Jake Paul, MVP sued by boxer Heather Hardy for $10 million lawsuit over alleged career-endi
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.
Part of the preliminary statement read:
"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.
The lawsuit read:
"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.
"According to Dr. 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."
Hardy said she now relies on Medicaid and prescription medication to cope on a day-to-day basis. She claimed she can only coach for a few hours before the symptoms force her to stop.
Hardy brings five causes of action against the defendants: gross negligence, negligent undertaking, negligence per se, ordinary negligence and violation of the Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act.
She alleges that the defendants violated Texas boxing regulations and federal law by concealing who controlled the promotion, improperly using Holden Boxing as the licensed promoter and depriving her of independent, conflict-free representation.
In addition to more than $10 million in damages, Hardy is seeking legal costs and an injunction requiring the defendants to take measures to prevent similar harm to other fighters in the future.
A statement provided to Uncrowned by MVP read:
"MVP has great respect for Heather Hardy. We recognize the difficulty of her circumstances and extend our sincere sympathy and hope that she receives the care and support she deserves.
"Heather's participation on our August 5, 2023, card was arranged through her promoter, Lou DiBella, who contracted for the fight, and Heather publicly expressed her gratitude for the opportunity both before and after the fight. MVP followed applicable protocols for the fight, Heather was medically cleared to compete by the athletic commission overseeing the event, and the bout proceeded under the commission's authority and supervision in accordance with their standard medical and safety requirements.
"MVP remains committed to fighter safety and supporting the athletes who compete in our events in full compliance with commission standards."
The claim argues that Hardy's case was not a one-off incident but rather part of a consistent pattern that represented the "Defendants' lack of care and concern for fighter safety" and how they placed "commercial interests ahead of fighter safety." Two other examples detailed in the suit are those of Isis Sio and Shadasia Green.
Sio fought the MVP-promoted Jocelyn Camarillo on a ProBoxTV card in March 2026. Camarillo knocked Sio unconscious in the first round of their obvious mismatch. Sio left the ring on a stretcher and entered a medically induced coma.
In April 2026, Shadasia Green was left hospitalized after suffering a brain bleed in her fight with Lani Daniels. Per the complaint:
"Green complained of head pain in the fourth round and cried out for help, yet the fight continued until the ninth round before officials stopped it."
Hardy's complaint also accuses MVP of "forum shopping and rule bending.".
The former champion claims that MVP identified a commercially valuable matchup and that, if it presented regulatory or safety concerns, would place it in a jurisdiction with less stringent oversight where an otherwise unsafe fight may be allowed to proceed. Hardy listed two Paul fights as examples in her suit: Paul vs. Mike Tyson in November 2024 and the canceled Paul vs. Gervonta "Tank" Davis exhibition in November 2025.
Although Serrano vs. Hardy 2 took place more than three years before the lawsuit was filed, Hardy argues that her claims remain timely because she did not discover the defendants' allegedly concealed role in arranging the fight until her attorneys investigated the matter in March 2026.