When Holly Holm came out to do a post-fight news conference after a 2009 pro boxing victory, she had some people to meet with first.
Holm went over to greet family and friends who were waiting behind a railing, happy to celebrate the latest in a series of 25 matches in which she went unbeaten. Some of the people in that group of friends, she told me later, were special-needs adults who are close friends of her family, whom she had known for years.
That’s the way Holly always did things at her fights — grounded and still connected to the people who matter most to her. While some of her recent international success in mixed martial arts has kept her from involving as many of her longtime supporters as she would probably like, Holly knows where she started, but what it took to get to the point where she could knock out better-known MMA star Ronda Rousey to become even more famous overnight.
I was fortunate to cover six of Holly’s pro boxing fights as the sports editor of her hometown newspaper. Not only did her skill and strength put her above a women’s boxing profession that never took off in the way that women’s MMA has in recent years, her style and grace were always there — from the most informal workout to the tedious weigh-ins and tense moments in the ring.
Holly also has long surrounded herself with the classiest, sharpest boxing and MMA people, from trainers to promoters. You’ll never find a group better in keeping it together in public than Holly’s team.
What goes on behind closed doors? No one but the fighters and handlers themselves really know, but you can probably search online and find dirt on nearly anyone in these lines of work — especially when it comes to what goes on behind the scenes, or how certain fights, personnel or venues come together.
However, when Holly shows up — whether it’s for a news conference, a tense weigh-in or a fight — Holly is all business, and not in a mean or callous way. She’s focused, goal-driven and perhaps most importantly, in terms of a lesson for the rest of us, she’s prepared.
I’m not the world’s biggest fan of pro MMA, the way it’s marketed in the U.S. I much prefer to watch the skill level and strategy that goes with boxing, compared to the brutal nature of the more explosive mixed martial arts bouts. The skill combinations needed for MMA are impressive on paper, but the bloodier, more injurious bouts seem like the kind of thing that brought down Rome.
Holly might not care for MMA much, either. She seemed genuinely concerned about Rousey being seriously injured, and I never got the feeling she looks forward to beating up other girls. In going 33-2-3 as a pro boxer, she only had nine technical knockouts and zero traditional knockouts.
After viewing one of her fights, my sister soon signed up for kickboxing classes — like many of her peers, I’m sure. But Holly not only represents athletic, strong women and successful boxers making an MMA leap, but she’s a geographic champion as well.
New Mexico is where Arian Foster, Brian Urlacher, Boston Red Sox catcher Blake Swihart, former Los Angeles Laker star Michael Cooper got their starts, but it’s not as known for producing pro athletes as other places. Holly might be one of the better-known athletes and/or celebrities in state history, not counting Demi Moore, Billy The Kid, Al Unser Sr. and Jr. and Neil Patrick Harris.
I’m so happy an entire state gets to celebrate a victory made possible by Holly’s hard work and determination.
Contact Jason W. Brooks at 641-792-3121 ext. 6532 or jbrooks@newtondailynews.com