ABOUT HOLLY

'5'8" southpaw Holly Holm from Sandia Heights in Albuquerque, New Mexico was born on October 17 1981. The preacher's daughter grew up in Bosque Farms and graduated from Manzano High School in 2000 and studied for a year at the University of New Mexico. She played soccer and tried gymnastics, swimming and diving before getting into boxing and kickboxing.  Holly's path to a boxing career began with aerobics. "I started aerobics to keep in shape, saw the (kickboxing) class, thought it looked pretty cool, so I thought I'd try it for one fight and see what it was like," says Holm.

Her aerobics instructor was Mike Winkeljohn, who also taught kickboxing.  Winklejohn soon saw Holm's potential. "She's got that instinct," he says, "When she gets hit, she knows it's time to come back. I wish I could bottle (what she has) and sell it."  "(Boxing) came easier to me than I thought it would," says Holm. "When I first started, my punches seemed real clumsy, but Mr. Winkeljohn is a great instructor. He helped me with my technique, and he felt ... he could work with me." Holly won a national amateur championship in Kansas City, MO in the Fall of 2001, her last kickboxing appearance before her pro debut. Her overall amateur kickboxing record stood at 6-0-2.

She made her professional kickboxing debut on June 1,  2002 in an IKKC five-rounder against Valerie Anthonson of Grand Junction, Colorado at Santa Ana Star Casino in Bernalillo, north of Albuquerque.  Her pro boxing debut came on January 25, 2002 at the Isleta Casino and Resort south of Albuquerque. Holly weighed  in at 141 lbs and won by a TKO over debut fighter Martha Orozco (141¾ lbs) of Denver, Colorado at 1:38 in the third. 

On June 21, 2002 at Sky City Casino in Acoma, New Mexico she won her second pro fight by a TKO over debut fighter Terrie Carillo at 0:24 in the first round.

On August 17, 2002 at Santa Ana Star Casino in Bernallilo, New Mexico: Holly (144 lbs) won a four-round unanimous (40-35) decision in a rematch with Martha Orozco (142¾ lbs). Holm controlled this fight from the start, putting Orozco down for a six count with a barrage of punches in the opening round and staggering her again near the end of the stanza. Holm out-punched Orozco in the second but both looked tired at the bell. Orozco wilted with Holm working her over against the ropes in the third, but held on gamely. She survived a solid pounding in the fourth to end the fight on her feet.  Holm advanced to 3-0-0 (2 KO) while Orozco fell to 0-2.

On September 6, 2002 at Santa Ana Star Casino in Bernalillo, New Mexico,  Holly (149¼ lbs) won a lop-sided four-round unanimous (40-32,40-32,40-30) decision over Bonnie Mann (148¼ lbs) of Morrisville, North Carolina. Holm dominated the bout with pounding straight lefts and knocked Mann down twice in each of the second and third rounds. Mann, who fell to 0-2-0 as a pro boxer, had won the bronze medal at 147 lbs at the 1998 US Nationals and again at 156 lbs in 1999.

On April 5, 2003 at Cowboy's Bar and Grill, in Albuquerque, Trisha "TNT"  Hill of Kennesaw, Georgia knocked Holly out in the fourth round of a five-round 139-lb Muay Thai bout. Hill, a featherweight who had moved up two weight classes to face Holly, gave up the weight advantage believing that she could KO Holly to get the victory. Trisha picked her shots carefully and when Holly started to tire in the third round, she went for the KO in the fourth, tagging . Holly with a couple of jabs and then stepping in with a right that knocked Holly out cold. As reported by Chris Cozzone of New Mexico Boxing, "Keeping the shorter Hill at bay, Holly managed to take the first two rounds with her kicks. Hill won the exchanges at close quarters but Holm scored the damaging blows with her feet. The tide changed in the second part of Round Three when Hill landed a bomb of a right hook that had Holm staggering. After tying up and then using kicks to fight back, Holm showed a big heart trying to win back the round. Hill was relentless in closing the distance and suckering Holm into brawling. Early into the fourth, she landed a picture perfect right hand that flattened Holm to the canvas. While Holly continued to throw a half-hearted left right while horizontal, the ref jumped in and immediately stopped the contest after seeing Holm's eyes roll dangerously back."

 On August 9, 2003 in Baraboo, Wisonsin she TKO'd Alisa Cantwell at 1:30 in the first round of a kickboxing bout. 

On August 26, 2003 at Sandia Casino in Albuquerque, in a much-anticipated cross-town showdown between two unbeaten fighters, Holly (141 lbs) won a four-round majority (40-37, 39-37,38-38) decision over Stephanie Jaramillo (142 lbs) from Albuquerque's South Valley. Holm was the early aggressor, landing solid straight lefts to Jaramillo’s face. Jaramillo stormed back in the second but Holm outboxed her and landed more good right hooks, straight lefts and combinations. Jaramillo landed some power shots cleanly in a good third round. Holm didn't seem fazed and closed the fight out well in the fourth, again landing with hard straight lefts to Jaramillo's face. Holm outworked the shorter but determined Jaramillo and is now reportedly being considered as an opponent for Mia St. John. Holm was now 5-0-0 (2 KO) while Jaramillo slipped to 3-1-0 (2 KO).

 On October 3, 2003 at Sandia Casino in Albuquerque, Holly (142 lbs) and Stephanie Jaramillo (139¾ lbs) battled to a six-round (58-56 Holm, 58-56 Jaramillo, 57-57) draw in a rematch of their August four-rounder. Holm dominated the opening round but Jaramillo turned it around in the second, coming back with hard counter left hooks and straight rights to keep herself in the bout. Holm used her jab well and out-landed Jaramillo in most rounds, bloodying her mouth, but Jaramillo landed the hardest shots of the fight and wobbled Holm in the fifth round to keep the bout a tossup on the scorecards. Holm remained unbeaten as a pro boxer at 5-0-1 (2 KO) while former US national amateur team member Jaramillo was 3-1-1 (2 KO).  

On December 12, 2003 at Kiva Auditorium in Albuquerque, Holly (144 lbs) of won a six-round unanimous (59-54,59-55,59-55) decision over Angel Martinez (142 lbs) of Dallas, Texas. Holm improved to 6-0-1 (2 KO) while Martinez fell to 2-1-0 (1 KO).  

After the fight, Martinez said she thought it was close, then added the kind of remark about Holly that I never understand when you've just lost ... "I don't think she's much of a fighter.   More on Biography

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