Posted by  Simguy on 8/1/2003, 5:30 am.

Before; BLONDE! Calling Loken “the most physically gifted fighter to come up in the last 25 years” but recognizing the transition from wrestling/martial arts to pure boxing might be a project. Kris dismantled and chopped up by a veteran Daisy Fuentes last time out, Krushers dialing back the difficulty level somewhat with the much more conventional lawless. “Kristanna needs to find an identity in the ring,” says Janet Jones. “We harness her talent and no belt north of 130 is safe.” Lawless on a similar track, and not buying the uber-woman rhetoric surrounding the newcomer. “She’s got size,” shrugs Lucy. “Other than that, I don’t see what all the noise is about.” Lucy in black string bikini, Loken kind enough to pose on the current cover of “Shape” in fighting togs for our reference--purple S curve “one piece” with bare midriff and exposed flanks, may as well be a two piece.

During R1: Kristanna showing blazing hand speed from the outside, stepping into whistling overhand rights, leaving her feet to torque on hooks--but’s pretty wild, wide. Lawless doing a nice job stepping out, keeping her hands up, bending in under shots--she’s backing up early but not getting creamed flush by haymakers, Midway through, Lucy starts spearing in a hard, long jab, keeping her right hand right to her cheek--good textbook boxing channels blonde aggression to the corners, breaks up the rushes.

R2: Exuberant, crowd pleasing whiffs from Loken as she stalks, hurls, lunges around the ring. Athleticism clearly evident--Loken’s the more explosive woman, but Lawless calm, making good reads, guard up, she’s moving her head, stepping around her jab. Final minute, lawless tracking Loken with a firm stick, edging back from the blonde as Kristanna storms through the front door. Jab, banging right hand up the middle from lawless stops Kris in her tracks--Lawless re-setting with gloves at her chin, jabs forehead, puts another cracking right on the chin and LOKEN BABYSTEPS BACKWARDS HURT! Lucy jabbing belly and trying for the chin one more time, falling in with Kris, bodying up and straining to walk the stunned beauty into the ropes. Lawless holding Kris down on the strands at the bell, Loken feeling the strength.

R3: Kris still trying to muscle her way in, not jabbing, leading with power shots--Lucy clearly not as quick, but her timing and form is better--she’s steering her girl with pre-emptive jabs, spoiling Loken’s punches, Midway through, Kris walks into the jab, takes a hard right on the chin and falters--hands reaching out, legs all locked up, Lucy lets her girl come forward and drifts another shattering right to that chin and LOKEN GOES DOWN! Kristanna driven to her back, picks her head up woozy off the canvas--she’s in total shock. Big K beats the count, gloves at her lips, eyes forlorn--Lucy marches in…and doesn’t do much. Lawless harassing a wounded Kris at the ropes, jabbing  at her tummy, staying away, trying to jump in short right hand then bodying up and pressing Kris against the ropes in a deliberate show of strength, Kris not happy to be getting out-bodied, but Lucy’s ego allows Loken off the hook.

R4: Janet with her hand on Kris’ stomach, getting her to breath, relax. Loken comes out a different fighter, Kris using her own jab off the hip,. Spanking Lucy’s face for the first time, keeping her off. Kris coming forward, leaning into right hands and bodying up--she’s determined to walk Lawless back to the ropes as the fight bogs down into punch and clutch. Ref breaking ‘em up--girls falling in together, struggling to bull one another to the ropes, Loken on the board--Lucy’s legs trembling to stand their ground as Kris imposes her will.

R5: Kris’ best round--shows why pundits are excited about her with a variety of skills. Up on her toes, big woman moves lithe, snapping out a spiteful jab off the hip while dancing left, Lawless trying to jab--Loken unleashes a well-timed right roundhouse to the ribs underneath, drawing a shout of pain from the brunette and locking up her legs momentarily. On the inside, Loken walks Lucy to the ropes then pretty much has her way--Kris with a nice supple way of pulling and pushing on Lucy’s guard, then swatting her face and body--rhythmic writhing caresses and sharp clouts shut Lawless out in the fifth.

R6: Lawless looking harried--Kris scaring her with right hands outside though not connecting--Loken able to bluff her way in, muscle Lucy to the topes and outwork her mouth-on-shoulder. Once they look up, it’s all Kris stepping forward, Lucy stepping back--Lawless’ face bleak as she us systematically pressed up on all round long. Lucy defending well on the outside, but her ribs and stomach are taking a pounding as Kris gets gut-crushing jolt on short, even sneaky punching down there.

