Holly Holm’s boxing comeback was a dominant one as she comfortably ended Yolanda Vega’s winning career start in California.
The legendary former UFC champion is a boxing Hall of Famer, but hadn’t set foot in the ring since 2013, when she decided to take her talents to the cage. She famously dethroned the undefeated Ronda Rousey a few years later, launching her into a new stratosphere of stardom.
Tonight in Anaheim, she headlined the preliminary card of controversial YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul’s fight with Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. She has spoken of her interest in pursuing yet another world title now that she is back in the ring.
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Holly Holm vs Yolanda Vega result
Holly Holm didn’t so much make a ring walk as a ring run, getting between the ropes quickly as she eagerly pushed to make her return. At the age of 43, it remained to be seen just how much she still had in the tank after a lengthy and strenuous run in the UFC.
The veteran showed her boxing ability early against a more athletic and youthful Vega who was unable to get inside and land at the clip she would have been used to in previous fights. As they headed to the halfway point, it seemed that Holm was cruising to an impressive comeback win.
In the fifth, Vega found herself on the deck, although it was called a slip instead of a knockdown. Over the following four rounds, Holm dominated and arguably took every single one heading into the tenth.
With Holm’s old UFC rival Cris Cyborg watching from ringside, she pushed through the tenth without losing a step and ended up overcoming a late Vega onslaught. And the judges scored it 100-90 across the board for the returning Hall of Famer.
Holly Holm plots another world title run in the boxing ring
Speaking to media including Bloody Elbow ahead of the fight, Holm explained that she is pursuing more gold now that she’s made it back to the ring. She held UFC bantamweight gold, as well as winning three world titles in her initial Hall of Fame boxing run.
“My mind isn’t racing but I definitely think about it,” Holm admitted when asked about the potential of fighting the likes of Katie Taylor or Amanda Serrano. “The way that you get to that is by seeing what’s inside of you.
“Right now Yolanda is in front of me and that is what I’m focused on, with a victory then I can do this or that. There are long terms goals but the ones that are in front of me are what I focus on the most.”