Stephanie Han earned home-arena advantage by defeating Holly Holm in January.
On Saturday night, she leaned all the way into that home cooking to emerge with a controversial majority decision victory at her hometown El Paso (Texas) County Coliseum.
Instead of Holm stamping her case as perhaps the most accomplished women’s combat sports fighter ever Saturday night by becoming the first International Boxing Hall of Fame member to return to capture a world title, she had to lament judges’ scoring.
While Wilfredo Esperon had it 95-95, Nelson Vazquez Sergio Caiz each scored it 96-94 for Han 13-0 even as she was outlander in punches, 102-70.
“Honestly, I feel like I won that fight,” Holm, 44, said in the ring afterward. “Not any disrespect to Han, but I felt like the fight was mine.
“I felt I was dominating the pace, bringing the pressure.”
In seeking to wrest the WBA lightweight title from Han 10 miles away from the champion’s home, former UFC champion Holm, 44, produced an energetic and wise showing, closing the bout believing she had become a four-division champion.
Instead, Han was the one rejoicing.
“I know it was a close fight, but I felt I did enough to win,” she said. “I wasn’t surprised how she brought the fight. I knew she was prepared.”
Han then fittingly thanked El Paso for selling out the venue and perhaps influencing the outcome.
The bout was a rematch of Han’s January technical-decision victory in Puerto Rico caused by an accidental headbutt cut on Han’s forehead.
Southpaw Holm 34-4-3 vowed to produce a sharper showing, and she was the busier fighter in the first, bouncing on her feet and landing lefts.
Holm’s left was clearly more effective than in the first fight, when she was hampered by a torn pectoral muscle suffered in a car accident in the days before the first meeting.
Han suffered another cut in the second round at the side of her right eye. The cut was again caused by a clash of heads as Holm leaned in.
The blood inspired Han to unleash an effective combination on Holm, with Holm triggering a compelling exchange by answering with a left.
The stakes of the bout went beyond the lightweight belt with both in contention to be the next opponent of undisputed super-lightweight champion Katie Taylor at Croke Park in Ireland.
Holm also craves a rematch against the recently victorious former UFC champion Ronda Rousey in an MMA fight promoted by Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions. Rousey has said she’s retired, and after Saturday’s events, Holm did not commit to fighting again.
“I want to keep fighting if it’s fair,” she said.
Holm ate a right-left from the nine-years-younger Han in the fourth, recovering to send quality lefts toward the champion.
The pro-Han crowd jeered Holm for leading with her head in sequences during the fifth. Both fighters pressed the action, seeking to be seen as the aggressor by the judges.
Han stung Holm with consecutive rights in the sixth, but she continued finding herself susceptible to left hands. Two hard Holm lefts closed the round.
Holm’s ring generalship shined as the bout stretched on, getting physical with Han, snapping an effective left to the face and dictating the pace.
Holm surged forward and delivered a combination on Han in the eighth, then ended the eighth with a sudden left to the head, strutting confidently back to her corner.
“My corner said it was close … we need these [final] rounds,” Han said.
Getting the nod motivated Han to willingly chase the road date tward Taylor in Ireland next.
“I want Katie Taylor. She beat my sister [Jennifer]. I want the revenge fight. I’ll go to Ireland,” Han said.
All that mattered Saturday is that she was there in the home sweet home of El Paso.