R7: Lapse in concentration for Kris--Lucy gets back to midring behind that no-frills stick, banging Loken into position and nailing her crisp right hands on the chin, Loken repeatedly getting her face spanked back--stepping out, shaking her head, then trying to come forward again, Consistent, accurate punching from Lucy--she’s just waiting in her stance, breaking Kris up with the jab and blasting home the payoff, putting wobble in purple trunks at the two-minute mark. Loken’s will can’t be denied though--eventually she gets beefy arms around Lucy’s head and left arm, stepping the brunette to the ropes, smothering her. Loken scoring some cheap right uppercuts on the inside while tucking Lucy’s head down to avoid the shutout.

R8: Kris back on track, working a big woman’s body this round. Lawless up against the ropes, defending, concerned, Kris loose, supple, left shoulder pointed at Lucy, right light at her chest. Loken just shoulder-cycling her jab against Lucy’s guard and chest, touching it in, touching in and DRIFTING the right hand straight to the sternum. Loken turning over her right hand pretty with power, weight carrying onto the front foot with the right hand, then shifting onto the back foot as she pulls a hook onto Lucy’s ear. Lawless sobbing aloud with the body shot, blocking the hook on her earmuff guard, but she’s paralyzed. On and on and on like this--Kris patient, pawing the jab, just shouldering it in to stabilize lawless, then victimizing her to the ribs with shattering rights beneath the breast line. Punches sounding out like baseball bats on wet clay--Lawless trembling, tears welling up at the bell--big smile Loken as she forces eye contact after 3 bruising, truly brutal minutes of blonde on brunette violence.

R9: Loken grinning cocky, walking into crippled Lucy, palming her shoulders and shoving her back into the ropes woman to girl. Kris striding in and plowing that right hand off Lucy’s midsection--brunette gurgling, draping her left arm boozy over Kristanna’s shoulder as brunette slumps forward. Loken woman-at-work, shoving Lucy back, getting her feet set so she can cycle that pawing jab, looking for those same luscious,. Meanspirited rights to the torso. Lucy in shock, legs won’t work, but she’s stubborn--standing up against the ropes, alert enough to keep her hands up and block Loken’s clubbing hook upstairs--hobbled brunette showing courage under duress. Kris mixing it up, hooking Lucy’s right bicep, sweeping the right hand wide to get under the elbow on the left side--just putting a thorough-going beating on her opponent.

R10: Lucy can’t stand her ground, gets stacked up swety on the ropes, bullied and jostled, then Loken squares away to work. Kris scrubbing her head against Lucy’s face and chest, blonde keeping her hands free downstairs, touching lefts and rights form against the paunch, then suddenly ripping upstairs with something short and mean from either side. Admire the form: Kris coming off the body tight, elbows in, punching with her torso, hips and shoulder, not the arm and twisting to be safe on the follow-through side. Lawless keeping her hands around Kristanna’s shoulders and ears, pulling her head, clipping her with right uppercuts on the inside--good interior defense, poise from Lawless. Girls just stand in the phone booth and work, Loken moving her head from one shoulder to the other, getting it done to the bell. Comes back UD10 Kristanna Loken.

After: Lawless pulling at her nose, staring at the canvas in disappointment--maybe her best effort to date goes for naught as she drops heralded Kristanna, shows an improved jab, judgment and defense, but gets reeled in by blonde’s irresistible efforts over the long haul. Loken with a winsome smile, waves to growing legions of fans--it’s an embarrassment of riches for the athletic blonde. Is she a balls-out slugger? A cagey inside worker? A boxer-puncher? Kris showing amazing variety which bodes well for the future, though at the moment she’s getting caught between styles and taken advantage of at times. Pity boxing when Kris learns defense, but for now, chin seems to be holding up--Lawless’ right hand no joke and Kris ate ‘em regular in this fight. Janet’s still riding her young charge hard: “it’s a C effort--Lucy shouldn’t have gone the distance and Kristanna knows that. I wanted uppercuts off the body--Kris just wasn’t seeing it in there. It’ll come--I just don’t want her getting satisfied because she beat the hell out of Lucy lawless. I want Lucy Lawless devastated, on the canvas, an announcing her retirement after a fight with Kristanna. THAT’S victory. Loken’s got to understand that she’ s a fighter who can ruin other fighters and when you can ruin a girl, you don’t settle for less.”

Reposted by Archer 4/23/11.