When Does Heather Hardy Fight Next? Brooklyn Icon Returns Oct. 13 in NYC

Brooklyn battler Heather Hardy, the scrappy Brooklyn-based underdog icon, gets back in the ring on Oct. 13, set to tussle with Calista Silgado at Sony Hall, in Times Square, NYC.

Hardy turned 40 in January, and last gloved up in May 2021, losing an eight rounder to Jessica Camara. She has fashioned herself a niche as a trainer to everyday folks, who does modeling, speaking engagements and endorsements. But that pull to strap on the gloves and see what she’s capable of remains.

So she’ll headline a fight card run by boxing website founder Larry Goldberg, of Boxing Insider. Hardy holds a 22-2 record, while the 34 year old Colombian Silgado maintains a 20-15-3 mark. Hardy met pound for pound ace Amanda Serrano in 2019, and gave a fine account of herself against a stronger foe. You may recall she got herself and Vincent inserted on the card with a direct request to then HBO boxing boss Peter Nelson.

I asked what she wanted to share, and the fighting pride of Gerritsen Beach replied with typical candor: “Nothing much Woods. I haven’t had a win since 2018 (vs. Shelly Vincent), I have to just shut up and get the job done this time.”

I cajoled, as I do, and pushed the issue a bit. I wondered, did she think hard about hanging up those mitts and transitioning to “inactive status?”

The woman nicknamed “Heat” offered, again, a stark summation: “I couldn’t let the last chapter of my fight career go 0-3.”

The lead-up to what she’s calling the last chapter was indeed a bit roller-coastery. Covid, of course, had most people in NYC upside down, and before that, Heather Hardy worked on becoming a two-sport threat, as she dug into MMA training. The fighter went 2-2 doing that side hustle, and came to realize that she came to that party a bit late. So, Hardy will seek to write a final chapter or two–by the way, she can write, too— doing it Sinatra style, her way.

“Boxing and MMA, combined, since 2019, it’s not how I wanted my story to end,” said Hardy, a fan favorite to NYFights readers who admire her badassery and chutzpah. “I won all those titles before there was money in boxing, am I really ready to walk away now? I’ve been working so hard, to the absolute best of my abilities and leaving no stone unturned for this one. I don’t want to lose anymore. I’m 40, and this fight is going to tell me if I can still hang with the young girls and make one more good run.”

Here is a release offering specifics on the show topped by Heather Hardy, as well as undercard information:

New York, September 21, 2022 — Heather “The Heat” Hardy versus Calista Silgado will be the main event of a six bout card stacked with local boxers on her much anticipated return to the ring on Thursday, October 13. The card, tabbed “New Beginnings,” will take place at Sony Hall, in the heart of Times Square, mid-town Manhattan.

Heather Hardy-Silgado will be a six round lightweight bout. In the co-feature will be Ivan Golub, a native of the Ukraine who currently resides in Brooklyn. The remainder of the card includes Andy Dominguez of the Bronx, Lebanon native Nadim Salloum now residing in Brooklyn, Orville Crooks who hails from the Bedford-Stuyvesant area of Brooklyn and Armenian Petros Ananyan who resides in Los Angeles.

The card is being promoted by Boxing Insider, who is making their professional boxing promotional debut.

Tickets, priced from $85 for General Admission (not including applicable service charges), are available at Ticketmaster click here. General Admission tables and VIP tables are also available. Doors Open at 6 pm and First Bell is at 7:30.

Heather Hardy (22-2, 4 KOs), Brooklyn born and raised and former World Boxing Organization Featherweight Champion, will bring “The Heat” back after 17 months of inactivity as she mounts another run at a world championship. Hardy is currently ranked #12 in the lightweight division by the Women’s International Boxing Association.

Heather Hardy is a graduate of John Jay College in Brooklyn, began boxing in the gym at age twenty-four and made her professional debut in 2014 at the tender age of twenty-eight. In 2013 she won the vacant UBF International super bantamweight title and in 2014 won the WBC International super bantamweight title, which she successfully defended five times. On October 27, 2018, Heather became world champion, winning the WBO featherweight title with a unanimous decision win over Shelly Vincent at Madison Square Garden. Heather lost the title the following September to Amanda Serrano in a clash of women boxing stars.

Hardy has been equally unafraid to mix it up in the ring, cage or to lobby for equitable pay for female fighters.

“I’m glad to be working with Boxing Insider promotions. It’s great to start now so when it comes time to retire from fighting, it’s a way to keep me involved in the sport,” said Heather Hardy, who is not only headlining the event but also has a big behind the scenes role. “It has given me the opportunity to use all the knowledge I have acquired over the years as a fighter to help create this platform that is going to elevate the next generation of fighters from New York.”

Calista Silgado (20-15, 15 KOs) from Santiago de Tolu, Colombia made her professional debut in 2012 and is an eight-time world title challenger. She also fought in a bare-knuckle fight in October 2021.

In a co-feature to support the Heather Hardy main event, Ivan Golub, a native of the Ukraine who currently resides in Brooklyn, will be putting his USBA welterweight title on the line in a yet to be determined opponent.

Golub (20-1, 15 KO’s), known as “The Volk,” is ranked #7 in the world by the International Boxing Federation.

Fans at Sony Hall will also get a chance to see Andy Dominguez (7-0, 5 KO’s) of the Bronx, a dynamic flyweight who currently holds the World Boxing Association Fedecentro title, which he puts on the line. At 18 years of age, he is already 14th in the world in the WBA rankings. The unpredictable Nadim Salloum (8-1, 3 KO’s), the first pro fighter born and raised in Lebanon, will be seen in a six-round light heavyweight bout. Salloum, who now lives in Brooklyn, has a large and vocal following among his countrymen in the New York City area.

Another light heavyweight on the card is Orville Crooks (3-0, 2 KO’s), one of best amateurs New York has produced in recent years. Crooks, who hails from the Bedford-Stuyvesant area of Brooklyn–click here to learn more about him— is both a U.S. Amateur champion and a National Golden Gloves champion. For him, the sky is truly the limit. 

In an eight-round super lightweight bout supporting the Heather Hardy feature will be former World Boxing Association Continental Americas Super Lightweight Champion Petros Ananyan (16-3-2, 7 KOs), born and raised in Armenia and now residing in Los Angeles. Petros, see in video beneath, will battle Brazilian Paulo Cesar Galdino (12-5, 8 KOs).

“I’m humbled and honored,” says Larry Goldberg, CEO of Boxing Insider. “I’m getting to live every boxing fan’s dream by promoting a show in New York. We’re working hard and we’re going to make it happen.”

“It’s my pleasure to be working with Larry on this, his first venture into promoting,” says recent Hall of Fame inductee Lou DiBella of DiBella Entertainment, who holds promotional rights to Heather Hardy and Golub. “And especially as it’s at an historic venue like Sony Hall. It’ll be a great night.”