Posted by simguy on 11/14/2008

Before: Jennie Garth - head trainer. Rachel McAdams, Olivia Munn, Lindsay Price, Allison Mack, Holly Valance - all setting aside their own differences in support of Benz, bringing to mind the great Fishel-led Neve-busting coalitions of the past. "I guess you guys are wondering how I ever assembled this kind of talent to work my camp, right?" A grinning Benz asks a baffled press corps. "Turns out, you mention the name Neve Campbell, and girls naturally gravitate to your cause. Every name on my roster is volunteering their time - and in the case of Rachel, even putting facilities at my disposal. Every one of us is just as dedicated to the goal of getting Neve beat. I've already retired one legend - Jennifer Connelly; Neve's next on my list." Campbell grinning ear to ear, fearlessly making eye contact with each of her antagonists from the podium. "Pretty good group," Neve chuckles, "I have kicked a lot of ass on that team - it's like a who's who of classic Neve Campbell victories. Good for Julie - she's coming at me hard, and I appreciate that. I don't trust the 'friendly' types in the FCBA: Benz is showing her fangs at the outset, and I respect that. Won't work - but I love the effort. One thing though - if anyone beat Connelly into retirement, it was me - and I can't have Julie muddying the waters on that score. Connelly took you apart in the desert Benz - don't try to shape that any other way." Julie in hard working white cotton tank top and panties; white gloves; hair in ponytail with scruffy bangs. Campbell in bright royal blue cotton tank and panties; white gloves; hair longer than we've seen - worn loose but with bangs tied back off her face.

During R1: Julie speed-jabbing Neve midring - beating her to spicy right hands in early negotiations. Campbell adjusts with feints to disrupt Julie's timing; brunette soon tagging blonde and beating HER to punches. Good brisk pace - girls rotating clockwise, eyes intense; lips set in tight lines; bobbing upper bodies; hands up; crisp, exploratory punching.

R2: Julie takes Neve to chin via close-in right uppercut; tidy double-hook follow up has Campbell startled. Sturdy Benz drive up the middle - body and breast shots - clouts Neve to ropes: Campbell scowling, covering up mitts at temples as Benz enjoys a moment. Julie pounds away hooks and crosses: Neve bobbing, twisting, then clinching for ref's break. Resume - Julie quickly back in charge via spitting double jab; sudden right uppercut clips chin as Benz edges in close, splits Neve's mitts. Another driving body assault backs Neve to ropes: she ships another dutiful beating as Julie squares away, moves mitts, pummels away on shoulders, flanks, tumy on a rolling, covered up Neve. That's the way of it - up-tempo Julie pouncing atop Neve with a better-than-expected, Garth-trained jab and pounding McAdams/Price body tactics - Campbell retreating, absorbing. Down the stretch, Benz actually getting big on Neve, working Campbell over at ropes: Neve clipped a tidy right uppercut inside, then hooked tuff to tits and chin. Brunette put wobbly butt, sitting into ropes and suffering as Benz cleans up to bell.

R3: Neve jabbing-with early, pounding at Benz' defences, taking initiative away from blonde. Neve trying the right hand up top - bouncing it off Julie's guard: just a ruse to set up that thumping left hook in Benz' liver. Julie jerking forward slightly with the body blows, backing up: Neve stepping in off the jab, showing strength to Julie, imposing will as Benz' output drops.

R4: Neve comfy now, in charge, finding her groove. Julie's jab a quick, spitting thing, but Neve's poke a much higher calibre, landing with thudding force, keeping Benz defensive. Campbell coming off one-twos up top to belt Julie that satisfying hook-to-liver: loud thudding spank winning grunts from Benz, slowly paralyzing her own offence. Julie fighting in spots - engaging Neve shoulder to shoulder to grind away hooks and right uppercuts - but Campbell's digging out the exchanges. Round ends with Neve systematically working Julie over at ropes: Benz earmuffed up, grimacing as her torso gets drummed.

