SPORTS ILLUSTRATED TITLE

Posted by Simguy on Saturday, 11-Sep-1999 11:44:53

Before: Impressive recent outings net GLN a nice payday and a title shot against the best of the supermodels. Banks with absolutely no respect for Gena Lee, offers the usual insults and predictions, but fight threatens to be an exciting affair with both girls sporting huge right hands and questionable hearts. Tyra in black push up, leopard print bikini bottoms. Gena Lee in black string bikini top, yellow bottoms—outdoor bout—beach n bleachers set.

During R1: Gena showing that teeth-bared pinwheeling aggression early to chase a bewildered banks all around the ring this round. Banks wanting to box, but Nolin’s all out flailing rushes turn this into a brawl from one end of the ring to the other.

R2: Tya jamming her left into Gena’s breasts early, but banging overhand rights midway through put that shiny look of hurt on Banks’ face as Gena gets it going. All Nolin to the bell as she cracks Banks in the moth with the old “accidental” left elbow and bangs the left eye of her opponent with those looping right hands.

R3: Gena rolls up her third straight round, happily slugging it up to the brunette’s hips with wide swinging lefts and rights, then looking inside with an awkward, bent arm uppercut. Nasty clinches from Gena as she routinely rubs Tyra’s swollen eye with laces, arm and headlocking Banks until referee intervention, and turning the fight into one messy altercation after another. Banks can’t get her skills into the fight as Nolin harasses her.

R4: Banks finally unfurling the jab, able to step around Nolin early and steer the big blonde around the ring. Nolin steals the round on the cards on the strength of a few gaudy right hands that bang Banks’ head back in showy fashion. Gena Lee with a huge lead, racking up 4 straight rounds against the champ.

R5: Cue comeback.. banks continues to get her rhythm, stepping to the left, lifting the jab off her hip, and beginning to score with straight right hands from the shoulder. Nolin still winging punches, coming straight in, is starting to get cuffed around the ring.

R6: Tyra scores with a lancing right hand off the face of Gena. Wobbling Nolin for the first time, and definitely producing a turning point. Gena looking to run, clinch, and foul, but Banks putting pressure on, walking Gena down, and bending into right hands to the shoulders and head of  the blonde.

R7: More antics from  Gena, but they’re less effective as Tyra pushes the blonde back from clinching and continues to line her up for looping rights. Gena’s face swelling as Tyra finds the mark—Banks turn to smile and swagger as Gena unravels. Tyra spends the final minute backhanding Gena’s breasts with that heavy handed jab, laughing in Nolin’s face at the bell.

R8: Huge shutout Tyra and gut check for Gena lee. Banks opens Gena up with the now dominant jab and pours in right hands to put Nolin in trouble from the second minute on. Gena fielding huge shots off her sternum and face as Banks bends her long lean frame, getting everything into punches. Gena helpless going backwards, hands down, leaning back and getting clocked over and over. Rounds ends with Tyra’s bullying Gena on the ropes, trying to get just the perfect angle on Nolin’s chin when the bell sounds to save the blonde.

R9: Gena Lee with championship instincts, pulls back to even on the cards with her on shutout. It’s vintage GLN: operating out of the clinch, lifting a knee into Tyra’s thigh, scoring with scraping right elbows on Banks’ pouty mouth, and oh yeah—working uppercuts to the body and chin of her foe as Tyra starts to wilt. Several finger waggles from the ref as Nolin disregards him, then walks Tyra down to keep the pressure on.

R1o: Fight comes down to the final minute as both exhausted lanky bodies got toe to toe fro three. Both girls hold their hands at their hips, standing at medium distance, pushing tired looking punches at one another and beating faces, breasts, and tummies with clean connects. Even to the final minute, then Banks begins to get the edge. Swaying back from a Nolin right, Banks influences Gena forward and loops the left uppercut, skidding the punch off Gena’s forehead. Nolin just can’t get back in the race—Tyra beating her to rights and lefts. Round ends with both girls swinging, but only Tyra scoring with slapping blows to the face. Punching continues after the bell, but the decision comes back a slender decision victory for the winner and STILL champion—Tyra Banks.

After: Brutal contest, couldn’t have been closer. Gena Lee refusing to be displayed by Tyra in the supermodel tradition afterwards—Tyra claiming Gena’s punches were like “feathers brushing my face”—it’s a typical crass act all around. Still, both showed more guts and determination than either is usually given credit for.

Reposted by Archer 12/19/09.