Boxing
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Season 2026Round 59
Stephanie Han successfully defended her unblemished record and retained her WBA female lightweight world title, grinding out a tightly contested majority decision victory over a determined Holly Holm. Running it back four months after their initial technical decision meeting, both fighters pushed each other through 10 rounds of highly technical boxing, leaving the verdict down to the narrowest of margins on the official judges' scorecards.
The opening rounds unfolded as a tactical chess match, with Holm utilizing her signature elusive footwork and unorthodox blitzes to challenge the champion from the outside. Han remained patient behind a disciplined guard, gradually timing Holm's entries and finding a home for crisp straight right hands in the middle frames.
As the pace intensified in the second half of the contest, Han's superior accuracy and forward pressure began to swing the momentum in her favor, though Holm consistently fired back with accurate combinations. With neither woman giving ground or scoring a knockdown over the championship distance, two judges scored the bout in favor of Han, while the third saw it as an even draw.
The narrow victory moves the El Paso native to a perfect 13-0 record, keeping her championship trajectory intact while raising questions about what lies ahead for the veteran challenger.