Women’s boxing has largely been ignored until recent times. Many women boxers were very successful but were not getting the recognition and income they wanted in boxing and have jumped ship to mixed martial arts in search of more lucrative fights. The most successful to do so husband Holly Holm.
Heather Hardy has done well for herself since her debut in 2010. She has won two titles and was the first woman to ever sign with DiBella Entertainment. Her accomplishments in the ring have pushed her to the number one spot in the super bantamweight division in the US and is listed on BoxRec as the number two super bantamweight in the world right behind Canada’s Jelena Mrdjenovich. Hardy began receiving a lot of praise as women’s boxing started receiving more notoriety last year but that notoriety wasn’t bringing the money she had hoped for. So a move to mixed martial arts was the answer for her. Since her mixed martial arts debut, she has won two fights before dropping her last fight.
Ana Julaton is undoubtedly the most recognized women’s Filipino fighter out there. She trained with Freddie Roach and Nonito Donaire Sr and had a reputation for an incredible work ethic in the gym. She would make things tough and spar against men which came in useful since she won various World titles. She left boxing with a record of 14 wins, 4 losses, and 3 draws. Since her move to mixed martial arts, Julaton has gone on to win 2 fights and lost 3.
These two women that have accomplished so much in boxing will now face each other in a mixed martial arts bout on February 16th. It will be interesting to see if there is more boxing used or martial arts given their background. No matter what the result is and they’re mixed martial arts bout it would be interesting to see the two square off in a boxing ring for a rematch with strictly boxing rules.