Posted by Simguy on 12/1/2000, 9:15 am.

Before: huge fight for both women--similar means the winner walks away best of breed., Lopez long regarded the superior talent, and maybe the best fighter to ever come out of the music industry, but Kilcher’s patient struggle starting to pay off. Jewel with the harder one punch power--she’s been buried in the past by Lopez’s work rate and body punching, but Kilcher seems to have turned the corner--if Lopez is favored anywhere, it’s by a slender margin. Jen in royal blue aerobic two piece, shoulder length brown curls--Jewel in navy bandeau top, pale blue bikini bottoms, slick ponytail.

During R1: Girls march to center ring, arms crossed tight against bodies, torso’s leaning in towards one another and the slugging commences, Lopez spanking it up early, beating in Jewel’s sides, stepping over o the right as she leans in to reset. Kilcher gets it going late, popping Jen’s head up with the little right uppercut inside, trying to put the hook on top as Lopez gets rocked onto her heels. Round to Jen on volume as she sets a blistering pace for Kilcher to match.

R2: Hammer and TONGS--Girls meet mid ring and take turns welting one another with 2 and 3 blasts--both working off the body, bashing up arms, and finishing topside with hooks or crashing right hands on chins. Each with a crossed arm stance--rocking back when taking, leaning forward when giving--tough, tough slugging as neither girls backs off to regroup. Down the stretch, Jewel starts to tag Jen’s chin: a right hand, a left hand--Lopez staggering slightly, starts to retreat--right hand on the teeth, left hand on the jaw--LOPEZ GOES DOWN! Jen dropped to her backside, gets quickly to one knee where she rests for 8, then stands, shaken, but clear-eyed. Bell sounds--Jewel expressionless as her corner lauds her effort that round.

R3: Revenge of the Latina. Jen Lopez stomps into Jewel, puts her head on the blonde’s collar bone and goes ballistic, swabbing gut with chopping lefts and rights--Kilcher’s gritting her teeth is punched straight back to the ropes. Jewel a puncher, but she’s trying to move her head, stay low, do some things to survive. Lopez staying on top, gets her head under Jewel’s chin to prop her up, also uses her head to pull Jewel’s gloves away from her body so that leather can find meat flush. Bell to bell Lopez as she harms Kilcher this round with ferocious non stop digging to the midriff--Jewel’s turn to suck it up during a break--Lopez by contrast in her corner, fiery, shouting back at her trainer--everybody seems angry, but they’re not.

R4: Lopez jumps back on and starts to punish Jewel one way. Kilcher all covered up, arms crossed, staggering around the ring as Lopez walks her down, beats both arms numb, dips a shoulder to really dig that left hook in underneath the elbow--Jewel open-mouthed, starting to get outworked. Final minute--Kilcher stands her ground--girls flat footed, shoving heavily with lead shoulders inside hen trying to rip one or two punches and LOPEZ GOES DOWN! Jennifer scooting to her butt with a dazed look as Kilcher turns over a crushing short right hand on the forehead--all body behind iy. Lopez up at 8, but woozy--she is helpless as Jewel bodies her to the ropes and stuffs mitt to gut at the bell, leaving Lopez wobbly butt during the break.

R5: Lopez shakes it off, knows she let Jewel steal a round, and grimly goes about getting the points back. Mouth on Jewel’s shoulder, Lopez working hip to hip, then walking Jewel back--Kilcher once again just laying in and taking for the most part. Jen working Kilcher over at the ropes has a nice final minute--chickenwinging that left shoulder/elbow against Jewel before snapping in the damage, propping the blonde and punishing her severely about the sides and belly. Jewel reminded in her corne3r that knockdowns aren’t knockouts--Lopez seems to be taking the power well.

R6: Shutout Jen Lopez--she’s got Jewel taking, looking drowsy as it’s Latina on blonde all the way. Lopez getting her head on Jewel, walking het to the ropes, then putting punches together--Kilcher just standing with her back against the strands, gloves loose at chin level, soaking up crisp left/rights to her jaw line, absorbing the constant swatting, clubbing work to her body and arms. Jen’s constant work has Jewel stupefied--blonde starting to break down, has no answers this round.

