(UNIFIED LIGHTWEIGHT TITLE)

Posted by Simguy 10-10-2008.

"Good bod," Charlize says of her opponent in prefight, "great TV-girl rack, decent TV-girl skills: there's no way she wins this fight. Event's too big - that's just the truth. Erica's got Charlize Theron in a title fight? A first defence? Talk about being plucked from obscurity! This kid's in over her head - I mean - I'D pay to see her fight at the Blue Horizon or the Hollywood Diner or something, she's a terrific little action fighter - but this? This is a whole order of magnitude bigger than that. Erica will fold under the weight of the moment, but to be fair to her, she's hardly the first small-screener to freeze on the big stage."

Durance grinning throughout: cordial atmosphere of Helfer/Theron noticeably absent this time around. "You know, Theron relies upon her image more than any other righter out here," Erica says at the podium. "She's only special when the other girl DOES get overwhelmed by the moment - but TV fighters have stood up to her before, and done very, very well. I beat her up last time we met, but I'm discounting that: we all know Charlize coasts and undertrains when she's not motivated - I'll be facing the real thing in a title fight. And that's exactly what I want: to fight, and beat, the best Charlize Theron anyone's ever seen. The closest she's going to come to my belts is when I hold them up to her face after I've knocked her out!"

Erica in Smallville #1 bikini (crimson top, navy bottoms, crimson belt); red gloves. Charlize in festive beach bikini (pink with broad white bordering; pink dots in the white - it's a complicated affair); white gloves. Both girls with freshly showered hair, beach-damp.

Round 1: Right uppercut Charlize: Erica baby-steppin', rocked early. CT reloads, bends in with a right cross, clapping E across cheek; CT steps-in, slops a sidearm right to jaw, sending Erica reeling. Charlize grinning wide - walks Durance down, leans in a booming right: Durance slips it, pivots-left to escape on shaky legs. Theron walking her girl down, stepping in off the jab to dip-n'-rip the short left uppercut to Durance's body: brunette grunting, giving ground. Erica stabilizing her front in a torrid final minute: brunette landing a fierce right/left to chin, forcing Theron to cover up midring. Charlize back with the tidy left uppercut snapped hot off Erica's sternum: Durance clapping Charlize's ears left/right. HAMMER AND TONGS! Durance baring her teeth, slugging her heart out - both women fighting with dukes up, crouching low to receive, then bashing back with both hands blazing when it's their turn. Crowd roaring - both women getting hit a TON in the final few moments, each convinced that the other's ready to break. Bell: fists still flying - ref risks life and limb to split 'em up. Hot-slugging first to Charlize as Durance slightly wobbly butt en route to her corner.

Round 2: Charlize changes tack - on her toes, hopping the perimeter. Durance on the attack, trying to force battle, finding it difficult to corral loping blonde. Theron devilish outside - showing a flirty jab, or popping lead right hand - but pulling out as she's punching - just pure evasive action dressed up as boxing. Final minute - Erica the clear aggressor for 2 minutes, blunders into a shocking right hand as CT suddenly firms-and-delivers. DURANCE ROCKED! Charlize beaming - quickly goes flat footed to punch in earnest: left uppercut takes Erica in her sternum once, twice - then CT's pushing wobbly brunette off. Theron walking Erica down big-girl: smashing right hand pounds against Durance' raised guard; sweeping left hook smites across Erica's healthy jugs. Ropes: Erica hitting in disarray, eyes glassy: Theron sweeping a wide right roundhouse in above brunette hip, sitting Durance onto middle strand. Right uppercut scrapes Durance face as she's buckling forward; left uppercut takes her in her springy breasts - CT curling 'em in tight, getting her back and legs into the hoisting shots. Healthy right hand pumps to Erica's waist; pair of tightly turned hooks cuffs Erica's jaw, punching apart her hands. Bell: Theron reaches in, chests Erica to ropes just to make her take weight: blonde steals clear brunette round with crafty power late. Ref has to pull at Theron to get her to release trapped foe.

