Stephanie Han vs. Holly Holm: Unfinished Business?

Stephanie Han vs. Holly Holm: Unfinished Business?

It was a fight that had a somewhat premature ending. An accidental clash of heads left Stephanie Han bloodied and unable to carry on, and she was awarded a technical decision after seven completed rounds of her fight with Holly Holm in January. The talk of an immediate rematch was quickly in the air. The wind was blowing in that direction from virtually the second Han had retained her WBA world lightweight title for the second time. The rematch was finally confirmed last week.

Han (12-0) and Holm (34-3-3) will fight again in El Paso, Texas, in May, and while it will be promoted as unfinished business, I am not so sure it is.

“I’m excited for the rematch,” Holm said last week when the fight was formally announced. “I think a lot of people are, considering how the fight kind of ended.”

I think that premature conclusion did Holm a massive favour. Han was well in front at the time of the stoppage, and I thought she was well on her way to a conclusive victory. I didn’t see Holm clawing back that deficit on the scorecards. The former UFC bantamweight champion and multi-time world champion in boxing was trailing by scores of 65-69, 65-68, and 64-69. The 44-year-old veteran was struggling to find a foothold, and the reigning WBA champion was winning with some degree of comfort. At 35, Han was just too fresh for her. Holm looked like a fighter from another time. In truth, she is. But the second fight gives Holm the perfect chance to change the narrative that she is now a faded force after a long and glorious career.

The rematch gives the unbeaten Han an opportunity to remove all doubt. “I’m so excited for this rematch,” Han said at last week’s press conference. “Yes, the fight ended in controversy. She says she could have caught up at the end, and I want to have this next fight with no excuses.”

The rematch is only taking place because the WBA top contender Stevie Morgan agreed to step aside, and I am of the understanding that the American is guaranteed to fight the winner later this year. If rankings really do matter and mean something, then Morgan, regardless of what happens in May, really should finally have her opportunity at world championship gold at some point in 2026.