SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – Stephanie Han, fresh off her second title defense – and biggest victory – next wants a measure of familial revenge.
Han, the WBA lightweight titleholder, won a dominant unanimous decision over Hall of Famer Holly Holm on Saturday in a fight that went to a technical decision because of an accidental headbutt in the seventh round. Before the fight, there were rumors that Holm could be matched with another living legend, Katie Taylor. But after spoiling those plans, Han says she would welcome taking Holm’s place in that showdown.
“I would love to fight Katie Taylor,” said Han, 12-0 (3 KOs), of El Paso, Texas. “Katie Taylor beat my sister, Jennifer Han, and I would love to avenge my sister's loss and fight Katie Taylor.
“Katie Taylor, please. Let's go. You beat my sister. It's my time.”
Han is referring to Taylor’s 2021 fight in Leeds, U.K., in which Taylor retained her undisputed lightweight championship with a shutout of Jennifer Han, scoring a knockdown in the eighth round along the way.
The 39-year-old Taylor, 25-1 (6 KOs), of Bray, Ireland, has announced that she would be taking a break from boxing after closing a chapter in her career with her third victory over Amanda Serrano last July.
Stephanie Han, 35, will return to work as an El Paso police officer on Monday and says she hasn’t closed the door on facing the 44-year-old Holm again – either in her hometown or Holm’s hometown of Albuquerque, New Mexico, where the two can draw a crowd that is more invested in them as the main event.
“I am very happy that I beat Holly Holm,” Han said. “Obviously, I want to go the distance. Unfortunately, things like this happen, but I worked so hard, I've sacrificed so much for this fight. So I'm very happy.
“I feel like I was definitely more technical, more skilled than her, and I was getting the combinations, and I was landing the better combinations than her.”
Still, Han says she has great respect for Holm, a multiple-division boxing champion who left the sport in 2013 to pursue MMA, in which she became a UFC champion after a star-making knockout of Ronda Rousey.
“Holly is a freak of nature,” Han said. “She has power. I know she's older, and everyone's like, ‘Oh, she's not in her youth, she doesn't have it.’ She absolutely does have it. I have so much respect for her.”
Han said she didn’t have a chance to see the cut that opened up near her forehead and couldn’t comment about whether it was dangerous enough to stop the fight.
“I didn't know how bad it was,” said Han as the cut began to drip while she spoke. “I just knew that as soon as she headbutted me, blood was dripping. And then I understand a little bit of Spanish, and I understood the key word of ‘no,’ and I was like, ‘Dang it.’”
Barring either of those matchups, Han is less picky about whom she would face. One name she was asked about was fellow Most Valuable Promotions signee Caroline Dubois, who holds the WBC lightweight title.
“If it’s not Holly Holm, I would take any of them,” Han said. “They are all talented, all worth [it] to fight. MVP has the best girls, so I would love to make it happen.
“I am practicing against southpaws,” Han added, referencing Dubois. “So I'm ready for any southpaw.”
Ryan Songalia is a reporter and editor for BoxingScene.com and has written for ESPN, the New York Daily News, Rappler, The Guardian, Vice and The Ring magazine. He holds a Master’s degree in Journalism from the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism and is a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. He can be reached at ryansongalia@gmail.com or on Twitter at @ryansongalia.
