5'8"southpaw Holly Holm from Sandia Heights in Albuquerque, New
Mexico was born on October 17 1981. The preacher's daughter grew up in Bosque
Farms and graduated from Manzano High School in 2000 and studied for a year at
the University of New Mexico. She played soccer and tried gymnastics, swimming
and diving before getting into boxing and kickboxing.
Holly's path to a boxing career began with aerobics. "I started aerobics to
keep in shape, saw the (kickboxing) class, thought it looked pretty cool, so I
thought I'd try it for one fight and see what it was like," says Holm. Her
aerobics instructor was Mike Winkeljohn, who also taught kickboxing. Winklejohn
soon saw Holm's potential. "She's got that instinct," he says, "When
she gets hit, she knows it's time to come back. I wish I could bottle (what she
has) and sell it."
"(Boxing) came easier to me than I thought it would," says Holm. "When
I first started, my punches seemed real clumsy, but Mr. Winkeljohn is a great
instructor. He helped me with my technique, and he felt ... he could work with
me."
Holly won a national amateur championship in Kansas City, MO in the Fall of
2001, her last kickboxing appearance before her pro debut. Her overall amateur
kickboxing record stood at 6-0-2.
She made her professional kickboxing debut on June 1 2002 in an IKKC
five-rounder against Valerie Anthonson of Grand Junction, Colorado at Santa Ana
Star Casino in Bernalillo, north of Albuquerque.
Her pro boxing debut came on January 25, 2002 at the Isleta Casino and Resort
south of Albuquerque. Holly weighed in at 141 lbs and won by a TKO over debut
fighter Martha Orozco (141¾ lbs) of Denver, Colorado at 1:38 in the third.
On June 21, 2002 at Sky City Casino in Acoma, New Mexico she won her second pro
fight by a TKO over debut fighter Terrie Carillo at 0:24 in the first round.
Full Holly Holm Biography
