Holly Holm lost a majority decision to Stephanie Han in their lightweight title rematch in El Paso on Friday night and expressed frustration with the scoring, saying she felt she clearly won the fight.
“I feel like I was dictating the pace, I do feel like she won a few rounds, but not six. You have to win six rounds to win a ten round fight, I don’t give her six rounds and I feel it in my heart that I won, I’m a very honest and self-reflecting fighter. If I don’t feel I won then I’ll say it but I did.”
Holm also pointed to the broader frustration of fighting in a sport where judges hold so much power.
“Here’s what’s frustrating about it; a lot of these judges haven’t fought before. You leave a piece of yourself in there every time and then it’s just up to them to take it away from you if they want. Every fight you put so much into it. If I didn’t feel like I did enough, I wouldn’t be saying this. I feel I won the fight.”
Despite the loss, Holm made clear she still wants the Katie Taylor fight.
“I still want the big fights and to call out Katie Taylor, hopefully I can still do that.”
Two judges scored the fight 96-94 for Han with one judge having it a draw. The original meeting between the two ended in a technical decision after a clash of heads caused a cut to Han. Holm, 44, is a Boxing Hall of Famer and a former UFC bantamweight champion.