Stephanie Han: Beyond The Ropes

Stephanie Han: Beyond The Ropes

There was always that feeling that it was the Holly Holm show in January. The substantial betting favourite, Holm, was expected to pick up where she had left off. After over a decade away from boxing and a successful run in the UFC, Holm was expected to be crowned a world champion once again in San Juan when she challenged the unbeaten Stephanie Han for her WBA world lightweight title.

But Han left Puerto Rico still unbeaten and still the lightweight champion of the world. It ended somewhat prematurely when Han was badly cut on her forehead courtesy of an accidental head clash. But the technical decision rendered in favour of Han shouldn’t disguise the fact that the 35-year-old American was firmly in control of the fight when the fight was waved off.

I always felt that Han was being criminally overlooked. Holm, a living legend, had returned to boxing with much fanfare in 2025 after twelve years competing in Mixed Martial Arts with much success. But while Holm was favoured to beat Han, I always felt that the female side of sport had moved on since the early part of the last decade. But the skills of Stephanie Han were, at least in this observer’s opinion, were being far too easily pushed to one side. Often, the desired narrative isn’t reflective of reality.

Han can now look forward to a potentially rewarding 2026. Options are seemingly plentiful and lucrative. A rematch with Holly Holm is an easy fight to make. An inconclusive ending to the first fight would be part of the story to run it back. But would anything have really changed if the fight had gone the full ten rounds? Han was winning, and regardless of the premature conclusion, she would more than likely still have retained her WBA bauble. But when there is a certain narrative, reality can be manipulated. Han won’t complain too much. A rematch with Holm would certainly pay well, and from the evidence of the first fight, she would probably win again.

But Holm might not be next. Stevie Morgan, a recent winner in Memphis, is the WBA’s number one-ranked challenger. For reference, Holm is at number nine in the latest rankings by the sanctioning body. Morgan is of the understanding that she is next in line to fight Han.

“The letter I received from the WBA is that they have to fight me next,” Morgan told me last month. “The only reason they could fight Holly Holm was that they agreed I would be next. Can she bypass that? I am not sure. But based on the letter from the WBA, I am next.”

But whoever is in the immediate future for Han, the unbeaten WBA champion could be in line for some high-profile unification showdowns later this year.

Han signed with Jake Paul and his Most Valuable Promotions in 2025; she wasn’t alone. Paul and MVP are going all out in assembling a star-studded roster of elite female talent. Fellow world lightweight champions Caroline Dubois and Terri Harper are in that ever-increasing MVP family. Dubois and Harper will clash in April in London when MVP makes its first entry into the UK market. A big unification showdown that Han will have a vested interest in. It’s not that hard to envisage Han fighting the winner of Dubois and Harper. The IBF champion champion Elif Nur Turhan, is another potential opponent down the line.

It’s been a remarkable rise to the top of the sport for Stephanie Han. After fighting in the amateur ranks for five years, Han left the sport in 2011, before returning in 2021 after helping her sister Jennifer prepare for a fight with Katie Taylor. Now unbeaten in twelve fights, Han could be on the verge of taking her career to an even higher point in 2026.

Photo Credit: MVP