Former WBO featherweight champion Heather Hardy has initiated legal action requesting damages exceeding $10 million against Most Valuable Promotions, co-founder Jake Paul , Chief Operating Officer Bryce Holden, and Holden Boxing.
She is able to provide coaching only for limited periods before her symptoms necessitate cessation of work, Uncrowned reported, according to her statement. “Dr. Curreri concluded that Ms. Hardy now suffers from a permanent disability marked by traumatic brain injury, memory loss, double vision, anxiety disorder, spatial confusion, and perception and depth inaccuracies, among other impairments,” states the lawsuit. Curreri, these symptoms left Ms. Hardy unable to concentrate and, in all likelihood, incapable of maintaining regular employment. Dr. Curreri’s assessment connected Hardy’s injury to the rematch itself.
The lawsuit comes from a contest featuring Hardy against seven-division champion Amanda Serrano, which served as a preliminary bout preceding Paul’s boxing engagement with former UFC competitor Nate Diaz on August 5, 2023, according to documents reviewed by Uncrowned. Holden, who assumed the position of MVP’s Chief Operating Officer in February 2024, held the role of licensed promoter for the Paul versus Diaz event through his company, Holden Boxing . Beyond seeking over $10 million in damages, Hardy is pursuing reimbursement of legal expenses and a court order mandating that the defendants implement preventative measures to safeguard other fighters from similar injuries going forward.
Hardy contends that the defendants capitalized on Hardy’s established reputation and precarious financial circumstances to orchestrate a “dangerous and unnecessary rematch” with Serrano. “Defendants knew, or should have known, that the bout presented an extraordinary and foreseeable risk of serious neurological harm to Hardy,” the initial statement read, as per Uncrowned. “According to Dr. Hardy said that she currently depends on Medicaid coverage and prescription medications to manage her daily functioning.
