Holly Holm was officially enshrined in the International Boxing Hall of Fame’s Class over the weekend.
The ceremony took place in Verona, N.Y., on Sunday and also included inductees from 2020 and 2021 who were not honored in previous years as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Holm is part of a 2022 class that also includes Roy Jones Jr., Miguel Cotto, James Toney and female champion Regina Halmich, among others. Floyd Mayweather Jr., originally slated to be inducted in 2021, was among the other notables in the three groups that were enshrined.
Holm compiled a 33-2-3 record in the Sweet Science, winning 14 championships in three weight classes over the course of an 11-year professional career. “The Preacher’s Daughter” was named “Female Fighter of the Year” by Ring Magazine in 2005 and 2006 and was a popular draw in her hometown of Albuquerque, N.M.
“You want to talk about loyalty, that’s as deep as you can get. I’m so thankful. I don’t feel like this award is just for me. It’s a group effort, especially being a female,” Holm said in a speech at the ceremony. “I’ve been surrounded by people that only want what’s best for me. They were very selfless, and had love and support for me."
Holm was emotional when paying tribute to manager, Lenny Fresquez, and especially her longtime trainer, Mike Winkeljohn. “No matter what I did, he believed, and it was from the get-go,” she said. “And I’ll tell you what, there’s a lot of people out here in this sport, as we all know, between managers and promoters, coaches, they’re in it for their own glory a lot of times. I’ll tell you right now, I’ve been surrounded by people who have wanted the best for me. Very selfless love and support I’ve had.”
After nearly a year-and-a-half hiatus, Holm returned to the Octagon at UFC Fight Night 206, where she dropped a controversial split decision to Ketlen Vieira in the evening’s bantamweight headliner. The Jackson-Wink MMA standout was a popular draw in her home state of New Mexico even before transitioning from boxing to MMA, but she reached unprecedented fame when she knocked out Ronda Rousey at UFC 193 to capture the 135-pound belt. That victory alone will likely mean Holm will also be enshrined in the UFC Hall of Fame in some capacity down the road.
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