show that will be honoring my late trainer, mentor and papa, Hector Roca,” said Hardy. “The day before he died, we sat in his hospital room, me on the corner of the bed. He put his hand over mine and said, ‘Baby, they all think you past your prime, but you didn’t hit it yet. This is going to be your year.’ I’m ready and excited to start 2023 off right, here in front of all my New York City fans for papa.”
Hardy’s last fight was a unanimous win on October 14, 2022– she ‘ll face Taynna Cardoso Thursday.
Olympic Silver Medalist Beatriz Ferreira defeated Cardoso in Cleveland, November 15, 2022.

“There’s certainly more incentive for me in this fight,” she said.

Heather “The Heat” Hardy’s unanimous decision to defeat Jessica Camara on May 14, 2021 was in Nashville, Tenn. She made her triumphant return to the ring last October at Sony Hall scoring a unanimous decision over Calista Silgado (20-15, 15 KOs) in a six-round main-event fight.

Now 40-years-old, she admitted that she needed to work off the cobwebs against a tough combatant who is a battle-tested veteran.
The Women’s International Boxing Association (WIBA) currently ranks Hardy at No. 12 in the lightweight division. In MMA, Hardy faced Taylor Turner at Bellator 222 on June 14, 2019. She lost that fight via a first-round TKO.

Hardy made her professional MMA debut at Bellator 180 in a flyweight bout against Alice Yauger on June 24, 2017 at Madison Square Garden, and won via TKO in the third round.

She initially caught the eye of a professional trainer who offered her to train at Gleason’s Gym. She began to grow in popularity on the boxing scene and soon became known for her tenacity and determination in and out of the ring.

She was once quoted as saying, “Yeah right, who’s this little blonde white girl with the braids?’ They knew me quick because I started tearin’ ass.”

Yet, despite her popularity, Hardy remains humble. She can still be found selling tickets before her fights and training clients at Gleason’s.

You might even see her doing that Thursday night.

Andy Furman is a Fox Sports Radio national talk show host. Previously, he was a scholastic sports columnist for the Brooklyn Eagle. He may be reached at: [email protected] Twitter: @AndyFurmanFSR