Lisa Holewyne was born in
Hawaii and moved to Texas when in seventh grade. She graduated from
Spring Branch High School in Houston in 1984 and from the University of
Texas with a BBA in 1989.
Lisa was an outstanding athlete in both softball and track while she was
in high school. Her all-round athletic abilities led her track coaches
at the University of Texas to encourage her to compete in the
seven-event heptathlon, which includes the 100-meter hurdles, high jump,
shot put, 200- and 800-meter races, long jump and javelin.
After taking up boxing, Lisa won several regional Golden Gloves titles
before she began to fight professionally in 1998. Her goal is “to be the
best and raise the sport of female boxing."
Turning professional when she was 32, Holewyne compiled a ring career of
44 bouts (25-17-2) over eight years (1998-06) encompassing 267 rounds.
These were, indeed, the formative days of the sport, a time when records
were earned as a result of competitive matchups among quality fighters
and Holewyne's career is a roadmap of bouts against the top names in the
sport: Christy Martin (to whom Holewyne is currently married), Mary Jo
Sanders, Marischa Sjuaw, Sunshine Fettkether and Layla McCarter. And
probably most notably, Sumya Anani who, at the time, was, pointedly,
being avoided by most of the top boxers in the sport. Holewyne fought
Anani twice.
It was that "fight anyone--anywhere" mentality that identifies Lisa
Holewyne as a deserving recipient of IWBHF induction and puts her on the
list of building blocks for the success her sport has achieved through
the present time and seems destined for in the future.
On April 21, 2001, Sue TL Fox of WBAN had the pleasure of covering one
of her fights ringside when Lisa fought at the Chinook Winds Casino and
Convention Center, in Lincoln City, Oregon. Lisa won a ten-round
unanimous decision over four-time world champion Marischa Sjauw of the
Netherlands to take the vacant WIBF Welterweight title.
In addition during her professional career, she also has won the WIBF
Super Lightweight world champion, PBI Light Welterweight World champion,
and GBU Welterweight world title.
