PARAMOUNT BANTAMWEIGHT TITLE

Posted by Simguy on 10/12/2001, 6:44 pm.

Before: Delany one of the few self-managed fighters in the game, and doing herself proud by engineering one of the most textbook title runs in recent memory. "She's done everything we asked of her," says one HBO exec, "she stayed busy without getting beat, looked good a lot of the time - she fought names, she took a risk against Garth to prove she was for real, and she didn't price herself out of the neighborhood. She deserves this shot and you know what? A lot of people think she can win this thing." Dana's struggled against youth in the past, but in avoiding Hu and Fishel, experts think she's given herself the best chance to win a belt. "It's going to take the Denise Richards that beat Carpenter and Spears to compete with Dana," says one veteran scribe, "Delany is very, very live in this one." Double D in navy velvet bra and panties, expensive diamond necklace during ring instructions, Denise in teal bikini top, brown bottoms.

During R1: Apparent early that Richards won't be boxing with Delany - Double D with the closed stance, circling and stepping back, looking to counter - Richards flicking out a rangefinding jab just to get in close and dish dukes. Competitive for the most part as Delany keeps her back off the ropes, but down the stretch a spanking left-right off the belly stops Delany in her tracks - young brunette bodies up and lathers away with hold and hit to the bell.

R2: Double D with a classy shutout, sends a message. Richards not cutting off the ring, following Delany around and simply pawing with her jab - inviting harsh right hand counters on the cheek. Dana head hunting with both hands, stabbing, straight potshots, followed by immediate pivots to the left gives the auburn haired beauty the points.

R3: Richards showing some veteran fortitude of her own. Spanked in the second, she lifts her mitts high, walks Dana down and gets to the redhead's chest with more authority this round. Delany covering up and rolling with punches as Denise splashes at her sides - Double D escaping serious hurt, but not doing enough offensively to keep pace.

R4: Delany luring Richards forward, rolling with Denise's pitching right, then twisting into the counter right hand that gets great head-swivel on Richards. Denise giving up too many right hands on her eye and chin - Delany finding a nice angle just outside Denise's left that will be problem if it continues. Richards salvaging the shutout late with a swabbing barrage to the arms and chest of her foe in the final seconds as Delany gives ground.

R5: Dana comes inside, reaching under Denise's right arm with her left and scouring the youngster's chest and belly with short licks in tight. Richards won't back down - she's happy to body up, get physical with Dana, brawling the older woman to the ropes and slowly turning the tide. By the final minute - Delany purely defensive, slipping and rolling along the perimeter as Richards slugs brazenly from her hips, turning into her lefts and rights with big-swinging determination.

R6: Delany maybe a bit too selective. She closes up the stance and tries to walk Richards into something, but the brunette is coming in behind a high guard, paving the way responsibly with jabs, and curling her punches up sharp to the body to pre-empt the older woman. Dana having trouble getting off, often doubled up in discomfort as Richards pounds away on her waistline.

R7: Richards getting big on Dana, hounding the redhead to the ropes, crossing her arms across her body the better to push up on Delany, bending into side to side haymakers - Delany doing well not to get caught with anything dangerous. Down the stretch, Dana D brilliant off the counter. Stepping to her right, rolling with Richards' punches, Dana drills 3 straight right hands off the ropes straight into Denise's teeth, rocking brunette buttocks at the bell as D gets wonky late. Dana steals a Richards round - that's what an older fighter has to do.

R8: Dana stepping forward now, marking Denise up with a punishing stick, pounding her face to the side with slicing right crosses, and finishing up with a withering hook behind the elbow that has Richards wincing in retreat. All Delany for the first two minutes, patiently breaking Denise down all around the ring with crisp combinations, but down the stretch - wild trade of hooks goes Richard's way. Delany hurt, stomps back on her heels several steps as Denise gathers herself and piles on to beat the redhead at the ropes. Dana shaken at the bell - Richards smoldering as she chests up to force eye contact - could be the most important round of the fight thus far as Richards refuses to fold.

R9: SHUTOUT DANA DELANY! Dana digging way, way down - clearly exhausted, but putting together a desperate bid to end this thing. Richards with her back to the ropes digs in - hands up high, she sets herself rigid to accept the crisscross punishment from the flashy Dana D. Double tap hooks below the ribcage have Richards stooping in torment, nice short left and right uppercuts as Dana rolls her shoulders into the punches rock Richards back. Denise simply standing in and taking the rub down of a lifetime, but Delany's punches aren't carrying fight ending weight. Dana sobbing for breath at the bell - she's shot, and Denise is still standing, though badly busted up.

R10 SHUTOUT DENISE RICHARDS! Denise sucks it up, walks down the badly used up Dana, presses her to the ropes behind a high guard - both heads, both pairs of gloves all crammed in tight as Richards packs Dana into a corner. Denise working out of the cramped quarters, wedging in body shots, piling on, then clubbing at jaw - Dana can't get her butt of the turnbuckles and can't punch back - it's HER turn to soak. Richards finishing with a crowd pleasing 8 punch series of wide lefts and rights to the waist, simply turning her hips and wailing em in as Dana stoops, hands at her temples to take. Comes back UD10 for the winner and STILL bantamweight champ - Denise Richards.

After: Delany comes up short in a close, hotly contested bout - youth served once again as Denise goes a long way toward legitimizing her status as a titlist. 8th round was so critical - with the fight slipping away, Denise refused to lose and probably saved her tiara by stealing a round Delany needed on the cards. "I can't believe people were counting me out against Dana," Richards pouts, "I think I proved I'm the class of this division and I'm looking at holding a second belt soon. I want Dani Fishel: write that down!" Delany disappointed, but strangely upbeat - she's become a prized veteran in a youthful division, she's still strategically placed, and there are plenty of attractive physical match ups for her to entertain while she awaits the next opportunity.

Thanks to Apollo for this repost.

Archer 10/20/09.