Posted by Ginny on 3/12/2011, 8:11 am

Before: Difficult match-up here for the fast-rising young blonde - and 'next supermodel' - Candice Swanepoel. Swannie's been fighting mostly models and has been making quite a name for herself doing so. Tonight, however, she's in against a 'real' fighter in tough, powerful, brunette, Serinda Swan. Swan's more compact than the tall, rangy, blonde and she packs a lot more power at close range. Swanpoel's greatest asset has been her unpredictability in previous fights. She's a little more versatile than Serinda who has been able to get by fighting one style. One place Swanepoel is different than most of Swan's prior opponents - she's not afraid to stand right beside Serinda - others have shied away from allowing Swan to initiate physical side-by-side comparisons in most of her other prefights. Tall, blonde, supermodel-wannabe is used to being in a crowd of beautiful women and she feels right at home next to Serinda.
Attire: Swanepoel wearing a blue Victoria's Secret bra/panties ensemble; Serinda with a shocking pink bikini (above); both: hair loose and straight, white gloves.

R1: Competitive round. Leggy, upright, Swanepoel definitely better fighting at long range; once distance closes, however, Serinda getting the best of their exchanges. Swanepoel targeting Swan's upper torso and head, trying to keep her distanced with limber, lanky, whip-lashing blows; jabs, hooks and sweeping right crosses. The shorter Swan crouching, ducking, dipping; even lowering her and charging once; anything to close where she can pound on Candice's slender mid-section.

R2: Candice rocks Swan early with a looping, overhand right, then spends the rest of the round cleaning up. Swan jabbed to the ropes, then rocked by wide sweeping, long range bombing attacks from a confident blonde model. Candice having her way until the final thirty seconds when Swan firms, manages to grapple Candice into a corner where she gets in a few licks of her own to that long torso. Swan does just enough late to avoid being swept out of the round and hold it to a manageable 10-9 deficit.

R3: Candice out again and backing Swan up...Serinda in retreat moving right into the trajectory of Swanepoel's long-limbed punching and the success she's having it visibly going to Candice's head...she's enjoying playing the bully and it's obvious she can't get enough of it! Candice doing some showboating as she's ripping into Swan; brunette's head on a swivel as Swanepoel's lanky punching is buffeting her from one foot to the other along the ropes. Candice even putting her body on Serinda late, digging hurtfully to that brunette body before flouncing back to her corner with a toss of her long blonde locks!

R4: Candice coming out fired up, attacking Swan and driving her back across the ring with a blizzard of rapid-fire straight punches. Midway, Candice gets careless, overextending as she's reaching to land the big punch that will put Swan away and Serinda catches carefree Candice with a clean right hand counter! The short, chopping right buckles the blonde's knees and Serinda quickly over onto the offense. Serinda Swan finishes the wounded blonde beauty off with a left hook/right cross combo that slams the lanky blonde spread-eagled flat onto her back! Candice lays splayed, blinking up into the bright lights as she's counted out, the only movement the sweeping of her right leg back and forth as she struggles to rise. It's a demonstrative KO4, Serinda Swan!

After: Too bad for the blonde! Candice Swanepoel was ahead on points and having things her way - right up to the stoppage; but Swan's not a fighter to get careless with and not have to pay a price. Still, young Swanepoel taking another step forward in this fight; dominating for several minutes against a quality opponent who wasn't a model.
"Don't mistake Swan for one of those underwear models Swanepoel's been fighting," an HBO suit said. "Serinda Swan is a GOOD fighter but Candice wasn't embarrassed by her. We're quite happy to have her on our broadcasts; the ratings go through the roof when she's on the card. Guess those lonely guys on their computers CAN be lured away...with the right bait!"
"She's kinda awkward," Swan said looking back. "Not easy to get a read on; bringing leather from everywhere it seems. I spent more time ducking and backing up in this fight than in my last two or three combined. She doesn't hit really hard, yet...but the way she whips those punches around... when she adds a little more weight and gets a little more experience...when she gets her body into them, she's going to break some hearts because she has the potential to be a major force. Still, I really dropped her on that cute, tight, butt, didn't I? Yowzers; that felt good!"
Candice shrugged when asked what her 'takeaway' was from the fight. "I'll have to look at the video," she sighed. "The last thing I remember I was just about to knock her out - then it's all gone a bit foggy. Somebody turned out the lights?" she smiled wanly. "Too bad too, because I had her in trouble a couple of times, but I just couldn't land the next punch I needed to get her off her feet. Still, I'm not UN-happy with the way I handled her. Charlize gave me some looks during sparring that really helped me prepare for her. Clearly, I must be a 'work in progress' still, eh?"