Round 3: Theron right hand misses over top: Erica slipping in under, digging a compact left hook to waist, really getting into Charlize's tummy CHUPP! Left uppercut Durance - clips CT's chin; short-chop right hand hacks CT’s jaw as Erica ducks in and down close. Theron swishing left-right, missing over top - teeth bared, hair across her eyes: Erica back into Oscar-winning gut via that digging left hook. Grunting Charlize forced back under thudding body blows and short, sneaky right hands chopped to chin. Touch of rope galvanizes Charlize: she surges forward, digging short left uppercut to Erica's ribs, taking the champ in under right breast. Ferocious toe-to-toe trading expensive for both: Charlize wades forward, exchanging torrid face punches. Durance firms, hooking Theron's mouth, then leaning in and down with that short-chop right: no arm swing on the right hand - just back, shoulder and torso powering it home. Theron backing up again - tummy jumping in complaint at Erica's hooking touch; chin repeatedly clouted. Charlize's eyes growing glassy, lips parting: hands are low, loose - she's just mindlessly taking and answering. Theron suffers a bad pummelling against ropes in second minute - then surges forward with lanky lefts and rights slopped from her hips: Durance forced to retreat once again as Charlize brawls out of trouble. Down the stretch, Charlize stumbling around hurt, but pitching with authority: Durance keeping dukes up, elbows in, trying to slip and check her free-swinging foe. Right uppercut Charlize from too far out: Erica timing it, steps in and cleans up a right hand to chin, swivelling Theron's majestic head. DOWN GOES CHARLIZE! Gorgeous chopping right catches CT as she's punching, drops her to her back as crowd roars to collective feet. Erica: chest heaving, nose bleeding, eyes blazing - she staggers to neutral corner all but out herself. Theron heroically up off her back, tottering into ropes, blinking rapidly with her mouth open: she's desperately rocked, willing herself to continue. Final moments, Erica gathers herself, wades in - takes a second to push CT's biceps aside, then DURANCE GOES RACK! Charlize crying out - head tilting back to bare long swan's throat as she sits in ropes. Erica jackhammerng away - teeth bared, fists stamping in straight right/left crisscross, humbling Theron's modest-but-meaty chest. Bell: Erica banks insurance, staying atop her girl and working until ref pulls her off from behind. Plenty of work to be done in both corners: furious pace through 3 sees Erica even up the cards.

Round 4: OH THEY BLAZE AWAY! Erica munches yet another right uppercut - nearly kneeling upon receipt, but straightening and answering back a bludgeoning flurry of close-in lefts and rights to chin. Senseless slugging - both girls too shopworn to consider more sophisticated strategy: it's just dipping and swinging while trying to keep one's feet in the melee. Theron with no defensive form - hands are at her waist - feet spread wide: she's dipping and rolling her torso, slipping under shots, then looking to lift haymakers back up into Erica. Durance much tighter - hands up, elbows in - she's dipping side to side, bending forward behind her mitts: she's also looking to make CT miss over the top, then come back with counters. Erica ripping at Theron's paunch via that vicious hook - constantly at the beef of Charlize, clouting and cuffing at her. Charlize's rangy, rising blows bashing off Erica's flanks, taking her in the ribs and breasts, occasionally kicking her head back. Delirious stuff - both women enjoying moments of triumph as the other is shocked and buckled. Late the round - free-swinging two-way as exhausted women shop for chin: ERICA BEATS CHARLIZE TO PUNCHES! Theron gobsmacked into stupor - she straightens - arms just flapping weakly at Erica as Durance surges forward, scoring with more and more vigor. Theron's head snapping side to side as she totters backward and CHARLIZE GOES DOWN! Theron stumbling over her own feet, falling to her back with her head/shoulders supported on bottom rope: eyes bleak, body all succulent and heavy, laid out at Erica's feet. Durance stumbling away in a fog: SHE'S all banged up. CT BEATS THE COUNT! Theron sobbing, somehow climbs ropes, lays against 'em on trembling stems for the shakiest of 8 counts. ON COMES ERICA! Durance piling on for the finish - pushing her way in, wrestling CT's loose guard apart then HUMBLING THOSE JUGS! Charlize crying out - composure breaking as Erica stamps away that vicious straight criss-cross. CT lolling at ropes, blubbering - she's just shuddering under the thumpthumpthump of Erica's pounding, flat-knuckle assault to bell. Weary Durance turns on ref in frustration "WHY AREN'T YOU STOPPING THIS??" Charlize out on her feet - totters to stool, hair across her eyes, mouth open.

