Posted by simguy on 7/11/2008

Before: Ryan smiling - confidence undiminished despite being down 2 to 1 in the series. "I'm feeling stronger as this goes on," Jeri boasts in prefight, "and I know that's not the case for Cat. She fought her heart out last time - I'll give her that - but I can tell from pushing against her, that her legs aren't really there and she's starting to wear down. She's definitely not taking my punch well: every time I even graze her chin, her legs go all funky-chicken. So I may be down right now, but I'm feeling good. Cat's on her last legs!" Bell pursing lips throughout, now no longer even looking at Jeri if it can be helped. "I've fought Jeri enough to know that she doesn't believe half the crap she cooks up," Bell asserts at the podium. "I've seen her - especially in our wrestling matches - start to get scared and disheartened, and she's definitely starting to give me that look in this series. That last fight was all about me grinding out the rounds and breaking Jeri's spirit. I wouldn't say the work is complete, because Jeri IS combative - but I think I've turned the corner on her. It's all about breaking Ryan down now, bending her to my will. I'm starting to taste it, and I'm not going to let up one bit!" Bell in electric blue top/lime green bottoms with the white floral print (mixing and matching her JAG bikinis); white gloves; messy puncher's ponytail. Ryan in black lace bra and panties; black gloves; hair loose, long and soft.

During R1: Bell pumping stick: Jeri shows a new look. Ryan crouching forward, left side angled towards Cat, hands open - Jeri's looking to slip the jab, reach in to palm Cat's arms, chest up, body her to ropes. Bell grimacing, getting compressed to cables: Ryan immediately shrugging a close-in right forearm to Bell's jugs, then a pair of mauling lefts to tummy before clinching up tight. Ref's break - girls stride back to midring: once again, Ryan negotiates her way in, palming Cat's biceps, chesting up, struggling to walk her to ropes, then mauling her tummy to tummy as Bell squirms to tie up. Pattern repeats - Cat rudely walked back, bullied, scuffed and worked over in a series of engagements. Ryan slamming away cheap forearms and shoulders in close, drawing warnings; Ryan plugging fists to tummy, jamming away to jaw with short chops - immediately smothering the receipts. Bell flushed, confused - she's in constant retreat, taking Jeri's weight, then her punches. Final minute - Bell ropeside once again: she turns her left side into ropes, doubling forward, resting her haunch on the rope, covering up. Jeri methodical, pushing her hands on Cat's right shoulder, then leaning in close, pounding the right hand up and in, up and in. Ryan dredging up tummy as Cat shudders against ropes - blonde riding her left hand atop Cat's back to help anchor the wallops. It's all too much: groaning, shellshocked Bell sinks to her hands and knees, face pinched; ref has to body a seething Ryan back.

R2: Cat already disheveled, punished - once again she lifts mitts to chin, looking to box: once again, Ryan won't have it. Jeri jabbing a little from her crouch, but all she wants to do is lock up midring, then make it a test of legs as blonde resolutely walks brunette to ropes. Crude mauling follows - Ryan pushing on Bell, tying her up. Jeri rough with her head, bumping her shoulders, liberal with her elbows - anything to scuff Cat up. Bell grimacing, pushing against strong Jeri, or lowering her shoulder and trying to body blonde back - to no avail. Healthy right hands continue to ply the Bell midsection - Jeri leaning in with her chin on Cat's right shoulder while packing in righty underneath. Occasionally, Cat doubles over, arms crossed against her body: Jeri leans forward, cheek to cheek, lapping away long-armed rights and lefts to thighs, tummy and unintentional trunks. Ref issuing steady stream of warnings and breaks: Ryan doggedly bodying up, walking Bell back, and resuming the sloppiness. Not pretty, but through 2 - Cat's already mouthbreathing; has a nice mouse forming under her left eye; has a bad case of tummy-tremble.

