Posted by simguy on 3/12/2005

Before: "It had to be Ali Landry," a relaxed Natasha Henstridge tells reporters in prefight. "First - I want both Loken and Landry to know who the new boss is - they both have to be humbled before I can flatten the rest of the division. Second - I hate pageant chicks. Hate 'em. Girls like Ali think they own the whole goddamn gym, you know what I mean? I'm going to outjab her just for kicks, and then I'm going to beat her up - pure and simple." Landry's heard tough-girl talk before, but after Henstridge's steamrolling of Loken - Ali's paying attention. "Nat's a big, raw, hard woman - I'll give her that," says the former multi time champ. "She's crude, but she's strong and meanspirited. I've handled tough-chicks before with my skills and I'll handle this one, but I know I've got a fight on my hands. This girl's everything Jeri Ryan always wanted to be." Gold bikini Landry - black push up, boy cut trunks Nat.

During R1: Ali spritzing jabs, stepping left - getting Nat to move her feet early, presenting a moving target to hamfisted champ. Second minute - abrupt one-two on the mouth stands Henny up - while she's teetering, Landry shifts her hips and pulls a gobsmacking hook across Natasha's mouth - DROPPING HER TO HER BACK! Natasha sprawled, flopping, struggling back to her feet badly frazzled - pageant princess showing pop early, stalking neutral corner with a hungry scowl. After 8 - Landry weaving in side to side, hands at cheeks - natural torso movement blends into a ripping right/left to Henny's waist as brunette invests in long blonde torso. Natasha stiff, dukes up, taking on her ribs but firing back - champ dropping short hammer-chop rights and turning over quick-clouting lefts to Ali's temples. Hammer and tongs until a series of biting Henstridge hooks shakes Ali up, topples her to her left on one hopping foot and LANDRY'S DOWN! Henny stalking past, arms outstretched, looking down - fierce expression on champ's face as Ali trembles, astonished on all fours.

R2: Ali spritzing jabs, stamping Henny's body, mixing in short right hands, stepping left - Henny turning, not getting off. Second minute, quick one-two surprises Natasha again - she covers up, tilts forward and eats a BEEFY Landry left uppercut. HENNY'S HURT! Natasha wobbling forward, face in gloves - Ali sidesteps with a draping left arm around Natasha's hips to swing her into the ropes. Ali pouncing - REEFING bodyshots like she wants one of those new trophies - great heartstopping rights and lefts on the waist as Henny droops forward in shock. Right uppercut/left uppercut tic-toc: NATASHA'S SENT TO ALL FOURS! Henstridge blinking, stunned - she lifts her right leg to stand and sprawls awkwardly onto her face, desperately hurt. Nat shakes off the KO, beats the count - but she's ramshackle, swaying on the spot and ON COMES LANDRY! Ali carving her way into Natasha with heartless rights and lefts on the breadbasket, crippling and stiffening the champ. Henny rag-doll, reaching her left to cup Ali's ear, trying to pull her head in, but Landry won't have it, smashing away at the ribs, hooking the liver then doubling up hook-on-face to drape Henstridge backwards. Natasha proves a warrior - rangy blonde swaying in the breeze, hands loose, ineffective in front of her face as Landry's marauding punches clang away to jaw but can't coax give out of those long blonde legs. Bell: Ali's chest heaving with effort - Natasha fluttery eyed, wandering to the wrong corner courtesy Ali's educated pageant fists.

R3: Natasha's jab stuns Ali to the mouth, splitting her lower lip: long, hard poke lands like a power punch. Landry rotating her torso out of respect - Henstridge stepping left, showing some class as she pounds away stick, keeping Ali at arm's length. Ali trying to jab-with, coming up short - Henny's jab connects, fixes Landry's position: crashing right hand lands like a freight train. Head snap Landry - legs instantly shot - she swoons to hands and knees as Natasha lifts her mitts, struts past haughty - "Stay down Ali!" Landry shaking her head, forcing herself to her feet - pitching face-first into ropes: she's badly, badly hurt. Ref taking a good long look at Landry's puffy features and blank eyes, wipes her gloves on his shirt and WAVES NATASHA ON IN! Hard as Landry gave it to Nat last round, she gets it back double now - Henstridge crowding in Hopkins style, bracing Landry with one hand while digging at her the free mitt. Scouring, ripping work done to those golden ribs and sensuous abs; stuffing, cudgeling fists and short-forearm smashes to jug; holding and hitting to face - ref barking warnings throughout as Henstridge ignores him. Ali Landry beaten relentlessly to the bell - sitting slumped in the ropes, grimacing mindlessly as Henny works her hip to head. Bell: Natasha breathing hard, left hand still holding Ali behind the head as she looks Landry over.

