The female boxing equivalent of a super-fight is here. The widely considered pound for pound queen of boxing Holly Holm (30-1-3, 9KOs) will be facing the tallest and strongest fighter of her career when she takes on frenchwoman Anne Sophie Mathis (25-1, 21KOs).

The contest will take place Friday, December 2nd at Route 66 Casino, just outside of Holm’s hometown of Albuquerque, New Mexico, on the aptly named card “World Dominance”.

Mathis hails from the city of Dombasle-sur-Meurthe in Meurthe-et-Moselle, France a city and department (administrative district or state to put you in an American mentality) in the far northeast corner of the country with the population in the department of 714,000. For you geography buffs, that places it 180 miles northeast of Paris.   

Mathis’ victories are as a result of an 84% knockout rate which is unprecedented in female boxing and is only outdone, by the now retired, Laila Ali’s (24-0, 21KO) 87%.

“I think that I have the size and punching power on my side but I have to be intelligent and fight the right fight,” says Mathis. 

To preparre herself for the contest against Holm, Mathis arrived in Albuquerque, two and a half weeks before the bout to become acclimated to the city’s elevation of 5,312 feet and climate which is 40% drier than Meurthe-et-Moselle this time of year. 

“The adaptation to the climate and altitude is going very well,” says Mathis. “In France we knew it would be a factor; not being used to the altitude.” 

Despite her world status as one of the best fighters, this will be Mathis’ first fight in the United States and finds it soothing that Albuquerque is not the stereotypical American city that she was anticipating to see.

“I was expecting an American city like we see in France on TV series’. I found out that there is a lot of fresh air and a lot of places to train. Nature is very present here. I am happy to discover Albuquerque and it’s people,” says Mathis. 

But Mathis knows that being in your opponents hometown can have it’s disadvantages. 

“I hope that the judges here in Albuquerque are impartial, I’m worried that the fight will go one way. I want to make sure that it’s a fair fight,” she states. “I feel that we’re two great champions. I come here to win. I expect the fight to be very physical. One of us has to win and I feel that will be me.”

Lost within all the hype locally and abroad is that this fight is for both the WBAN and International Boxing Association’s welterweight titles. Awaiting the winner is another potential super-fight with Germany’s Cecilia Braekhus (18-0,4KOs) who currently owns the other three major belts in the welterweight class. 

“It will be a fight between two great champions and everyone should come watch because it’s a historic fight for women’s boxing,” says Mathis.  

Check out our interview with Anne Sophie Mathis below.