Posted by Simguy on 03/11/2005

Before: Claire Danes offers her unique insights as special commentator for this fight: she's intimately familiar with both combatants. "I'm really looking forward to this fight," Danes chirps, "I think this is a tight, tight match up because both girls have lost just a touch of sharpness from their respective peaks. Kelly realizes she's outclassed at 110, and while I know she's worried about her punch at bantam, she can still match skills with any girl in the division. I've sparred more with Eliza than anybody else in boxing and she's finally fighting exactly at a Kelly Packard tempo - it's going to be fascinating to see these two negotiate with each other. I look for Dushku's body attack and heavier hands to eventually wear Kelly down, but it's going to be tricky - Kelly's coming in all KO-confident after Liu and she'll be competitive, at least early."

Eliza in red leather bikini, low ponytail - Kelly in black bikini, low ponytail. Small gloves both vixens.

During R1: Eliza outjabbing Kelly midring, takes initiative. Midway through, Packard stooped forward, dukes at cheeks, elbows in - Dushku thumps her a pair of hooks in the flank, cramping Kelly up, then cashing in a quick-curling left uppy through a slightly loose guard. Head-snap Kelly - she baby-steps forward all wobbly butt - Dushku leans in close to pack whistling right hands thick to body. Kelly hurt, stumbling forward behind her guard - Eliza expertly cuddle-wraps her left arm around blonde back, spins Kelly to ropes, squares away to work her over. Dushku forehead forward, shoulders rotating as she churns away hup-hup-hup downstairs, beating Kelly's arms, belly, hips a crowd-pleasing lather to the bell. Dushku winking to Claire at ringside, turning on her heel to draw ponytail whiplash across Kelly's pain-stretched face - shutout with feeling, Sheriff.

R2: Kelly sets distance behind a piercing, shattering stick - Dushku rebuffed on 3 consecutive attempts to get in close as Packard pecks away. Kelly's feet economical - just a step to right, left or backward, operating behind that bruising stick - Eliza's rarely seen a left hand as educated as Packard's, backs off to analyze it. Second minute, Kelly forward behind the jab, drops a right hand chop to ear, mops up a SHARP hook to teeth, snapping the fist back quick to her chest and ELIZA'S SHOOK! Dushku clinching woozy - ref's quick break puts Kelly on the offensive. Packard going body as Eliza had when situation was reversed - good thick blonde hooks testing out that brunette breadbasket. Kel with a little slide-fade back from Dushku's answering hook - Packard immediately pouncing back in with a short right hand on that puffy left eye, tidy left hook on the teeth to ring Eliza up again. Dushku taking crisp, clean connects well, but getting rocked - Packard scoring, hurting her foe, answering Eliza's shutout with one just as nice in the second.

R3: Kelly raises. Jab not just scoring, it's busting Eliza up - Packard going heartlessly, relentlessly to that left eye tap-tap-tap. Packard putting her right hand on the left eye as well and cleaning up snappy hooks tummy and teeth on Eliza - jerking twinge from brunette midsection off snatching body shots. Packard circling, keeping her distance - she'll lean in to get hooks when Dushku covers up and leans forward, but otherwise its all outside for the blonde. Kelly's footwork so smart - just a step here and there, opening up a new angle for herself, taking one away from Dushku as Eliza can't get off. E back to her corner: trainer concerned about the left eye, applying Enswell with vigour as Dushku winces in pain, stamping her left foot rapidly as the man works.

R4: Kelly hammering away on that eye, finishing what she's started as Dushku winces, shies away to her right. Eliza's left eye swollen shut - Kelly exploits the blind side with counterclockwise pivots, now landing right hands flush to Dushku's ear, neck and jaw, tidying up that biting hook teeth and tits. Eliza turning, occasionally reacting like a baited bear - she's too far foreward, lunging over her feet - Kelly's sidestepping and countering with both hands bip-bap. Packard showing class in all areas: working her angles, moving her head, punching at the right times and distances - Eliza's strength a non-factor through 4.

R5: Packard's jab starts on Eliza's right eye, aided by a cuffing hook - Kel's mop-up punch becomes the curling right flat to Dushku's ribs. Kelly pivoting left now around her hook, slanting right hands down into Dushku's suffering breadbasket - blonde really starting to mix things up, getting all her pitches over the plate. Tasty three punch combo draws appreciative cheers: Kelly off her front foot puts left/right between Eliza's mitts, finishes up a jerky left uppercut bingo on the chin - very pretty sequence leaves Dushku staring.

