Meet Stephanie “The Enforcer” Han

EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — Stephanie Han is an El Paso Police Department Officer and an instructor at the El Paso Police Department Training Academy.

Han’s time with the El Paso Police Department began in 2016 and she’s been an instructor at the department’s training academy since 2021.

“I have many positions at the academy but one of the things that I do is I assist with defensive tactics.” Han said.

One part of the academy that recruits get exposed to is the sport of boxing.

“We do a boxing conditioning program. It’s not part of our defensive tactics program, but they do get exposed to boxing,” Han said. “That’s something that I grew up doing. It is something that is very natural for me.”

Well, the boxing lessons recruits under Han’s directions at the training academy are getting are coming actually coming from a professional boxer.

Han is one of boxing’s fastest rising fighters. She is undefeated in eight professional boxing fights and is ranked second in the World Boxing Association’s (WBA) women’s lightweight rankings. Stephanie has her sights set on becoming a world champion boxer just like her sister Jennifer.

Jennifer Han became El Paso’s first boxing world champion after she won the IBF women’s featherweight title in September 2015 and defended it a total of four straight times the next three years.

Jennifer’s last two recent fights came against the sport’s best. First up, she took on Katie Taylor in September 2021 for the WBA, WBC, IBF, and WBO women’s lightweight titles. Then in April 2022, Han fought Mikaela Mayer for the WBO and IBF women’s featherweight titles. Han lost both title fights by unanimous decision.

Now, Stephanie is trying to follow suit and become a boxing world champion.

“I know that I have the talent, the mentality, and the power to be a world champion.” Han said.

The journey to becoming a boxing world champion is one that many thought would be uninterrupted for Stephanie, but that wasn’t the case.

“She was one of the top amateurs in the United States and was favored to go and represent the United States in the Olympics 2012.” Han’s boxing trainer Louie Burke said.

After an accomplished, yet taxing, amateur boxing career, Han decided to step away from combat sports.

“I know I hurt my family. I broke their hearts when I quit boxing,” Han said. “I was truly burnt out. And I just wanted to find myself. I asked myself ‘What am I without competing? And then shortly after I stopped boxing, I met my husband, we got married, we had our two beautiful kids, and then I became a police officer. Life happened.”

At that point in her life, Han thought boxing professionally was out of the picture. Han stopped boxing at the age of 21, took more than a decade long break from competitive boxing, and then returned to the sport in 2021.

“Taking ten years off of boxing. I thought I was done. I had my family; I had my career. I was happy,” Han said. “During COVID, Jennifer got offered to fight one of the biggest fights of her life, which was against Katie Taylor. There were no sparring partners because gyms were closed down. So, I was like, you know what, Jennifer? If you have no sparring partners, I will help you out.”

Stephanie got back into the sport just to help her sister Jennifer prepare for her world title fight against Taylor. But during that training camp, Stephanie showed that she still had something left to give to the sport.

“She’s sparring with her sister, Jennifer, getting ready for a big fight and I see that she still has a lot left in her,” Burke, who is also Jennifer’s boxing trainer, said. “I asked her if she would consider coming back and she said yes.”

“I thought that I was going to suck because I hadn’t done in so long,” Stephanie said. “It took a while for me to gain confidence for myself, but I was liked where I was at and said I could do it.”

Since deciding to return to boxing, Han has won eight straight fights to begin her professional career. She’ll aim to make it 9-0 when she takes on Miranda Reyes in the main event of King’s Promotions’ Ring Wars 12 at the El Paso County Coliseum on Saturday, July 27th.

Han and Reyes will go toe-to-toe for the WBA Intercontinental Women’s Lightweight Championship. A win for Han on Saturday could put her in a really great spot to compete for a world title within a year.

Tickets for “Ring Wars 12 are available on ticketmaster .  Doors open at 6:00 p.m. MT, with the first bout set to take place at 7:00 p.m. MT.

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