|
Interview Conducted by Emit Hamilton for
Fresquezproductions.com
FP.com: Hello Holly thank you for taking the time out of your
busy schedule to answer a few questions
FP. com: How has training been for your upcoming bout with
Chevelle “Fists of Steel” Hallback? Holly Holm: Everything has
been really good. I’ve had
more strength training probably for this fight then I ever have,
and hopefully that will make a difference in the fight. I’ve
never really done this much strength training on top of my other
training so I’m hoping that it’s gonna make a difference and
think it will as long as I incorporate it into my punches and
into the whole fight. It’s been a busy training camp, a lot of
our teammates have been fighting and I’ve been supporting all of
them so camp has been all over the place but every fight is a
journey so it’s just a different training camp.
FP.com: What are your thoughts on your opponent?
Holly Holm: Well Chevelle is probably one of the most
professional, down to earth girls that I’ve fought. She’s a
great person, I think she is one of the toughest out there and I
know -that the last fight I dominated, but I know it’s a whole
different fight this time around. I know she is very motivated,
this is the first time she has been able to get in the ring and
try to avenge a loss. She’s never had the chance to do that
before so I know she is
motivated and she is ready.
FP.com: What have you done differently in your
training/preparation for this bout than from your first
encounter with Chevelle?
Holly Holm: Well some the things are the same. There is mitt
work, running, sparring, but for this fight I’ve really tried to
be more intense in my workouts and
just make sure I’m that much more ready. Everything is different
because I’m a different fighter than I was back then and so is
she. Training is different because back then we weren’t even
combined with Jackson’s, now
having Jackson’s MMA with Coach Winkeljohn in the same gym,
there are more people to spar with and I think that’s given me
that extra element that I’ve needed because every person you
fight has a different style and it’s prepared me to fight
anybody.
FP.com: Hallback has brought in Germanys top strengthening coach
Torsten Kanzmeier from Heide, Germany to Tampa, Fl for this
fight. Kanzmeier has
worked with the likes of Vitali Klitschko. Kanzmeier’s goal is
for Chevelle to defeat you by KO, what are your thoughts on
their goal?
Holly Holm: Well I think that is everybody’s goal. If you’re a
fighter and you don’t want to knockout your opponent then get
out of the ring. That’s just pretty much how that goes. I fully
believe that is what they want to do and that’s what I want to
do every single fight. I know Chevelle has power and any punch
can hit just right and the fight is over so I will just try not
to let that happen. It will be my goal to stop her from her
executing her game plan. I’m glad she has the best training; she
has sought out who she thinks is going to give her the best camp
to win this fight so I know
I’m up against her best game and that makes me motivated to
overcome that.
FP.com: Up to this point in your career who has been your
toughest opponent? Holly Holm: I really can’t put a name to it.
I think mentally my toughest opponent was Christy Martin but it
wasn’t my most physical fight.
I had no idea how that fight was really going to be and just
getting into the ring with her when I had little experience
compared to her experience, was mentally a huge huge thing.
Every interview I was reminded how the odds are 4 to 1, how do I
expect to win and stuff like that. I just had to make sure that
I stayed confident and know that my coach has confidence in me
and he isn’t going to put me in there if he doesn’t have faith
in me. That gave me strength. That gave me confidence. Now
physically I’ve had some really scrappy bouts with Angel
Martinez. Probably one of my toughest opponents was Ann Marie
Saccurato, and Chevelle Hallback. When I get hit by Chevelle I
feel it. Some opponents gave me a problem with speed, some
gave me a problem with power, some gave me a problem with an
awkward style so it’s really hard for me to say who my toughest
opponent has been to
this day.
FP.com: Can you name a few opponents out there that you find
intriguing?
