Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) women's bantamweight champion Holly Holm has inspired many, not only in the Octagon but perhaps in a sport where she used to reign — boxing.
Everyone knows that it was Holm's boxing skills (and some kick-boxing as well) that led to the downfall of Ronda Rousey and now, boxing organizations are hoping that female boxers can see that as a possible push to come out and promote that division.
Women's boxing is around but, apparently, close to forgotten. The sport has been dominated mostly by their male counterparts. However, World Boxing Council (WBC) head Mauricio Sulaiman hopes that Holm's recent breakthrough and success would give women's boxing a boost.
To do that, Sulaiman believes that placing some female fights in the undercards of main boxing events could be a good way to start. It has to start somewhere and if successful, such could lead to a chain reaction in the end.
One sporting event is the Olympics where women's boxing is included. By giving exposure and building up the seemingly few female boxers who get a share of the limelight, the pool of women boxers could eventually follow the success that mixed martial arts (MMA) fighting has done for Rousey and Holm.
Slowly, there are tiffs being made, so it shouldn't be surprising to see some more happening soon. There is one planned for the May 7 joust between Canelo Alvarez and Amir Khan, which could be an interesting tiff.
Holm held a 33–22–3 record when she was still active in boxing. But one thing she knows is that female boxers do not get the exposure they need to make the female class visible and known.
If successful, it could lead to sponsorships which, in turn, could build a new division. More than the money angle, if UFC fighters are looking to learn more about boxing (like Ronda Rousey), then why not start by letting the existing ones slug it out to reign and assume the titles available?
