Amanda Serrano won’t be the only legendary figure in the house for her long-sought homecoming headliner.
BoxingScene has confirmed that dual combat sports star Holly Holm is set to challenge unbeaten WBA 135lbs titlist Stephanie Han. Their showdown – which will take place over 10, 3-minute rounds – will serve as the co-feature to the already announced Amanda Serrano-Erika Cruz featherweight championship rematch.
Both bouts top a loaded January 3 DAZN show from Coliseo Roberto Clemente in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
“Holly Holm is back challenging for a boxing world title, 12 years after leaving the sport and doing it with MVP,” MVP co-founders Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian jointly told BoxingScene in a provided quote. “She is facing a multi-faceted athlete in Stephanie Han who is a champion, a mother, and a police officer. And they are doing it with three-minute rounds like the men.”
Han (11-0, 3 KOs) attempts the first defense of the WBA 135lbs title she claimed in a sensational first-round knockout of Hannah Terlep on February 22 in her hometown of El Paso, Texas.
The win saw Han become the second member of her proud boxing family to win a major title. She joined older sister Jennifer Han, a former featherweight titlist who once challenged Katie Taylor for the very belt her younger sibling currently holds.
Han followed the win with a career-bolstering move when she joined the growing MVP roster. Her debut under that banner came in a 10-round, unanimous decision victory over Paulina Angel on August 23 in Orlando, Florida.
The 36-year-old mother of two – also an eight-year veteran with the El Paso Police Department – now prepares for a life-changing opportunity against a Hall of Fame boxer with championship credentials in two sports.
“From El Paso to the world stage, now I get to fight Holly Holm in Puerto Rico next to the island’s greatest boxer in Amanda Serrano,” noted Han. “Every sacrifice has led to this moment, and I’m grateful and excited for the opportunity.
“Equal opportunity at that, with three-minute rounds.”
Holm, 34-2-3 (9 KOs), enjoyed a triumphant return to the sport earlier this year, more than a decade after her last boxing match and three years after her induction into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
Wedged in between her 12-year gap between ring appearances came a well-established career in UFC. Holm proved her dominance in the octagon with one of the sport’s most iconic wins ever when she knocked out Ronda Rousey in November 2015.
Despite success in the mixed martial arts world, Holm opted to return to the ring. She exited her UFC contract to join the MVP stable, where she debuted in a June 28 victory over then-unbeaten Yolanda Vega.
It was her first boxing win since May 2013. She now aims to become a two-time major titlist, having previously held the welterweight title.
“I feel great,” said the 44-year-old Holm. “I’m excited to have the opportunity to fight for a fourth weight division title and add to my legacy on Saturday, January 3. I’m thankful to MVP for this opportunity and look forward to fighting in Puerto Rico, an island with a deep boxing culture.”
Also confirmed for the DAZN show is a terrific, all-Boricua flyweight crossroads bout between unbeaten contender Yankiel Rivera, 7-0-1 (3 KOs) – who represented P.R. in the delayed Tokyo Olympics - and former 108lbs titlist Jonathan “Bomba” Gonzalez (28-4-1, 14 KOs).
Joining their scheduled 10-round contest are the following fights:
· Aguadilla’s Henry “Moncho” Lebron, 20-0 (10 KOs), meets Texas native Juan Tapia, 14-4 (5 KOs), in an eight-round junior lightweight contest.
· Salinas, P.R.-based Jan Paul Rivera, 13-0 (7 KOs) faces San Juan’s own Alfredo Cruz, 10-3-1 (5 KOs), over eight rounds at featherweight.
· Chris Echevarria, 9-1 (4 KOs) – from Aguada – takes on Cidra’s Gabriel Bernardi, 7-3 (5 KOs), in a 122lbs clash scheduled for six rounds.
· Serrano-guided prospect Krystal Rosado, 7-1 (2 KOs), faces an opponent to be determined following a disputed defeat to former 118lbs titlist Shurretta Metcalf
“An array of Puerto Rican standouts represent the island’s next generation of greatness and demonstrate MVP’s commitment to pushing the sport forward through equality, opportunity, and world-class fights,” Paul and Bidarian jointly stated.
