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In her last fight - only 27 days ago - Holly Holm (right) scored a TKO against Mariem Brakache at Isleta Resort & Casino. Holm fights again tonight, in a bout that'll be broadcast on Fox Sports. She isn't worried about the quick turnaround. "I like to stay active, and after this I'll have a little bit of a break," Holm said.

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She came to stir conversation.

And she came to shut people up.

Holly Holm has climbed into the ring for more anticipated fights than tonight's International Female Boxing Association welterweight title bout against Belinda Laracuente.

But she might not have had a more important road trip.

Holm arrived in Southern California on Monday morning to get started on the bountiful load of medical exams and to work through the red tape necessary to box in the state.

By Tuesday morning, Holm was on her way to Los Angeles, about an hour's drive from the site of the fight, Pechanga Resort and Casino in Temecula.

She came to the nation's second largest media market to be seen. After all, Holm rakes in more cash for New Mexico fights and Laracuente isn't viewed as a serious threat.

Holm worked out for TV cameras. She chatted with radio stations - some in-studio, some via telephone. Later Tuesday evening, she recorded a segment for Fox's "Best Damn Sports Show Period," Holm's second appearance on the program.

She didn't get a break during the drive back to Temecula, taking a call from a reporter.

"It's all about exposure," said Mike Winklejohn, Holm's trainer.

At this point in Holm's career, he's probably right.

Holm, 26, holds titles in three different weight classes - she'll fight in the 147-pound division tonight - and has won 13 straight matches since 2004.

"Hopefully people will see her," Winklejohn said after Wednesday's weigh-in. "She's very charismatic. She does everything right. Her dad's a preacher. She's nice to everybody. She's courteous to everybody. Hopefully a sponsor will see that and say, `You know, I want you to be a spokesperson for our line.' That's kind of where we're at."

He continued: "People think of men's boxing they think of `Sugar' Ray Robinson and Muhammad Ali. When you think of women's boxing 20 years from now, I want you to think of Holly Holm."

It would be an overstatement to label Holm as a ham, but she enjoys these dips into the media. In a way, this studio time might provide a glimpse at her post-boxing future. After graduating from Manzano, Holm attended the University of New Mexico for a year with ideas of becoming a TV reporter.

"I had to start somewhere and I had people support me," Holm said. "I want to support the people that are up-and-coming. I want to be involved with (boxing) from that aspect. I want to be involved with it from the TV aspect, if I can get into that."

But that's down the road, if it happens at all. (She also wants a family.) How far? Holm estimates she will box for "at least five more years, if not more."

Until then, Holm still has plenty to prove. She's still polishing her technical skills, because Holm's amateur career was almost nonexistent. She's still tying to develop a knockout punch.

Holm also has to show, at least in the eyes of some critics, that she can succeed away from the comforts of home. Tonight marks only her second venture out of the Land of Enchantment as a professional boxer.

"It will be nice to shut people up," Winklejohn said.

However, a win against the 29-year-old Laracuente might not silence them. The New Yorker, known for her quickness and footwork, is 2-12-1 in the ring since 2004.

"She's had a lot of losses lately," Winklejohn said of Laracuente. "But you have to understand she's in every one of those fights against the top names out there."

Laracuente prides herself on mental toughness, a trait essential to underdogs. She's stubborn. During an interview Wednesday, she refused to look ahead to her life after fighting. Laracuente, who retired briefly in 2000, sounds motivated to battle Holm.

"I've put myself more into it," said Laracuente, who claimed many of her recent fights were set up at the last minute. "I'm more serious about it. One, they called me on time, so I put my heart into it. And another is to show I can go in 147 pounds."

Holm's greatest challenge tonight might be mental.

Her last fight was only 27 days ago. Holm didn't absorb much abuse in the seven-round win against an overmatched Mariem Brakache, but it's still a quick turnaround.

Holm takes it in stride.

"I like to stay active, and after this I'll have a little bit of a break," Holm said. "I feel good. I feel in shape."

But Winklejohn admits he wouldn't want two fights crammed into such a small time frame again. He said Holm often gets sick the week after a fight and needs time to decompress from the rigors of constant training.

Winklejohn said Holm's next fight probably will come in June against Mary Jo Sanders, who might be the best middleweight in women's boxing.

If that fight happens - the matchup has been talked about for months - it could provide Holm a better chance to make a national splash.

At the weigh-in: Wednesday's weigh-in was, by boxing standards, mostly a tame affair.

Holm came in at 145.6 pounds; Laracuente at 142.5.

There was a bit of controversy late. Winklejohn said Laracuente demanded the fighters use 10-ounce gloves tonight. Leading up to the fight, both boxers agreed to use the standard 8-ounce gloves. The heavier gloves provide more cushion.

"She doesn't want to fight with 8s, because she knows Holly will knock her out," Winklejohn said.

Laracuente was not available to comment on the change.