Former UFC bantamweight champion Holly Holm is open to a return to boxing to face the pound-for-pound best Katie Taylor.
Holm is slated to face Ketlen Viera in her MMA return on May 21. She hasn’t fought in the Octagon since her unanimous decision win over Irene Aldana in Oct. 2020.
Holm made the full-time transition from boxing to MMA back in 2013 after retaining her IBA and WBF light-welterweight titles in a win over Mary McGee. She went on to a successful run in the Octagon, which has included an unforgettable title upset over Ronda Rousey.
A lot has changed in women’s boxing since Holm signed with the UFC. Taylor has emerged as arguably the best female boxer in the sport and most recently earned a split decision win over Amanda Serrano this past weekend.
Taylor has previously teased potential crossover fights with Holm and Cris Cyborg, while Holm has also teased a return to the ring.
During a recent interview with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, Holm was asked about the chances of a mega-fight with Taylor happening at some point.
“We had talked, Taylor and myself, before I wound up going to MMA. We had talked about a possible fight there,” Holm said. “I always want to do something that hasn’t been done. I always get super intrigued by things, and I fought at three weight divisions, ‘40, ‘47, and ‘54, and I never got to fight at ‘35. But I’ve done most of my MMA career at ‘35, and that’s what their fight was at. So it makes me like, ‘I want to go back in and show what I can do at a whole different weight class.’ I never even fought at that weight class when I was in boxing and I think I’m bigger and stronger than a lot of the 135ers, and I still have conditioning and I still have a lot of that ring experience behind me.
“It does intrigue me. A lot,” Holm continued. “To the point where, before, I was like, ‘I’ll never box again,’ and I’m not saying that. There’s been a lot of people that have been able to transition back and forth, but nobody’s really been able to do it successfully, and that drives me. I want to show people I was able to come to MMA from boxing, but I can also go back. It does get me excited.”
Holm is a part of the 2022 Boxing Hall of Fame class that includes Miguel Cotto and James Toney. She has accumulated a 33-2-3 record in the boxing ring.
If Holm fails to get back to a UFC title shot, a move to boxing may be in the cards. A superfight with Taylor would be one of the most highly anticipated fights in women’s boxing in recent memory.
Do you like Holly Holm’s chances in a boxing match with Katie Taylor?
Continue Reading Holly Holm Expresses Interest In Katie Taylor Boxing Match at MMA News.