Holly's Gamble
Holm takes on Christy Martin in one of the biggest gambles in New Mexico’s boxing history

Text & photos by Chris Cozzone

To say Holly Holm will be an underdog Friday night when she enters the ring to face Christy Martin Friday night at Isleta is probably something of an understatement.

It’s difficult to forget, that, at 10-1-2 (4 KOs), Holm has but 13 pro fights—compared to Martin’s 51 (46-3-2, 31 KOs); that Holly has only begun to fight rated fighters while Martin has been there, done that—having fought, and, for the most part, beaten, everyone in her division in women’s boxing (except for Lucia Rijker); that Holly was just eight-years-old when Martin made her pro debut; and that Martin is a household name in women’s boxing while, outside of New Mexico, you’re more likely to hear:

Martin’s fighting who? Holly who?

“Holly Holm—you’ll soon know who she is,” says Lenny Fresquez, promoter of Friday night’s “Divas of the Desert” card.

“Everyone’s been discounting her chances—and it pisses me off. I have no doubt she will win. We are going to prove all of them wrong on September 16th.”

Many are calling it a tune-up for Martin, who recently lost her shot at the first million-dollar gate for women’s boxing when her high-profile showdown with Lucia Rijker was cancelled due to an injury. After several offers, Martin received a call from Fresquez who offered her $50,000 to fight Holm here in New Mexico.

“Are you sure?” Martin kept asking.

They—Fresquez, Holly and trainer Mike Winkeljohn—were. And are.

“If I really had any doubts,” says Holm, “I wouldn’t have taken the fight.”

Boxing analysts, she says, are overlooking her advantages: her height (5’8” to Martin’s 5’4”); age (23 to Martin’s 37); hometown crowd (she’s the #1 female draw in the state); and awkward southpaw-hit-and-move style.

“I’ve studied a lot of her tapes,” says Holm. “Her style hasn’t changed. She always comes forward. I know not to be there when she’s moving in. I know I have to jab-jab-jab-and-move. I know I have to leave ego outside the ring and not duke it out with her.

“But I have the confidence. I’ve trained harder and longer for this fight than any other. The people who say I’ll lose say so because they haven’t seen any of my recent fights, or because they recognize the name ‘Christy Martin---because she’s been in the limelight so long and is a name fighter.”

Holm says she doesn’t mind being an underdog.

“It just makes me want to prove everyone wrong. Martin is underestimating me, too. They’re saying it’s going to be an easy fight. It’s going to make it that much more a sweet victory and that’s going to be the best feeling.”

While she can take the criticism, what is beginning to wear on Holm are the dumb questions.

“I’ve heard everything, this time around, from ‘Are you nervous?’ to ‘Have you been training?’ People also come up and say, ‘Did you know she has 50 fights? Have you seen her fight? She’s good—think you can take her?’”

Needless to say, Holm is looking forward to a vacation when the outcome of this fight is in the books Friday night.’

“It’d be nice to go somewhere in Albuquerque without being recognized, without seeing a billboard of you when you’re driving down the highway. It’s hard not being able to take a break from it.

“This has never been my reason for doing this. I’m not going this for the popularity. I do this because I like to fight. As much as I complain, everything revolves around the fighting and training. That’s what I enjoy. The mind games, the questions, the cameras and newspapers—none of that matters once you climb into the ring.”

Win, lose or draw, most see this fight as a win-win situation for Holm.

But it’s also a lose-lose if she wins, for a ‘W’ over Martin is going to earn Holm more fans, more popularity . . .

And more dumb questions.

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