Holly Holm suffered a terrifying knockout loss during her Hall of Fame boxing career.
Before sleeping on Ronda Rousey and becoming a UFC champion in 2015, 'The Preacher's Daughter' was an elite-level boxer who won world championships in three different weight classes during her storied career in the sport.
Holly Holm had a professional boxing record of 30-1-3 when she took on French fighter Anne Sophie Mathis for the IBA women's and WBAN welterweight weight division titles in December 2011.
The fight ended in a shocking knockout defeat for Holm, who was the victim of some truly egregious refereeing.
Photo by Steve Snowden/Getty Images
Holly Holm was knocked through the ropes in the latest boxing loss
Holm was full of confidence heading into her fight with Mathis after a seven-year undefeated streak.
The 43-year-old MMA legend did well through the first few rounds before going for the kill as she seemingly hurt her opponent with a body shot in the fifth frame.
Then Holm got into a fight. In the sixth round she suffered a clear knockdown, but referee Rocky Burke ruled this a slip, which had more embarrassing moments before the fight was finally disallowed.
In the seventh stanza, Holm was left on his feet by a Mathis uppercut. The 26-1 contender continued to pound her opponent with punches until she collapsed into the ropes and became tangled.
The referee allowed her to hit a defenseless Holm with several shots before separating the two women.
Instead of breaking off the fight, Burke allowed the brutal beating to continue. Two more big blows were enough for Mathis to send Holm through the ropes in a terrifying scene that continues to draw angry reactions from boxing fans.
One person said angrily: “The man who turned down Holly Holm's boxing KO loss should be put behind bars.”
Another commented: “Criminal referees in this match. He should never let her enter the fight again in that condition.”
A third person added: “The referee literally picked Holly's soulless corpse off the ropes but still felt the fight should go ahead.”
Someone else joked: “Early discontinuation IMO.”
“Basically she knocked everyone out,” Holm reflected during a 2022 UFC interview.
“I was just the most recent. She had long thrusts coming at you, and when they hit you, it felt like there were bricks in her hands. Hard punches can also knock you out, but she had heavy, pounding punches.'
Holly Holm gets revenge
Holm got her revenge when she matched Mathis again seven months later. This time, she stuck to her box-and-move game plan to reach a unanimous decision.
Two more victories over Diana Prazak and Mary McGee saw Holm abandon her boxing career and make the full-time transition to MMA.
UFC boss Dana White picked up Holm after seven straight wins to claim a regional title
Back-to-back decision victories in MMA's premier promotion were enough to earn her a title shot.
Holm became the first person to defeat Rousey when she knocked out the UFC superstar with a head kick.
Since then, she has won just five of her thirteen fights in the Octagon. Despite this, she remains a top contender well into her 40s, mixing with the very best MMA fighters in the world.
Kayla Harrison came through her fight with Holm at UFC 300 in April. White said it was time for the martial arts legend to retire before issuing a statement suggesting she would be back in 2025.
“Well, none of that went the way I imagined it would over the last 10 weeks of this training camp,” Holm said in a video shared on her Instagram page. “I have no excuses. I had the best coaching, the best teammates, the best sparring, all the help I could have even dreamed of.
“I went there and lost all focus on the game plan. I didn't do anything we trained for in this fight. All respect to Kayla, she was the better fighter tonight. I just know I'm capable of more than that. I am someone who likes to self-reflect, instead of running away from things. I think sometimes being honest with yourself can be the hardest thing.
“I am healthy. My heart hurts, my ego hurts. But I just wanted to thank all the fans who have always been by my side, and of course my team, my coaches, my family and my friends.
“Much love to everyone, I appreciate you. I'll be back.”
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