Stephanie Han turned back a spirited effort from Holly Holm to win a narrow majority decision and retain her WBA lightweight title in front of a record-breaking hometown crowd Saturday night at the El Paso County Coliseum in Texas.
Han escaped with her title despite being outlanded by Holm 107-70. Two judges scored it 96-94 for Han, while a third judge scored it 95-95.
"I know that it was a close fight, but I felt that I did enough to win," said Han (13-0, 3 KOs). "I wasn't surprised how she brought the fight to me because I know how hard she prepared for this."
It was a rematch of their January clash, which Han won by unanimous technical decision. That fight was stopped in Round 7 after an accidental clash of heads opened a cut on Han's forehead, but she retained her title with wide scores.
The rematch picked up where the last fight left off, with Han on her front foot and Holm looking to counter in the opening round. But Holm, 44, made the proper adjustments, and the fight was much closer than their first meeting. Holm used her movement and combination punching to nearly spoil Han's homecoming.
Holm (34-4-3, 9 KOs) was dejected after the defeat. A former UFC women's bantamweight champion, she is 1-2 since ending a 12-year absence from boxing in June by signing with Most Valuable Promotions. Holm fared much better in her return bout with Han, but her effort wasn't enough to sway the judges.
"I feel like I won that fight," Holm said. "I want to keep fighting if it's fair. It's disheartening when you put that kind of work in. It's kind of frustrating."
Han got off to a fast start, landing her left hand and putting pressure on Holm. An accidental clash of heads in Round 2 opened a cut on Han's right eyebrow, but it wasn't bad enough to affect the fight. Holm closed the gap in the middle rounds, stringing together combination punches and circling away from Han's power hand. Holm managed the distance and became the aggressor in the fight.
The change in strategy nearly paid off. But Han held her own during the late exchanges and maintained her early lead to retain her title.
With a combat sports legend behind her, Han is looking toward a fight with one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in women's boxing.
"I want Katie Taylor next," Han said. "I know everyone wants her, but she beat my sister Jennifer Han years ago, and I want to get revenge for her. I came back to boxing to help my sister prepare for Katie Taylor, and it would be an honor to be her last fight. I would go to Ireland for that."