R3: Cat swings away early, trying to deny Jeri inside access: Ryan swaying her torso with the blows, punching-with. In the melee, Ryan slips in under a Bell right hand; licks a vicious left hook off the ribs, bringing the mitt back quick to her own tummy. Bell visibly body-rocked, tries a weak left hook: Ryan cleanly beats her to the punch with a crisp, biting hook to chin, swivelling Bell's head and PUTTING HER DOWN! Cat dropped hard to her glutes, spilling onto her back, eyelashes a-flutter: Ryan stomps past, smouldering with satisfaction as shaken Bell tries to rally. Bell beats the count, digs in: Ryan wades forward, encounters the stiffest resistance of the night so far as Cat refuses to wilt. Jeri not smothering, wanting room to punch: both girls elbows-in, dukes at chests, dipping side to side while snapping off savage clout. Crazy back and forth punching - gloves caroming off hunched shoulders, sweat-matted skulls, pain-wracked ribs. Both vixens bringing mitts back to their chests to reload, staying professional. Ryan won't yield position, keeping Cat on the apron throughout, but it's a brutal, expensive sequence for both beauties.

R4: Brutal trade of the third continues as Ryan hounds Cat to her own corner; Bell stiffens, answers. Non-stop work - girls in fighting crouches, keeping elbows in, hands up - just slamming away at the defences. Lots of rangy, side-to-side punching, punctuated by jagged uppercuts and occasional doses of close-in chugging bursts to offending breadbaskets. Girls adept at reaching the left hand in to push a defending hand or arm down, then drifting short, chopping rights to face. Down the stretch, Cat begins to wilt: Jeri able to extend arms to push her rival, get her covered up, then really set hips and get off with stroke. Big, thick, healthy whacks - strapping rights and lefts administered to Cat's waistline and flanks - have Bell slumping butt-in-ropes, face-in-gloves at the break. Ryan glowing: she's rarely applied this much leather - this one-sided - to the problem of Cat Bell.

R5: Bell stubborn early - jabbing Ryan effectively, walking her into clinches, then turning her as Jeri tries to push forward. Seconds tick past - Jeri's the stronger: Bell's back touches ropes at the 1:10 mark, followed by a crammed-in right to the pit of the stomach and a hard forearm-smash across the back as Cat pitches forward. Ref's breaks no longer see the girls regroup midring: Jeri just backs off a few paces, mops her brow, then wades on in as Cat sags into ropes. Ryan enjoying longer and longer stretches where she can push off, set her hips and really unload, swinging thudding rights and lefts in measured rhythm to Bell's flanks and body. Cat weeping into her gloves, often doubling forward, trying to use her elbows to block body-blows, but she's taking a terrible drumming. Jeri glorying in Bell's collapse - reaching in under Cat's arms down the stretch, chesting her upright, then plowing those melons some god-awful shellack until sobbing Cat can tie up. Grim bludgeoning leaves Bell swaying, wobbly butt, busted up: Ryan beaming en route to her corner, winking and cocking her right fist.

R6: Ryan mauling Bell on ropes early, shoulder bumping her way clear to land a tic-toc right/left to chin, buckling Cat's legs. Bell desperately clinching - tying up around Ryan's head as Jeri palms Cat's ribs, straining to push clear - ref has to work hard to unsnare blonde from brunette clutches. Second minute: Bell sliding to her right along ropes, left shoulder pointed at Ryan: for the first time, Cat starts intercepting Jeri on the way in, turning into sneaky right hands, or falling into ropes while hooking Jeri's ear. Ryan still coming forward, but getting potshotted, then tied up: Bell doing a good job chipping away even as Jeri takes her 6th straight round.

R7: Fight takes place midring for the first time; Bell working behind her jab, stepping left as Ryan takes a breather. Cat able to extend on her jab, keeping the right at her cheek - good textbook poke here, keeping Ryan outside. Jeri looking to time right hands home to chin - getting there on occasion - but Bell quick to tie up for ref's breaks after any contact. Catch-and-release boxing from Bell: nice elastic punches straight from her chest, scoring to Ryan's rack and face, keeping her under control through 7.