R7: You can see it in Jennifer’s eyes--she wants to finish it this round. She’s ion Jewel from the opening bell, swarming the blonde with snapping lefts and rights to the waist, then bodying up to get Kilcher ropeside--Jewel in trouble--fielding too many flush shots and Lopez lets her hands go. Jewel’s head getting dribbled, jerking this way and that as Lopez’s fists bounce off skull--KILCHER GOES WOBBLY BUTT! Jewel just standing on pride alone, back to the ropes, gets beaten senseless, busted up as Lopez churns side to side power punches in an effort to stop the blonde. Through the middle minute--Jen starts to tire, realizing she can’t drop the tough Alaskan, instead pushing up on the blonde, cranking short, sweet left hooks to the right bicep and rightside ribcage. Down the stretch, Jewel starts to punch. Working in tight, Jewel with a little shoulder work frees up the hook, pulling it off Lopez startled face--slowly but surely, Kilcher starts to brawl her way off the ropes. Latina in retreat, arms crossed, getting her head snapped back as Jewel puts her punches together and JENNIFER IS HURT! Lopez swooning, gets slugged the length of the ring, finally taking a seat on the far ropes as JEWEL goes nuts! Kilcher showing that Etienne pressure look, pouring in short lefts and rights, coming off the body, dipping to either side to rip alternating uppercuts up the middle and LOPEZ GOES DOWN! Lopez spilling to a seat, arms in the ropes--she’s glassy-eyed, stunned--Kilcher staggering away to a neutral corner. Jennifer beats the count, but of the DAMAGE--both girls wrecked in a brutal battle for dominance--Round of the Year candidate sends both girls back to their corners in bad shape.

R8: Once again, it’s Lopez coming on strong after a tough round, but the action is slower, the flurries shorter--more pushing and leaning inside as the girls continue to struggle in close. Lopez relying on her left hook, pushing off Jewel to double it up, pounding that right shoulder/bicep, then digging into thre side, bodying up to consolidate. Jewel open-mouthed--doesn;’t seem to have anything left, but comes on late, turning into very tight right hands directly over Jen’s heart--Lopez’s mouth curling down as Jewel’s cruel single shots splatter against her chest.

R9: Jewel finally sets the tone from the first minute, working left hooks into Lopez waist, then shouldering her girl back to start the beat down. Jen bullied to the ropes, she crosses her arms, leans forward an takes a shattering right uppercut on the chin that sets her eyes a-fluttering. Crowd roars as Jewel cranks it up, and the middle minute just might be the best she’s ever had against Lopez. Jewel just squared away, working out of her crouch, head in Jens chest--the punches jerking in short arcs from the hips pulverize Lopez’s belly and arms--Jen swooning out on her feet has no response--she can only sit and take. Kilcher taking over on her helpless prey, uses the left to palm Jen back, then driving in with the right hand heart punch--Lopez sobbed out loud as these pled riving blows hit home--she’s left cringing at the bell, hugging herself in agony as Kilcher staggers back to her corner.

R10: As she has ll fight long--Jen Lopez answers the challenge. Jewel’s opening minute sputters  out as Jen stays covered up, then takes over when the blonde wilts. Numbing beating around the ring as Kilcher wanders aimlessly, Lopez stepping with her and heaving in her last reserves to wreck her foe. Hard, hard body punches have ringsiders groaning as Kilcher soaks it up, folds forward, looks like she might be heading down, then straightens to suffer anew. Round finishes up with Lopez leaning against Jewel in a corner, setting her whole body and drifting in heavy. Single left hooks to the pit of the stomach as Kilcher helpless to stop it. At the bell--ref barges in as both girls continue to slug mindlessly Tense decision, but it comes back UD10 jewel Kilcher.

After: Both girls breaking down at the announcement--Lopez devastated, Jewel ecstatic--picture sums up what was at stake emotionally for both girls. Difference was the power--Jewel’s legs soaked up every challenge while Jen’s gave way on 3 separate occasions--often at the tail end of rounds the Latina was winning handily. It’s a breakthrough fight for Jewel--she has to be considered on a par with the Ryans, Judds, and Dunnings in a competitive lightweight division.

Reposted by Archer 9/17/10.