Home › Sports › Boxing
Boxing: Holm brings home, eats the bacon
Photo by Craig FritzTribune file
Tribune file
Albuquerque boxer Holly Holm looks from the stands during another bout at a boxing show in February. Holm is moving up in weight and will fight Tricia Turton for the vacant IFBA junior middleweight title tonight at Isleta Casino.
RELATED STORIES
- Boxing: Holm stops Turton, wins title
- Chris Cozzone: In the alphabet soup of belts, Holly Holm proves plenty hearty
Related Links
More Boxing
- Unifying belts on mind of title holder
- Mixed Martial Arts: Duke City fighter Condit whips challenger in front of hometown crowd, retain WEC crown
- Cibola High graduate Condit will defend fighting title in home town
MOST RECENT TRIB STORIES
-
ABQTrib.com to remain available
08:48 a.m., February 25, 2008 -
Congressman is indicted
08:37 a.m., February 23, 2008 -
Series of attacks target Green Zone
08:36 a.m., February 23, 2008 -
Iran is defying U.N., agency says
08:35 a.m., February 23, 2008 -
Waterboarding approval probed
08:34 a.m., February 23, 2008
TRIB IN THE BLOGOSPHERE*
- Ty Murray Invitational thrills fans in Albuquerque
- Is Rome Burning?
- Ominous Skies
- The Road to Invalidation
- Albuquerque company participates in “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition”
*Note: The Tribune does not create and is not responsible for the blogosphere's headlines and stories. These links to blogs talking about ABQTrib.com are automatically generated. Use them at your own risk.
STORY TOOLS
SHARE THIS STORY [?]
Tonight's show
Main event: Albuquerque's Holly Holm (15-1-2, 5 KOs) vs. Tricia Turton (8-1, 3 KOs) for the vacant IFBA junior middleweight title.
Undercard: Seven bouts, including Hector Mu¤oz (16-1, 10 KOs) vs. Jeremiah Torres (7-13, 1 KO) for the vacant World Boxing Council U.S. National junior welterweight belt, 10 rounds; Taurus Sykes (24-3-1, 6 KOs) vs. Patrick Smith (5-7-2, 4 KOs), eight rounds, heavyweight; El Paso's Alex Becerra (18-4, 8 KOs) vs. Felix Flores (13-7-1, 11 KOs) eight rounds, 118; Joe Gomez (9-1, 3 KOs) of Farmington vs. El Paso's Bobby Joe Valdez (9-3-1, 4 KOs), six rounds at 147; Cesar Lopez (19-3, 4 KOs) of El Paso vs. Luis Doria (20-14-1, 13 KOs), six rounds, 112; and Jodi Esquibel (3-1, 1 KO) vs. Anglik Ross (pro debut), four rounds at 108.
When: Doors open at 4:30 p.m., first bell at 6:30 p.m.
Site: Isleta Casino
Tickets: Starting at $25, available at Tickets.com or by calling the Isleta box office at 244-8191.
Training on prime rib and being able to eat breakfast on the day of a weigh-in, then fighting for a third title in as many divisions?
Call it an early Christmas present for New Mexico's top boxing draw Holly Holm, who's had a much less stressful time preparing for her 19th pro fight and third chance at a title belt.
Holm will step into the ring at her heaviest fighting weight yet when she moves up one division to fight for the vacant International Female Boxing Association's 154-pound world title tonight at Isleta Casino.
"It's been nice," Holm said of her ability to munch without worries. "Not having to watch my weight makes it so less stressful. I've been able to eat steak and prime rib . . . and I'll be able to eat breakfast instead of starving on the day of the weigh-in."
Holm (15-1-2, 5 KOs) will take on southpaw Tricia Turton (8-1, 3 KOs) in the main event of an eight-bout card promoted by Fresquez Productions.
Holm already owns the 140-pound belt with the Women's International Boxing Association, and a world title with the World Boxing Alliance at 147. She said the move up in weight isn't really much of jump at all. Holm weighed in Thursday at 151 - a few pounds more than usual and well below the 154-pound limit of the junior middleweight division.
Turton had no trouble making the weight limit, either. She weighed in at 147 pounds, barely over the welterweight limit.
"I'm not really a junior middle," Turton said. "I've always had to fight bigger girls just to get fights."
Finding worthy foes is the main reason Holm is also fighting at a heavier weight.
"It's tough to find opponents at 140 and 147 now," she says. "So if I have to train on protein shakes and steak to fight a little heavier for the right fight, I'll do it."
The biggest name at 154 pounds is Mary Jo Sanders, who has also made the leap from welterweight.
The undefeated Sanders (21-0, 6 KOs) holds one of the four major belts but is recognized as the top fighter in the division. She's also the one responsible for Turton's lone loss.
"I don't expect a walk in the park with Tricia," Holm said. "She's tough - tough enough to go the distance with Sanders, and she comes at you all night long.
"She's also used to fighting bigger opponents, and is only the second southpaw I've faced. That can mean an awkward fight."
Having faced Sanders, Turton says she's neither worried about Holm nor her hometown crowd.
"She's a very smart fighter, but I won't have a hard time with her style," she says. "I've fought other southpaws before, and I don't worry about movers like Holly.
"As for the hometown fans? I can tune them out. She's the one under pressure."
For the fight, three judges from different states will be used: one from New Mexico, one from Turton's home state of Washington, and a judge from Texas.
"If a hometown decision happens, the crowd will let me know," Turton said.
Whether she wins the 154-pound title at stake tonight, Holm does not plan to relinquish her 140- and 147-pound titles.
"The 154s might have Sanders," Holm said, "but there are plenty still to fight (at 140 and 147 pounds)."
Last-minute sub: Albuquerque's Hector Mu¤oz (16-1, 10 KOs) had to wait until the day of the weigh-in to find out his opponent, after El Paso's Carlos Madrid (8-2, 2 KOs) pulled out with an injury on Monday. Mu¤oz will face Belen's Jeremiah Torres (7-13, 1 KO) instead. The 10-round bout will still be called a title fight for the World Boxing Council U.S. National championship at 140 pounds. Torres has lost four in a row and was nearly five pounds overweight on the scales. Only Mu¤oz will be able to win the belt; if Torres wins, it'll remain vacant.
