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Stephanie Han Defeats Holly Holm In
Rematch To Retain WBA Lightweight Title;
Amanda Serrano Ties All-Time Women’s Boxing KO Record
Tonight at the El Paso County Coliseum in her hometown of El
Paso, TX, live on ESPN, Most Valuable Promotions’ (MVP) WBA
lightweight world champion Stephanie Han (14-0, 3 KOs)
successfully defended her world title and preserved her
undefeated record with a razor-thin majority decision
victory (95-95, 96-94 x2) over Albuquerque, NM native and
the greatest two-sport athlete of all time, Holly Holm
(34-4-3, 9 KOs), in the highly anticipated main event of
MVPW-03.
In a fiercely competitive rematch over ten three-minute
rounds at 135 lbs, Han opened strongly, stunning Holm in the
second round and building an early lead with sharp left and
right hands while fighting through a cut beneath her eye.
Holm adjusted well in the middle rounds, increasing her
output and becoming the aggressor behind steady combination
punching and movement. She outworked Han over stretches of
the fight, ultimately outlanding her 107-70 in total punches
while throwing 437 punches to Han’s 358. Despite Holm’s late
pressure and higher output, Han’s fast start and control of
key early exchanges proved enough to edge the close rounds
on the scorecards, earning a majority decision victory and
another successful title defense.
MVPW-03 also marked a historic milestone for women’s boxing,
drawing more than 7,000 fans and surpassing every previous
combat sports gate in the storied history of the El Paso
County Coliseum to become the venue’s highest-grossing
combat sports event of all time. The event streamed live on
ESPN and the ESPN App.
In a historic moment for women’s boxing, MVP’s unified
featherweight world champion Amanda “The Real Deal” Serrano
(49-4-1, 32 KOs) delivered another career-defining
performance in the double main event, stopping mandatory
challenger Cheyenne “Pepper” Hanson (17-3, 13 KOs) with a
ferocious second-round TKO to retain her WBA, WBO, and Ring
Magazine featherweight world titles at 126lbs. After a
measured opening round contested under equal rules with
three-minute rounds, Serrano found her rhythm and
overwhelmed Hanson with a relentless barrage of
combinations, trapping the challenger in the corner and
forcing referee Robert Hoyle to halt the contest at 2:25 of
round two. Serrano landed an astonishing 55% of her punches
throughout the bout and, with the victory, tied Christy
Martin’s all-time women’s boxing KO record with 32 career
KOs while further defining her legacy as one of the greatest
fighters in the sport’s history.
Also on the main card, MVP’s unified IBF and WBO
middleweight world champion Desley Robinson (12-3, 4 KOs) of
Logan City, Australia, successfully defended her world
titles with a dominant unanimous decision victory (100-90
x2, 99-91) over former world champion Mary Spencer (10-4, 6
KOs) of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Robinson established
control early, hurting Spencer late in the opening round
before consistently landing the cleaner, harder combinations
throughout the 10-round championship bout at 160 lbs.
Spencer showed her veteran toughness and attempted to
disrupt Robinson’s rhythm, but Robinson’s superior pressure
proved decisive, further cementing her place atop the
middleweight division. Robinson’s performance earned her
MVP’s Performance of the Night Bonus of $20,000.
Opening the main card, Mexico’s WBC junior flyweight world
champion Lourdes Juarez (40-4, 5 KOs) successfully defended
her WBC junior flyweight world title with a hard-fought
split decision victory (95-94, 94-95, 98-91) over MVP’s
three-division champion Yokasta Valle (34-4, 10 KOs) in a
10-round bout at 108 lbs. The bout featured closely
contested opening rounds before Juarez began to separate
herself with cleaner, sharper punching, including badly
wobbling Valle in the second round. The action intensified
in the tenth round when an accidental head clash left Valle
cut near her eye, before Juarez punctuated her performance
by dropping the Costa Rican star in the closing moments of
the fight, proving why she remains one of the division's
elite champions.
In the preliminary card headliner, MVP’s and Mexico’s #4
WBC, #6 WBO, and #6 WBA contender Yesica Nery Plata (31-3, 3
KOs) of Mexico City, Mexico delivered a composed and
technical performance to earn a unanimous decision victory
(78-74, 79-73 x2) over Coachella, California's Brook Sibrian
(8-6, 3 KOs) in their eight-round light flyweight bout at
108 lbs. Plata controlled the action with her trademark
pressure and sharp combinations, consistently outlanding
Sibrian and dictating the pace across all eight rounds.
Sibrian pressed forward throughout and invested in the body
early, but Plata’s sharper combinations and accurate
counters off the back foot carried the rounds and proved to
be the difference to secure her the win.
MVP’s Miranda Reyes (9-3-1, 3 KOs) thrilled the hometown El
Paso crowd with a standout performance vs. Italy’s Camilla
Panatta (8-4-1, 1 KO) in an eight-round super featherweight
bout at 130 lbs. Reyes took command early, dropping Panatta
with a clean right hand in the second round before
showcasing sharp combinations and punishing body work
throughout the contest. Panatta pressed the action and
displayed tremendous toughness over eight competitive
rounds, but Reyes’ cleaner, more effective offense
ultimately secured a unanimous decision win (79-72, 77-74
x2).
Also on the card, MVP’s two-time U.S. national amateur
champion and rising prospect Alexander “The Alley Cat”
Gueche (12-0, 7 KOs) of Long Beach, California, remained
undefeated with a hard-earned unanimous decision victory
over San Antonio’s Joshua Montoya (7-5-2) in an eight-round
junior featherweight bout at 122 lbs. In a closely contested
matchup, Montoya’s speed and high-volume offense kept the
action competitive throughout, but Gueche’s relentless
pressure and sharper power punches proved to be the
difference as he secured an unanimous decision win (77-75,
78-74 x2) over Montoya, further cementing his status as one
of boxing’s brightest young prospects.
Additionally, WBA #3 and WBC #5 contender Nazarena Romero
(15-1-2, 8 KOs), delivered a polished and technical
performance against Maria Salinas (27-15-6, 7 KOs), earning
a dominant unanimous decision victory (80-72 x3) in their
8-round junior featherweight bout at 122 lbs. Opening the
card, MVP’s undefeated prospect Elise Soto (11-0, 9 KOs)
passed the toughest test of her young career, using
relentless pressure and a punishing body attack to earn a
hard-fought unanimous decision victory (39-37 x3) over
Thalia Joseline Limon (4-2, 3 KOs) in their four-round
featherweight bout at 126 lbs.
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