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Former WBO featherweight champion Heather Hardy has filed a lawsuit seeking more than $10 million from Most Valuable Promotions, its co-founder Jake Paul, its COO Bryce Holden, and Holden Boxing.
The complaint, obtained by Uncrowned, stems from a fight between Hardy and seven-division champion Amanda Serrano, an undercard bout for Paul’s boxing match against former UFC star Nate Diaz on Aug. 5, 2023. Holden, who became MVP’s COO in February 2024, was the licensed promoter for the Paul vs. Diaz event through Holden Boxing.
Hardy alleges that the defendants exploited Hardy’s reputation and financial vulnerability to organize 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 54-page complaint, filed Sept. 23 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, Dallas Division, alleges that the fight with Serrano was “career-ending” for Hardy and resulted in “permanent brain injury” to the 44-year-old.
Serrano and Hardy fought for the first time in 2019. On that occasion, Serrano defeated Hardy decisively to defend her unified featherweight titles. Hardy underwent three fights afterward, suffering another defeat to Jessica Camara before winning two low-key bouts in October 2022 and February 2023.
The complaint portrays Hardy as approaching the end of her career after suffering years of accumulated punishment when the Serrano rematch was made for August 2023. It alleges that Hardy’s longtime promoter, Lou DiBella, refused to help arrange the rematch because he considered it unsafe.
Serrano vs. Hardy 2 was also allegedly opposed by promoter Larry Goldberg, Hardy’s trainers, and her friends, including Gleason’s Gym founder Bruce Silverglade.
MVP, however, is alleged in the complaint to have bypassed DiBella and “exploited” Hardy’s desperate financial position to secure the fight anyway.
The complaint acknowledges that Holden Boxing was the licensed promoter for the fight, not MVP, but argues that Holden served as a “liability shield” so MVP could “enjoy the financial benefits of promotion without formally assuming the regulatory responsibilities of the licensed promoter.”
Serrano landed 242 power punches on Hardy during their 20-minute bout in August 2023, according to boxing stat-tracker CompuBox.
The complaint alleges that the fight ended Hardy’s career and caused her permanent neurological damage.
The damage became more apparent, Hardy claims, in early 2024 when she was preparing for a bare-knuckle fight and lost vision during light sparring. Hardy says she was told by an ophthalmologist that the problem originated in her brain, leading her to retire.