Holly Holm: I am
obviously curious about Anne Sophie Mathis. She is a very tall
lanky fighter but she has a lot of TKOs and KOs on her record
and I think she creates a lot of problems for people. I really
get intrigued by
a lot of different women’s bouts. I think every match up is
different; every style makes a different fight. Somebody
might be a hard fight for one person and not for another. I
really find a lot of match ups intriguing I guess, but I’ve
already fought most of the women that are active right now. And
I know there are more women out there but probably the match up
that most people talk about that I have not fought yet is Anne
Sophie Mathis.
FP.com: At the beginning of your boxing career did you ever
think you’d be the reigning pound for pound queen of boxing?
Holly Holm: No. When I very first started fighting I didn’t
think I would ever be a professional
fighter. Then when I became pro I never thought I would fight
for a belt, I thought it was just something pretty awesome at
the time. I knew if a title bout came I would take the
opportunity but it just seemed like a goal that was so far away.
When I was told I could fight Terri Blair the title I had never
fought for more than 6 rounds and I had 9 fights in my career.
At that time I was watching Christy Martin versus Laila Ali and
I never thought I would actually be fighting Christy and then 2
years later there I was stepping into the ring with her. From
then on it’s just been belt after belt and 10 round fight after
10 round fight. I haven’t had a fight that has been scheduled
for less than 10 rounds for the past 5
years. So it has been crazy, I never thought I would be where
I’m at.
FP.com: Being a 9 time world champion and 3 division title
holder are there any goals or accomplishments that you still
would like to attainduring your boxing career?
Holly Holm: A goal I have which will be pretty
hard to keep is to never lose again. I mean once you get to the
top, the only place to go is back down, right? And I don’t want
to do that. I want to finish my career on top and it’s almost
impossible but I feel it is possible. That is my goal, I don’t
want to ever get beaten.
FP.com: Between fights what are some of your interests and
hobbies that you occupy your time with?
Holly Holm: Over this past Winter I’ve been snowboarding a lot. That is
one of my favorite things to do. I have really had the bug to
continue to go up to the mountain every weekend but I’ve had to
restrain myself, at least for the last month or so. It’s not
that I think I am going to get hurt, I’m very careful. I mean I
guess it is
possible but that’s not my reason for not going. I could go up
to the mountain on a weekend but that would be very distracting
from my training right now. I am making myself focus on this
fight and not let anything distract me right now. I also like to
sew and knit and run in the
foothills all the time. Running, bike riding, anything active
I’m usually down to go do. There are a lot of things I like to
do but if I’m staying at home I like sewing and painting and
stuff like that.
FP.com: In closing what advice could you give to a young up and
coming female boxer?
Holly Holm: I always just say have patience. People will
watch a title fight on TV or attend a bout and decide they want
to fight now and they’ve never had an amateur fight. They just
want to get in the ring and rush things way too fast. They want
things to happen overnight and rush their career too fast.
Before they know it they never get offered that title fight
because they have taken the wrong steps in their career. It’s
all about patience, just take one fight at a time. Your goal
ahead of you is your opponent ahead of you and that’s it. If you
win that fight then your goal has been stretched to the next
fight, but you are never promised that next fight. You have that
one fight in front of you and that’s it. You have to work for
your way up. See how it feels to be an amateur and work yourself
up from that experience. See how it feels to go three 2 minute
rounds with head gear and everything. You can’t just hop in the
ring and think you’re going to go 10 rounds. It’s not just the
physical game, it’s not just the mental game, it is everything.
You have to be technically ready. You can have raw talent but it
still takes time to build that up. Nobody knows what it feels
like until they have been in the ring, how tired you feel after
your first 3 round fight. You feel like you’re gonna die! It is
the longest 6 minutes of your life and you need to learn how to
pace yourself and with experience comes ring knowledge and that
helps every aspect of your game. I guess bottom line is to just
be patient.
FP.com: Thank you for your time and good luck in your upcoming
match.
Leonard Fresquez
leonard@fresquezproductions.com
Fresquez Productions Inc.
8218 Louisiana Albuquerque, NM 87107
323-580-3700 |