Break: camera surveys both women: punch-shiny faces, swelling eyes; tender ribcages cringing to the touch; hollow, dull stares, pain and exhaustion so evident in tight winces - trainers vigourously massaging dense thighs and biceps, trying to coax a little life back into drained limbs. And it's only the fourth round!

R4: Girls trudge flat footed to midring, right hands up at cheek height - both look to set up orthodox, reach out the jab, bend at the waist to avoid receipts - the methodical work of damaged, but determined beauties. Nat leaning back from Ali's poke, being tall: Ali leaning forward and under Nat's jabs, being compact - brunette in better position as a result. Landry snatching hooks to ribs, jabbing to body, then tugging Nat's chin tidy hooks - Henny's feet straying sideways, eyes blinking. Landry able to establish distance with her jab and get that quick, short right hand off her shoulder - she's found a home for that shot on Nat's chin, getting tasty face-spank off Henny every time. Good heavy-legged, flat-footed gun-platform boxing round for Ali - she gets solid touches, moves Henny around, beats her tender in a workmanlike fourth.

R5: Role reversal - Nat using that crunching jab to ward Ali off, pivoting left around brunette right flank, stepping and getting long straight arm hooks off a firmly planted left heel. Ali crossed arm, bending at the waist, turning-with and slipping shots, but not getting off. Minute mark - Henny turns her shoulders to the right - feint-like move gets Ali flinching - Nat uncoils a sudden right cross, pounding clean to chin as Landry lifts her elbow late to ward off the blow. ALI'S WOBBLY BUTT! Shattering chin-check has Landry staggering sideways - Henny walks her down and helps her to ropes with a rough shove in the left shoulder. Brutal rope-work Henny: Nat crowding, bracing with her left hand on a shoulder or behind the head, pinning Ali down and mauling her with digging, rising right hands. Tummy, tits and face - Nat just scouring Ali, abusing her - nothing scientific in the way Henstridge operates on a girl at the ropes. Ali gasping breathy, reaching for Natasha's slick waist, tieing up behind her arms - smart clinching bogs blonde down just enough as Landry absorbs a battering, but escapes the round.

R6: Nat back to work with that jab - pounding Ali's left eye shut, pulping the left side of her face. Blonde indulging herself, cruelly going to work on those pageant-winning features. Poor Landry shabby with hurt, right hand at her cheek or arms crossed, weaving slowly but getting tracked - Henny able to step and shoot outside. Henny getting long, greasing right crosses on Ali's chin - limp brunette bending to her right on impact, arms crossed, left elbow up impotently as Henny scores over top.

R7: Nat pumping stick first minute - bashing away to face, happy in her work: Landry turns puncher to turn things around. Ali ducking inside the stick, pulling a hard right hand over top - well timed counter slams onto available Henstridge jaw and puts her shabby-stomping wobbly butt. Natasha forlorn, back-to-ropes, extends palms to Ali's shoulders - brunette taking over as she collapses distance on rangy champ. Ali crowding in, forehead grinding under Natasha's chin, fists snap-snatching to flanks, ribs, waist - constant withering bombardment has Nat's mouth open in soundless sob of protest. Ali able to pin Natasha down, fight off her chest and savage her to the body - Henny a ragged parody of the proud blonde who began this fight, slinking crippled to her corner for the break.

