REEBOK WELTERWEIGHT TITLE

Posted by Simguy on Saturday, 01-Apr-2000 11:12:31

Before: Sophie hailed as the greatest pure boxer ever produced by France, would seem to be a dangerous test for Tia, but Marceau’s never looked good fighting in the States, and Team Carrere doesn’t think the French pastry can take Tia’s body work. Sophie in black leather bikini with shoelace tie between the cups—Carrere in black sports bra and red speedos.

During R1: Tia coming forward, poised to heave right hands to the body, but doesn’t look comfortable against a southpaw early. Marceau getting her lead foot outside Tia’s, drilling the right jab over top Tia’s shoulder and turning elegantly to blunt Carrere’s shots with a shoulder or glove. Marceau with that Michael Nunn effortlessness in the ring, supple about the midsection, leaning back or dipping forward to get Tia punching recklessly. Sophie takes the first.

R2: Tia still trying to track Sophie down, still tasting the jab, and not getting her footwork together. Marceau steering the champ around the ring, luring Tia to the ropes, turning her then leading her back the other way, pecking and slapping jabs, occasionally bending into wide left hands that spank hard off Tia’s face. Carrere’s Asian cheekbones begin to swell, and in the final minute, Sophie pivoting around her right hook , catches Tia diving in with short clubbing blows on the left eyebrow to bust open a cut at the bell. Tia steaming in her corner, can’t find the Frenchwoman, and now she’s bleeding.

R3: Carrere uptempos, stops trying to find Sophie’s elusive head, concentrating instead ion sweeping right hands to the midsection. Carrere stepping on the southpaw’s right foot, bangs effectively this round to get on board—Marceau often reduced to slugging toe to toe as Tia roughs it up.

R4: Sophie pulping up Tia’s left eye with the right jab, falling off to the right and walking Carrere into nasty little right hooks that Tia just isn’t seeing. Carrere carrying her hands low, is getting hit far too much in this fight, and once again follows Sophie around the ring, getting slapped around as Marceau slips away. Marceau pursing her lips in mock sympathy at the bell as Tia grimaces from that aching eye.

R5: Tia still committed to the body, finally seems to hurt Sophie after a wide right hand sinks in hard to the gut. Marceau standing flat footed, guard high, cups Tia’s face with her right hand and swats little lefts o the cheek as Carrere pounds at the gut downstairs—even trading for much of the round, but it’s Carrere’s fight, and she carries the points with sustained pressure in the final minute.

R6: Tia finally mounting steady offense, getting her body on Marceau, ignoring the hard to hit head and drubbing away with both hands to the waist. Marceau fading to the ropes, hands at her face, slipping and bobbing as Tia piurs it on. Final minute. Marceau times the champ beautifully, turning her shoulder into a tight left cross on Tia’s right eye and busting THAT one open with the ripping punch. Carrere swoons—Marceau clinching her up under the arms and wrestling her to the ropes—Sophie holding with the right hand at Tia’s neck, twirls double and triple left hands to the head that have Tia looking staggered at the bell. Carrere wobbly butt, stumbles to her corner as Sophie pulls ahead on the cards.

R7: Shutout Sophie Marceau. Carrere’s eyes tragically swollen, gloves at her chest as she stomps forward, and Marceau fades back, walking Tia into heartless right jabs and hooks, then stepping over to sling in that wide left hand on the mouth, Sophie gliding now, falling in with Tia after punching, then spinning off the brunette’s sweaty body like some kind of ball room dancer—opening up the new angle for that nasty lead right. Carrere bulling her way forward, gets eaten alive, and sent back to her corner a beaten woman this round.

R8: Sophie pouring it on, willing to let Tia land the odd crude haymaker in order to stand in long enough to pile 3 and chopping, slashing punches onto Tia’s battered face. Tia getting wobbled by every shot, her thighs trembling, but she grimly walks Sophie down, still trying to land the payday punch. It doesn’t happen—Marceau pockets another round and can’t wipe the smile off her face at the bell.

R9: Tia robotic, coming forward with shoulders hunched, crouching, looking for the big right hand to the body. Sophie insolent, turning her shoulder with the left hand at her cheek and making Tia miss the subtlest of angles, then spanking back Carrere’s head with slinging left hand counters. Girls licking body blows back and forth at middle distance, when Tia drags a wide right hand hard across Marceau’s sternum and SOPHIE GOES DOWN! Punch sounds like a gunshot—Sophie grimacing and collapsing to all fours is badly hurt within two minutes plus left on the clock. Marceau up after a shaky 8, and Tia charges, bashing Sophie in the mouth with the crown of her head as she tackles the French girl into the ropes. Tia reefing in with right hands to the belly, has Marceau crumpling forward and Carrere ties up Sophie’s right arm, propping French butt on the ropes, and ripping short right hand uppercuts to the chest and mouth—Marceau pounded out, but is tragically supported like a rag doll by Tia against the ropes and the pounding right hands keep coming. Sophie’s head snapping back and forth, mouthpiece pops out and dribbles down her body and FINALLY the ref steps in. Sophie burbling, mouth filled with blood, and an enraged Tia C stomps away in victory, KO9 Tia Carrere.

After: Carrere on the cusp of defeat, turns it around with a single heavy right to the breadbasket, Tia getting finessed in this fight, had lost it on the cards with a high risk strategy of looking for single shot bombs, but it finally paid off. Still, Carrere’s frustration and subsequently brutal savaging of a helpless Sophie Marceau on the ropes bespeaks how well the French woman had been doing up until the stoppage.

Reposted by Archer 1/11/10.