R6: Eliza forward behind muscular one-twos - Kelly covering up, bending at the waist, sliding back - blonde forced to ropes starts to absorb consistent bodywork. Dushku setting up mouth-on-shoulder, elbows in, hunched in tight and going at Kelly with short, clubbing lefts and rights - just a patient, systematic abuse of ribs and waist, getting Kelly used to being touched. Packard hands at temples, elbows in, twisting side to side and trying to block with her elbows - not much back from the blonde as she can't risk opening up with Dushku on top of her. Eliza upbeat back to her corner - easy fight for her if Kelly can't get off the ropes.

R7: Kelly's jab a thing of serpentine beauty, POUNDING away on Eliza's face, right eye, bloodying her nose, and setting everything else up. Kelly getting left hooks on the right eye, left uppercuts on the chin, right hands on that busted up right eye, hooks to flank and paunch, right hands above left hip - all with a snappy, biting delivery that's gradually taking a toll. Dushku mouth open, tilting forward and waiting - Kelly's fists making sharp, wet cracking noises as rib and tummy meat is bruised. Packard punching mostly off the front foot in combination, then sliding away - she's not setting down on everything, but everything's crisp, accurate and stinging - she's content to put hands on Eliza through 7.

R8: Sharp one-two Kelly - she drops the right SPLAT to that closed left eye - crowd groans in sympathy - Dushku sullen, buckling on the spot as shock travels down her spine, through her thighs, settles in her knees. Packard follows up: long, straight arm left swept up to the chin, SMOKING right cross to jaw - same punch that laid Lucy Liu on her back enough to unhing Dushku's legs and send her reeling off her to her left. Eliza hitting ropes in a daze and covering up: Kelly in with thick, digging hooks amidships, right hand under her chin as she rips away all hips and arching back. Dushku showing bantamweight durability - she's getting roasted, but weathering it, able to roll and ride it out, then answer back - by the final minute, girls are toe-to-toe, trading classy. Both edging in with the shoulder behind their jabs, looking for short right hands and hooks in close - tasty, professional exchanges to the bell.

R9: Eliza's right eye in terrible trouble - corner working hard to keep it open for another 6 minutes. Patient Kelly stays outside, fixing Eliza's position with the jab, then hooking right eye, pivoting left - flyweight cruelty imposing itself at bantam. Dushku wincing, bending at waist, holding her hands higher - waist goes on sale as brunette's forced to protect her battered, tender face. Kelly a little greedy late - she's been getting off a LOT, putting her punches together at will - she hangs in front of Eliza to collect a couple of tuggy hooks to paunch, a jerky left uppercut and DUSHKU DROPS THE HAMMER! Short, clanging right hand to jaw has Kelly doing the mad-cow stomp: Dushku just missing a short, go-home left hook, allows Kelly to clinch in desperation, snuggle brunette up tight to the bell.

R10: Kelly jabbing, dropping in the right hand, mopping up gut biting left hooks off the front foot: efficient, sharp punching at its textbook best. Dushku jabbing and trying to clean-up crosses to Kelly's chin, but missing due mostly to obscured vision: both brunette eyes basically closed - corner only letting her come out because it looks like Kelly can't hurt Eliza. Dushku holding her own, but losing the exchanges as Kelly's connect percentage is higher - they trade, rotate clockwise in workmanlike fashion - good professional form right to the bell. Comes back UD10 comfy, Kelly Packard!

After: Dushku all busted up, eyes pounded to tender slits - Kelly Packard a surgeon tonight with a scalpel jab, stitching combinations. Danes really taken aback, clearly shocked at Packard's margin of victory.

"I am - I'm really amazed at what Kelly was able to do tonight," Claire admits. "It's like what I did to Britney when I moved up - Kelly utilized her jab, controlled the stronger woman, I mean, just look at Eliza: she looks like Kelly took a tire iron to her! Eliza and I have had our ups and downs, but this was tough to watch. I know her so well - just little twinges and things about her posture told me Kelly was getting to her downstairs and discouraging her a little bit. This is a tough loss - I know Eliza was looking forward to showcasing and this has to be a bit of a shock. I didn't think Kelly still had this kind of effort left in her."