COMBAT SPORTS
Holly Holm promises changes for Han title rematch
After being out-punched in January, local boxing legend says she made key adjustments
So, what鈥檚 the antidote for slower hands?
Faster feet, maybe?
In Holly Holm鈥檚 loss to Stephanie Han by unanimous technical decision on Jan. 3 in Puerto Rico, the Albuquerque boxer was out-punched and out-landed by wide margins.
When Holm (34-3-3, nine knockouts) again challenges Han (12-0, three KOs) for the latter鈥檚 WBA lightweight title in Han鈥檚 hometown of El Paso, adjustments must be made.
Mission accomplished, she believes.
鈥淚鈥檓 a very self-reflecting fighter,鈥� Holm said during a news conference staged Thursday at El Paso County Coliseum, the site of Saturday鈥檚 Most Valuable Promotions card. 鈥淚 feel like the more you dig deep, self-reflect on the things you need to do, the better you鈥檙e gonna become.
鈥淪o I鈥檝e made changes, improved. Also (fixing) things that I didn鈥檛 perform well in the first (fight).鈥�
Holm isn鈥檛 spelling out what those changes will be, but a review of the first bout suggests she spent far too much time in 鈥渢he pocket鈥� 鈥� standing directly in front of Han and allowing the younger, faster-handed champion to time Holm鈥檚 punches and respond with accurate counter shots.
This wasn鈥檛 the Holm who won multiple world title belts and earned boxing Hall of Fame status between 2002-13, compiling a 33-2-3 record before choosing to focus solely on MMA. Of course, she was younger then 鈥� she鈥檚 44 鈥� and rarely, if ever, faced an opponent with quicker hands than her own.
Perhaps, in part, it was a matter of bad habits developed during Holm鈥檚 MMA career. It鈥檚 worth noting that, among her seven MMA defeats, four were the result of 鈥� at least in the judges鈥� eyes 鈥� her being out-struck in standup.
The boxer got outboxed.
Holm used lateral movement to great advantage during her first boxing career, picking her shots and minimizing the punches she took in return. But her principal weapon in MMA was the power of her kicks, having begun her combat-sports career as a kickboxer.
To land effective kicks, she needed to plant her feet 鈥� reducing her ability to move. She thus became particularly vulnerable to counter right hands, of the sort Han landed consistently during Holm-Han I.
Between rounds in Puerto Rico, trainer Mike Winkeljohn urged Holm to find angles 鈥� basically, more movement. Don鈥檛 stand in front of her opponent.
Meanwhile, Las Cruces鈥� Louie Burke, Han鈥檚 trainer, was telling his fighter to keep doing what she was doing.
鈥淵ou鈥檙e too quick for her,鈥� Burke said. He wasn鈥檛 talking about foot speed.
The fight ended midway though the seventh of 10 scheduled rounds, when an unintentional clash of heads opened a cut above Han鈥檚 right eye. Holm doesn鈥檛 think the cut was severe enough to justify a stoppage but has acknowledged her deficit on the scorecards (69-64, 68-65, 68-65) was likely too much to overcome.
Only in the abbreviated seventh round did Holm display some of the movement that made her so successful in the past. She won the seventh on two of the three official scorecards.
As her boxing career progressed, Holm added strength, punching power and became more comfortable standing and trading blows. But because of a relatively shallow talent pool in her weight classes at the time, she faced only a handful of opponents with talent and skills comparable to Han鈥檚.
In Puerto Rico, according to (by no means scientific) punch stats provided on the DAZN streaming of the fight, Han threw 98 more punches than Holm and landed 48 more.
Holm doesn鈥檛 necessarily need to throw more punches on Saturday than she did on Jan. 3, though landing more would help.
Far more important is more movement; reducing Han鈥檚 punch count in the process.
THE HOME COURT: Holm is fighting on an opponent鈥檚 home turf for just the second time in her boxing career 鈥� the first was a bout against Detroit鈥檚 Mary Jo Sanders at the Palace at Auburn Hills on Oct. 17, 2008. The fight ended in a majority draw 鈥� one judge scoring it for Holm, two scoring it even.
Five of Han鈥檚 12 bouts have taken place in El Paso, two more in nearby Las Cruces.
鈥淚 really love my city,鈥� Han, who works full time as an El Paso police officer, said in an interview with the Journal last week. 鈥溾�� It鈥檚 nice just to go do what I have to do, whether it鈥檚 weigh-ins, whether it鈥檚 a press conference, and go back home. Because I prefer my bed over any other bed.鈥�
THE WEIGH-IN: It鈥檚 a fight. Holm weighed in at 134.7 pounds, three-tenths of a pound below the lightweight limit, Friday morning. Han weighed in at 134.6 pounds.