R8: Ali's turned things around: she's got Natasha hurt to the body. Blonde wincing, shying away - Landry able to walk her to ropes, set up on the chest, push and wrestle with Nat's arms then continue that bludgeoning work to the body. Sweaty work - tousles in there rubbing, ears, face smudging together - Landry wriggling for position, then fitting mitts tidy to ribs and tummy - patiently breaking Natasha down. Henstridge suffering - pushing Ali back by her shoulders and sliding right along the ropes - Landry always regrouping, wading back in, making Henny feel the weight. Down the stretch - Henstridge pushes Ali off, takes a step right then LAUNCHES INTO A RIGHT CROSS! Landry hands stacked at her tummy takes plowing blow to her jaw, falls forward and DOWN TO HER KNEES AT THE ROPES! Nat sidestepping and bellowing "YES!" - Landry a-swoon, kneeling at the apron and staring out into the crowd - she hauls herself up the ropes, wobbling destitute, gloves at lips as ref issues yet another 8.

R9: Natasha flat footed, prodding Ali jabs - Landry right at her cheek, left across her gut, bending at waist and rolling her torso - she's a tired, banged up vixen. Minute mark, Henny having her way when Ali comes out of a gentle roll, slaps hook-to-chin, drops a chopping right over Nat's low left: Henny's back foot slides off the mat, nearly pitching her to her face. Landry hooking the waist, hooking the ribs, hooking the chin - Henny staring, mincing in a little circle to her left as Ali clubs her and NATASHA'S LEGS GIVE WAY! Blonde spills to all fours, bug-eyed - she's SO hurt trying to regain her feet. Henny lolling at ropes, hands chest high, eyelashes fluttering and ON COMES ALI! Landry POURING herself to the body, getting her face on Henstridge's chest, bumping and nudging her that brawny left shoulder and DIGGING to throbbing tummy, pain-wracked ribs! Nat mouth wide open, eyes shut in anguish - she's trying to tie up behind the arms, pulling down on Ali's head in a desperate attempt to slow the bombardment. Bell: Ali's still packing leather into hated blonde gut - ref has to reef and tug to pull challenger off windblown champion. Camera catches an irate Jeri Ryan ringside, shouting through cupped hands: "ALI YOU LAZY COW - GET TO WORK IN THERE!" as though Landry's dogging it!

R10: Crippled beauties slink to midring, falling into each other with guards up - they almost need one another to keep standing. Writhing arms entwine, wrap up around slick bodies - girls tumble into ropes, muscling each other along the strands and Ali starts to punch. Landry working mindlessly to the waist, punching blind with her face wet in the crook of Natasha's neck. Henstridge groaning, finally unable to get her back off the ropes - she's holding Ali in close up around her head, but can't stop that moist, thudding work downstairs. HENNY'S LEGS GIVE! Natasha finally sliding down Ali's glistening frame to sit on her haunches, tears flowing freely as punishment washes over her - Landry staggering away, nearly collapsing in neutral corner as NATASHA BEATS THE COUNT! Henny sobbing, but defiant - legs're shot - she just sits back into the ropes, dukes to temples and crouches forward to receive whatever Ali's got left. Landry's hands heavy at her sides as she staggers across the ring, sets up almost gingerly in front, touching Natasha's guard and ears, before reaching in and HOOKING behind the elbow. Big, wet, splattering blows shake Natasha's frame - Landry crowded in close, getting her hips through the punching motion and reefing her hardest hooks to tender blonde waist and it's TOO MUCH FOR HENNY! Natasha sinking in stages to all fours under the thudding beat of Ali's body shots - Landry bellowing down incoherently - ref has to push her back. NAT BEATS THE COUNT! Ali shopworn, has nothing left - she falls in, bodying ruined Henstridge into the ropes and holding her down to the bell. Comes back UD10 for the winner and NEW welterweight champ - Ali Landry!

After: Henstridge lying down flat on her back in her corner, hands behind her head as trainer tries to stretch out her tortured ribcage - fight was won and lost in Natasha's body tonight. Landry sobbing, seated on her stool, face buried in taped hands - draining effort maybe the best of her career for sheer guts and determination, contradicting the pampered pageant-princess stereotype. "People didn't think Ali had this kind of effort in her," says a Celebrity Ring pundit. "She was too hurt too early to box this rangy girl - she had to come forward and chop Natasha down and that's exactly what happened. Who would have thought in the end, that it would be Henstridge's will cracking under the strain?" Value for money tonight: both girls beaten beyond recognition, straining well past their natural limits of endurance - neither could have given anything more.