Heather “The Heat” Hardy: Blazing a Trail for Women in Boxing

With temperatures hitting over 100 degrees in New York City this August, heat isn’t something anyone wants more of. Unless it’s Heather Hardy.

Nicknamed “The Heat,” Hardy sets the ring on fire with her impressive skills and determined demeanor. Undefeated with a record of 17-0, Hardy believes there is pressure to win every single time she steps in the ring, with or without the weight of a record.

“I’m not going in there to dance around. I’m in there to win,” she says intently.

Charismatic and tough, a Brooklyn accent lighting up her words, Hardy has carved a place for herself in a sport that hardly ever showcases women. Turn on the television on a Saturday evening and it’s rare that you will be watching a women’s boxing bout. Flip the channel to watch the Ultimate Fighting Championship, however, and you might just catch Miesha Tate, Joanna Jedrzejczyk, Paige Van Zant, or the newly crowned Bantamweight champ, Amanda Nunes.

“I think what Dana White did was smart, taking a chance on Ronda Rousey and opening up the divisions for women in the UFC. They really proved that people want to watch women fight and that they can really sell these cards. That’s what boxing needs, someone like Dana White to just take a stand for these women and put a place for us on there. Almost none of our fights are televised, so it’s like how is anyone supposed to know that we are fighting? They say there isn’t much of a market for women boxers, but it’s because they don’t show us and what we are doing. There’s a huge market now for female MMA fighters, because they see these girls every Saturday night. I want to show other women that, hey you can do this too.”

While many in and out of the fight game can rattle off a slew of female Mixed Martial Artists, there is much less attention on female boxers. The same names come up time after time: Christy “The Coal Miner’s Daughter” Martin, Cathy “Cat” Davis, Lucia “The Dutch Destroyer” Rijker, Laila “She Bee Stingin” Ali, Marian “Lady Tyger” Trimiar, and even Holly “The Preacher’s Daughter” Holm–but they are hardly given any recognition in the same way MMA fighters are.

It is difficult to find them headlining a card, while UFC 200‘s headliner was Tate vs Nunes, and Rousey vs Holm headlined UFC 193 just last year. One of the most prominent examples of women headlining a boxing card was Ali’s bout against Joe Frazier’s daughter, Jaqui “Sister Smoke” Frazier-Lyde, titled Ali vs Frazier IV, playing off their fathers’ rivalry. Beyond that, it is difficult to find much more data. UFC female competitors routinely rake in pay-per-view numbers, but Premier Boxing Championship and HBO have never televised a women’s boxing match. The Golden Gloves began in 1923, but it wasn’t until the mid-90’s that women were allowed to compete. So, how are people supposed to know about female boxers?

“I promote myself, I’ll stand out in the middle of Times Square, I’ll go bar to bar, I’ll tell every single person I come across to buy a ticket for my fight. That’s what I have to do. I sold $13,000 worth of tickets for my pro debut. I hustle with social media, I’ll have ticket parties, I’ll guest spot somewhere. Whatever is needed, I’ll do it, I don’t care. I’m one of the few women who have a promoter, Lou DiBella. But, having a promoter is an everyday thing for most men.” Hardy says this matter-of-factly. To her, the hustle of actually getting her fights is only a part of the game. 

On the flipside of the coin, male fighters do not have to work half as hard to have their bouts promoted. The sport of boxing does not have a union, so the fighters represent themselves. The promoters protect their interests, and the networks pick what they think will bring in the highest ratings. What has been a huge obstacle is illustrating that women’s bouts can bring in these top numbers, if given the chance. With the success of women in MMA, or even sports like tennis, where the Williams sisters are the most routinely watched, female boxers need coverage. If the summer Olympics have shown anything to the world, it is that women are dominant and impressive athletes as well–with Simone Biles, Katie Ledecky, Madeline Dirado, and Simone Manuel bringing in many more medals than their male counterparts on Team USA.

Beyond just selling tickets and training for fights, Heather “The Heat” Hardy has other concerns–she also works full-time and raises her daughter on her own.

 “I start my day pretty early and end late. I get to spend some time with my daughter but most days she’s in the gym doing her homework or watching me.” Hardy’s perseverance illuminates her storied career. It was only about six years ago that she first began training, but quickly started to scoop up prizes such as the USA Boxing Title, Metro, and the famed NYC Golden Gloves. It was shortly thereafter that she went pro and started her winning campaign.

A single mother based out of Gerritsen Beach, Brooklyn, she has been through more adversity than most people have in their entire lifetime.Surviving everything from a sexual assault to losing her home twice, once by fire and the second by Hurricane Sandy, Hardy is no stranger to tribulations. Traumas that would completely break other people have become stepping stones in building Hardy’s determination. It is what she has done by virtue of her struggles that makes her and her story really stand out. 

Holding the International Super Bantamweight title for both the World Boxing Council and Universal Boxing Federation, Hardy has been a significant factor in thrusting female boxing into the public eye. Covered by VICE news, ESPN Women, the Wall Street Journal, Yahoo! News, the Village Voice, and many others, she has been routinely outspoken on the significance of women boxers. As if to prove a point, “The Heat” fought at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn as the very first professional female bout to be held at the venue.

Hardy is currently training for a bout scheduled for this upcoming Sunday, August 21st, for PBC at the Ford Amphitheater at the Coney Island Boardwalk. When asked how training was going, Hardy answers with a laugh and says, “I’m just glad I’m not fighting me. That’s all I have to say about it.” In her corner will be her longtime trainer Devon Cormack, who Hardy believes has given her a lot of insight and assistance in getting to where she is now. Fighting out the famed Gleason’s Gym, “The Heat” says, “There have been tons of female world champs to come out of there, and I have so many people to look up to. I get five people every day giving me feedback and every single day I get a little bit better. At the end of it though, I’m doing all of this for me and my daughter. I’m completely motivated by her. I operate 18 hours a day, working and training, and it’s all for her.”

Hardy has proven that women boxers deserve respect and recognition. With over ten thousand fans on social media, a short documentary film, and a host of outlets watching her, Hardy illustrates the dominance that female pugilists can present.

“This is what I want as my legacy–someone who was able to crack the door open for other women to get paid. It’s not fair that we work hard, but aren’t being paid and don’t have much attention shined on us. I’m a fighter, I’m day-in and day-out of the gym, I put my whole life in there. Why shouldn’t I be making the same money as a man in my position? Why am I getting only a portion of what they are, when I’m working just as or even harder than they are? I am still concerned about my rent, I still have worries about my bills. But I’m a pro fighter, shouldn’t I be getting the same circumstances as the male pro fighters? I’m going to keep fighting, for other women, for equal pay and for equal opportunities”

Writer: Pari Aryafar

Editor: Kyle Antonelli

Photos: Anthony Geathers

Check out our last video interview with “The Heat” below: