Holly Holm Eyes Katie Taylor Boxing Fight After Title Showdown – Dream Match in Ireland
Holly Holm is thinking about the future, and there’s one name at the top of her list. Before the Hall of Famer steps into the ring to face undefeated WBA lightweight champion Stephanie Han on January 3 in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Holm is already plotting a dream matchup that’s been brewing for over a decade.
Holly Holm Wants Katie Taylor
In an interview with MMA Fighting ahead of her comeback fight, Holm made no secret about what comes next. “My goal is to win this fight. This is the only thing I’m promised. This is the only opportunity I’m promised, because that’s the next fight in front of me. I need to win this in order to have the next door open,” Holm said. “But I would love to have this fight. My goal is win this fight, and then my dream is to have a big fight like that over in Ireland.”
That big fight is Katie Taylor. The Irish superstar has been busy stacking accolades since turning professional in 2016, becoming an Olympic gold medalist and the undisputed women’s lightweight champion at 135 pounds. She’s headlined Madison Square Garden, made history for the sport, and most recently beat Amanda Serrano for a second time last summer. Holm sees Taylor as the ultimate test and the platform she’s been chasing.
Interestingly, this matchup isn’t new territory. Conversations about Holm versus Taylor nearly materialised back in 2013, when the Irish boxer was transitioning from the Olympics to the professional ranks while Holm was still boxing. “There was kind of like talk – but not really – of when she first was leaving the Olympics and going to maybe turn pro,” Holm explained.
“I was still boxing at the time, and there actually was even talk back then. Maybe that’s the fight that’s always meant to happen, but better to happen now than before, when it’s such a bigger stage and more eyes watching, and she’s made a name for herself and all of her accolades and what she’s done with her career, as well as mine.”
Holm brings genuine respect for what Taylor has accomplished. “Absolutely not crazy. I think that’s… you know, she’s been able to do a lot in her career – going to the Olympics and then having such a career that she’s had in professional boxing, fighting, headlining Madison Square Garden, things like that that women have never been able to do before. She’s done a lot, as well as I have done a lot with my career and made a name for myself.”
There’s also a personal element to this. Holm has Irish heritage of her own, which adds another layer to her fascination with the fight. “You know, I have Irish heritage of my own, and to be able to go over there, fight the biggest name… it would be amazing,” she said. A bout between two of combat sports’ most decorated fighters, contested on Irish soil with the global spotlight shining, represents exactly the kind of legacy-defining matchup that appeals to Holm at this stage of her career.
But first, Holm has immediate business to handle. Han, the 35-year-old El Paso police officer and mother, comes in undefeated at 11–0 with three knockouts. She captured the WBA title in February with a devastating first-round knockout of Hannah Terlep, then proved her mettle in August by rallying from an opening-round knockdown to defeat Colombia’s Paulina Ángel by decision. This is exactly the kind of championship-level test Holm wanted in her return after a twelve-year absence from boxing.
“We both have been grinding and making a name for ourselves, and for us to be able to meet and go head-to-head would be amazing,” Holm concluded about Taylor. First, though, she’ll aim to become a four-division world champion. Win or lose on Saturday night, the conversation about that Irish dream will only intensify.
