'Better than ever': Holm, 44, just keeps on punching

As nicknames go, “The Anomaly” is neither as punchy, evocative or descriptive as “The Preacher’s Daughter.” 

It might be every bit as accurate. 

Is Albuquerque’s Holly Holm, at 44, a better boxer now than she was at 31? She believes the answer is yes, as does Mike Winkeljohn, her longtime trainer. 

“People can talk about her age, but she’s better than ever,” Winkeljohn said in a phone interview. “She by far is the most physically fit woman out there. Nobody can keep up with her that way. Mentally, she’s got the skills. She hasn’t lost her speed; she’s got more power.

“She’s definitely an anomaly. She’s gonna set the world on fire (in the coming year.)”

That evaluation will be tested on Jan. 3, when Albuquerque’s Holm takes on El Paso’s Stephanie Han in a scheduled 10-round bout in San Juan, Puerto Rico, with Han’s WBA lightweight title at stake. 

The Han fight will be Holm’s second since signing with Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions in May. Ending a 12-year hiatus from boxing, during which she pursued a successful and eventful MMA career, Holm defeated Mexico’s Yolanda Vega by lopsided unanimous decision in Anaheim, California on June 28. 

She was 43 at the time. She turned 44 in October. 

Holm’s virtuoso performance against Vega, winning all 10 rounds on all three scorecards against a previously unbeaten opponent, presents as Exhibit A in her belief (and Winkeljohn’s) that she’s a better boxer now than she was when she defeated Mary McGee by identical scores on May 11, 2013. 

All systems were go in the victory over Vega, giving Holm confidence — never overconfidence, since pre-fight anxiety has been a constant companion throughout the Albuquerque southpaw’s long fighting career — that there’s more where that came from.

“This next fight, my boxing skills, the timing and the combos are coming back,” Holm said in a phone interview. “I feel like I’ve improved a lot (since the Vega fight).”

Improvement likely will be needed, since Han (11-0, three knockouts), who’s trained by Las Cruces’ Louis Burke, appears to present a stiffer challenge than Vega did. It seems worth noting that Vega lost her next bout to Miranda Reyes by unanimous decision in October. 

“She’s been fighting for quite some time,” Holm said of Han. “I know her actual boxing record doesn’t show everything she’s done. She’s done a lot of kickboxing and martial arts, leading up to being a pro boxer.

“She’s definitely a smart fighter.”

Of Han, Winkeljohn said, “She fights very relaxed. She understands the game. … She has a good understanding of distancing. … She comes from a good camp and a good understanding of what she needs to do for Holly.

“I’m sure they have a great plan, but hopefully we’ll figure that plan out fast and defeat it.”

Holm, who is in fact a preacher’s daughter — her father, Roger, is a minister — left boxing after the McGee fight to focus on MMA. Her career in the cage produced one of most spectacular upsets in combat-sports history, a victory by second-round TKO over Ronda Rousey on Nov. 14, 2015 in Melbourne, Australia for the UFC bantamweight title, and made her one of the most popular fighters on the UFC roster. 

In January, Holm asked for and received a release from her UFC contract, planning at the time to pursue other opportunities in MMA. But when a start-up MMA promotion called the Global Fight League collapsed under its own weight, boxing came back into the picture.

From January 2002 through May 2013, Holm compiled a 33-2-3 record in the ring. She won too many titles to accurately count them all. She was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2022. She remains the only combat sports athlete to hold major titles in both boxing and MMA. 

Albuquerque’s Lenny Fresquez, Holm’s boxing promoter-turned agent, never stopped getting calls during Holm’s MMA career about her availability as a boxer.

When MVP called, Fresquez, Winkeljohn and Holm finally said yes.

The Han fight is Holm’s second of three bouts contracted with MVP. While not underestimating Han — again, complacency has never been her M.O. — she’s looking beyond Jan. 3.

“I hope (MVP fight No. 3) can be a big fight,” she said. “Then, obviously, dreams of an even bigger fight after that.”

Holm, fighting at age 45? How anomalous would that be?