R8: Pace slows. Long stretches of girls prowling to their respective rights, circling each other. Hands up, elbows in - same sort of straight, relaxed one-twos flowing from the chests of both women - each pumping an educated stick. Bell in particular turning over a fine right cross on occasion - leaning in with it, twisting it off her shoulder and driving it to Ryan's chin. Jeri's legs taking the blows well - but gaudy face-spank probably gives Cat a thoughtful 8th.

R9: Cat pinpointing Jeri with the jab early, startling Ryan's face; crisp, twisting right cross plows through to buckle Ryan's knees at the minute mark. Jeri stepping in fence-post holes, staggering to ropes for balance: Cat grim, walking her girl down and lashing her a cruel, sidearm right hand limber to the ribs. Cat immediately pops hips-right, turning her torso and shouting aloud as she drags in a savage left to Jeri's waist: Ryan sobbing into her gloves, sits into ropes, legs paralyzed. Cat reaches in under Jeri's arms, stacks her up: thudding jug-busters pound home as Bell exacts coldblooded retribution. Jeri clinches - mouth open on Cat's shoulder, eyelashes fluttering as ref issues break: Bell pushed back, but her eyes never leave Jeri's face. Cat striding back on in, dips down to pull a looping right over the top, POUNDING Jeri's head back over top rope and loosening her terribly. Crowd shrill as Ryan skids to her right, hitting her own corner in disarray: Bell stepping-with, reaches the left palm to Jeri's right shoulder, then DRIVES home a cruel straight right down into the body. Ryan shouts in pain - mouthpiece shooting off her teeth: she crumples forward, butt-on-turnbuckle as Cat squares away. Bell digging deep, going at Jeri with every ounce in reserve: brunette holding hands loose at her chest, elbows in, just stroking away with her thickest, most muscular blows to Ryan's glossy flanks and trembling tummy. Sumptuous thump sounding out as Cat digs in - she'll dip her left shoulder, rip the left off Jeri's gut, then bring the mitt back quick, resetting and dipping to the right to work the other side. Cat just a girl at work here - often extending one hand to Jeri's shoulder while deploying the off-hand. Ryan battered terribly - but refusing Cat satisfaction: Jeri stooped forward, face-in-gloves, grimly soaking up the best Bell has to offer. Break: Cat staggering back, mouth wide open, hands dangling at her sides - she wanders back to her corner utterly spent. Ryan hugging her throbbing ribcage sits gingerly down: corner works feverishly to ice up those ribs and rub-down those numbed legs.

R10: Oh. They. Bang. Away! Both forms seriously degraded - both fighters walking on their heels, hands low. Staggering, they plant and trade power shots a la Norton/Holmes - each rocking the other, then getting rocked in turn. Crazy, clapping shots - rising from thigh-high to smite busted up, staring faces. No rhyme or reason until the final minute: Cat starts to outpunch Ryan, backing her into ropes. Jeri exhausted, folds forward into her gloves: Bell open mouthed, rides her left hand atop Jeri's back, while slamming home thick, rising rights to weeping blonde midsection. It's over: Bell still beating mindlessly at Jeri; Jeri still soaking it up as the ref moves in. Comes back UD10 - Jeri Ryan.

After: Rare show of emotion from Bell as she breaks down into wracking sobs of despair: gallant late charge just not enough to overcome Ryan's huge lead. Both girls shabby with damage - each sporting tensered up ribcages and battered faces. "They said I couldn't take a decision from Cat," Jeri says with evident satisfaction. "They said I couldn't beat her down - that I'd need a lucky punch to get Cat out of the fight. Well I hope everyone got a good look at what I did to Cat Bell tonight. I outsmarted her first and foremost, then I dismantled her - how many people can say they did that to her?"

Post Fight