BREAK: Janet grabs Charlize by the chin, forces eye contact: "She doesn't have the heart for this - she's TV. She's TV; she's nobody - you get out there and OVER AWE her ass, Charlize. She can't stand against you."

Round 5: Theron: Swaying; flat footed; blinking; hurt. She's got right hand at her chest, left low, pawing for Erica. Durance: dukes up, elbows in - legs livelier than challenger's - Erica's circling to either side, feinting Charlize a bit. CT leaning forward, trying to paw-left and drop in the right: Erica slipping side-to-side, weaving the work, then coming back at Theron's middle snik-snak. Vicious, vicious body work doled out to Theron here: Erica slipping in, working the waist, cuffing the paunch. Durance doubling up hooks to the waist, getting 'em off her front (left) foot with a sumptuous CHUPP! CHUPP! impact. Right hands to CT's midsection are delivered slightly sidearm - Erica keeping her elbow in during the motion, chopping heartlessly at Charlize. Midway through, Theron audibly panting, shouting out at the odd hard body shot: Erica's crippling her, systematically taking her apart.

RIGHT HAND CHARLIZE THERON! Sudden, shocking cross cleans up Erica's chin - PUTTING DURANCE WOBBLY BUTT! Erica suddenly reeling - Charlize surging forward to steal another round: ERICA HOPS IN A HOOK! Durance suddenly finds her footing, pre-empts Charlize with a quick jump-in, short hook, taking blonde neatly to chin. THERON now topples back all pie-eyed, mouth wide open in shock: she hits ropes, body whipsawing. Erica stumbles forward, fists at her mouth: she chops a jab, turns on a short right hand - both punches taking Charlize in her face. Theron ragged - right arm looping instinctively around top rope as she turns to her right, laying heavily into cables, presenting left flank to Erica. Durance squares away, eyes hard: she hooks Charlize to paunch; drills a straight, palm-down right hand into exposed left-side ribs; jams the hook up into CT's face as Theron cowering/covering up. Right hand takes Theron in the back: can't be helped - she's almost showing her back here. Theron taken in her stomach, in her flank, about her head and shoulders: Erica's bludgeoning away without mercy, pouring the leather to Charlize even as Durance's legs threaten to give way from exhaustion and THE REF STEPS IN! It's over - TKO5 for the winner and STILL champion - Erica Durance!

After Durance bursting into tears, falling to her knees as ref cradles Charlize to safety. Blonde in blubbering stupor, beaten senseless by a plucky TV brunette who refused to be overwhelmed by the moment. Quick pan of the audience reveals girls like Karen Cliche, Lauren Graham, Terry Farrel, Odette Yustman, Dani Harris, Beverly Mitchell and the like - on their feet, yelling and whistling in celebration of Erica's blue-collar triumph.

"Beating Kaley was a huge personal goal," battered, but unbowed Erica says in postfight, "but this? This is just plain huge. Not just for me, but for fighters like me - and you guys know what I'm talking about - fighters like me CAN step to the sport's icons and beat them down. It's also huge because it shows how hard it is to beat me AND Tricia back to back. Theron thought she could carve right through the heart of the HMK order, but I wasn't having any of that from her. A lot of people openly questioned if I had the size to take down one of the big blondes - people wondered if I could handle the pressure - on and on. I answered all questions tonight - there's nothing left for me to say!"

Durance throws HER name into the crowded Fighter of the Year race with this win capping an amazing win streak and title-drive for HMK. Charlize still woozy on her stool when a cheeky Durance moves in with the title belts on her shoulder, and hands Theron an 8"X11" sheet. It's an autographed figure of Durance with the lightweight belts, saying, "Better luck next time - your champion, Erica Durance." (SMACK!)

++ (6-5)

Theron's title bout w/Durance was her 100th title fight. 34% of her total fights have been title fights. Despite her loss, her winning percentage in all her title fights is still a terrific 73%!