Everlast has revealed the next wave of trailblazers to be celebrated in “Be First,” a global campaign challenging consumers to carve their own path to success. In honor of Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day, the campaign spotlights the inspiring stories of boxing promoter Kathy Duva, Everlast athlete and boxing world champion Heather Hardy, and journalist Kris Herndon, shown lead photo.
“We couldn’t be more proud to honor this group of extraordinary women and help them share their triumphant journeys with the world,” said Chris Zoller, VP of marketing and product development at Everlast. “Kathy, Heather, and Kris each exemplify the incredible strength required to push forward in the face of adversity and truly embody what it means to Be First. Their stories are inspiring not only to other women, but to everyone, and we are humbled to have them as a part of the Everlast family.”
As the centerpiece of the campaign, Duva, Hardy, and Herndon share their stories of how they leaned on boxing to overcome the systemic hurdles that many women encounter throughout their lives, both professionally and personally.
Duva is a boxing promoter at the top of a male-dominated industry with the success of her company, Main Events. This June, Duva will be inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame, making her just the third woman to be elected. Duva also has an all-female executive board and grooming her daughter to one day take over the business.
Former World Boxing Organization (WBO) featherweight champion and Everlast athlete, Hardy was the first woman to fight at Barclays Center and the first woman to fight on a national television broadcast. As an adult, she honed her boxing skills while homeless and escaped an abusive relationship.
Herndon is a journalist and boxing enthusiast who was sexually assaulted while going for a run in her local neighborhood. She tried various methods of therapy before finding that boxing was the therapy she needed to retake control of her mind and body. Herndon shares her story to show other victims that they are not alone.
To further propel the mission of this campaign, Everlast has launched a petition for the removal of the word “female” on the World Boxing Council (WBC) and the World Boxing Organization (WBO) championship belts. This petition urges these sanctioning bodies of boxing to see all competitors as equal, without the need to qualify one’s gender when naming them a champion. .
To view the stories of these women and other Be First athletes, visit everlast.com.
Photo courtesy Everlast
