More than 12 years have passed since Holly Holm was last a world champion in boxing. The women’s boxing pioneer retired from boxing in 2013 to pursue a new challenge in mixed martial arts, where she became a champion with the UFC.
Women’s boxing was in a very different state when she first left it than it is today. Then, Holm was one of the few names in women’s boxing who could main event a card, though those shows tended to be independent pay-per-views at a casino near her home base in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Now, in her second fight since returning to boxing, Holm will try to capture a world title at lightweight, when she faces WBA titleholder Stephanie Han this Saturday at Coliseo Roberto Clemente in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The fight will be one of two women's world title fights on the card, with both championship fights being scheduled for the same three-minute round standard for men's boxing, with the card to air live on DAZN.
Just as Holm says she first moved to MMA to conquer new challenges, she returned with a point to prove.
“I’m a fighter, and I love to fight. I’ve just followed my passion where it’s taken me – boxing for years and then MMA for a couple of years,” said the 44-year-old Holm, 34-2-3 (9 KOs), at Tuesday’s press conference.
“Having seen these girls have that platform, I thought, ‘I want to come back,’ and be a champion and come back to a sport that was always great when I did it before. Being able to fight in another weight division – I’ve never fought in this weight division in boxing before – but I did for many years in MMA, so it made sense to come back to fight for a belt. That’s my drive, and that’s my passion.”
Standing in her way is Han, 11-0 (3 KOs), a native of El Paso, Texas who is making the second defense of the title she won in February with a first round knockout of Hannah Terlep. The 35-year-old Han, whose sister Jennifer was an IBF featherweight champion, says she is honored to share the ring with someone she has long been a fan of.
“Fighting Holly Holm is like a dream come true,” said Han, a mother of two who also works as an officer in the El Paso Police Department.
“Obviously, all of us are athletes, and all of us train to win, so for me to win against Holly Holm means everything I sacrificed is worth it. I came back to boxing…it’s a dream to be part of this team. It’s a dream to beat Holly Holm.”
Holm also has dreams. She is looking to once again become champion in a sport that has grown leaps and bounds, thanks in large part to its success in the four Olympic Games that it’s been part of, plus the attention that card headliner Amanda Serrano brought to it in three high profile fights with Katie Taylor.
Should Holm win, she would be the first and only boxer to ever win a world title after being inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. Manny Pacquiao, a 2025 inductee, fell short in his attempt earlier this year, drawing with WBC welterweight titleholder Mario Barrios.
With women’s boxing currently on the upswing in terms of popularity, Holm doesn’t just want to be part of its rise, but a leader as well.
“I’m always looking to do something I haven’t done before, or that hasn't been done at all. I want to be a two-sport athlete, but not just that, be a champion at the highest level in those sports,” said Holm.
“To be able to come back and get another title in another weight class is something that drives me, and that’s my goal. I want something that I know a very small percentage of people in this world can do.”