R5: Neve marching on Julie - thudding jab paving the way for a comprehensive suite of short, meticulous power punches. Campbell digging hooks regular to liver, grinning at Julie's wince-and-shudder reactions. Benz in retreat - fighting her hardest off the ropes to escape beatdowns, but Neve's steady walking pressure doing incremental damage. Down the stretch, Neve hooking her way into Julie's chest, turns on a right hand, but EATS THE RIGHT UPPERCUT! Benz timing Neve, walking her in, checking her chin and CAMPBELL GOES DOWN! Neve stumbling forward past Julie, spilling to all fours: former champ stunned, blinking - quickly scrambling up but reeling as ref shouts 8. Benz opportunistic, scooting-to swaying prey with a decoy jab to Neve's face, followed by a PLOWING right hand straight down into midsection. Neve's right knee flinches upwards as she cringes "GUHHH!" around the shot: Benz clawing clean-up hooks across Neve's back helps Campbell back to her knees for another knockdown! Benz brightening, hopping away from destitute Campbell as bell sounds to halt blonde surge.

R6: Julie drives on Neve, looking for right-cross fight-winners: Neve slipping underneath, answering hooks to liver/ribs - BENZ GOES WOBBLY BUTT! Julie sputtering backwards, face-stricken: Neve flat-footed, seething, goes over to offence. Campbell fighting and winning several hardhearted, toe-to-toe exchanges - convincing Julie to give up canvas. Benz haggard, confused: wasn't Neve just on the verge of going out last round? Nothing fancy - Campbell walking Julie down, jabbing her into position, then going at her brawny. Benz bludgeoned at close quarters about her biceps, ribs, temples and waist - systematically reduced as Neve continues attrition strategy.

R6: Julie can't stand her ground - doesn't try: she's fading Neve, looking to walk Campbell into check-hooks off the back (right) foot, or intercept right hands. Campbell wary, but determined - coming forward behind her jab, keeping right hand at her cheek, moving her head on approach. Neve patiently walking Julie down, engaging her: digging, shoulder-to-shoulder exchanges result as brunette looks to wear blonde down. Benz beginning to tie up, mouth open on Neve's shoulder: Julie's legs trembling when Neve pushes against her - brunette constantly able to come forward either punching or embracing.

R7: Neve ever-advancing: hands up, stiff jabs - good fundamental approach to breaking down a classy, but undergunned blonde. Julie walking Neve into the occasional right hand: Neve shrugging off the blows now, answering with thumping vigor in Julie's waist and chest, beating her backwards. Benz stumbling away from exchanges now - mouth open, eyes furtive: she's being dogged around the ring, hunted. At ropes, Campbell's always on top, working the body and head with tidy, shoulder-shrugging combinations and a brawny left shoulder bump to keep Benz stacked up. Julie hurt, clinching more and more as she's no longer able to flurry her way off ropes.

R8: Neve stepping-to and outworking Julie: nothing Benz can do about it. Benz competing - she's trading in the trenches, bumping her left shoulder into Neve's chest, actively seeking punching room - but it's too much Campbell. Neve relentless - constantly forward: even when clipped, her instinct is to step forward and get off in receipt, deeply discouraging Benz in the process. Grim retreat and thumping brutality on the menu for Julie: she's baring her teeth, answering back, but Neve's using her up in the exchanges.

R9: RIGHT UPPERCUT, JULIE B! Early shoulder-to-shoulder swapping - Julie comes off the body, lights Neve up a gorgeous little clipper: Campbell's head pops back, knees buckle as she's forced to clinch. Embracing, Julie bodies Neve to ropes - blonde piling on, hoping to exploit brunette collapse. Pumping work to Neve's rack has her breathless: Julie pushing off, widening stance, working Campbell over hooks and crosses to head as Neve crosses arms, bobbing on the spot. Campbell's head clears in the middle minute - she's able to punch back, hooking Julie's body with authority once again. Final minute bruising toe-to-toe, with Neve willing herself off the ropes, taking canvas away from a fading Benz as the girls swap sock in a phone-booth. Bell: Neve hurt, but grinning; Julie wins the round, but seems dispirited regardless.

R10: Girls trading muscular lefts and rights: tight, clubbing blows at close range. Heads, shoulders, gloves closely grouped - girls just dippin', bumpin', diggin'. Last of Benz' reserves are spent up - she loosens badly after trading throughout first minute - Neve's punches finally bashing blonde out of her stance, into stumbling retreat. Campbell forward, eyes bright: she's got Benz wilting. Neve leading with a straight right to stomach, coming up top a hook off the hopping left foot: Benz shuddering on contact, backing away to ropes with forlorn how-could-you eyes. Neve stepping-to, pushing in: she stacks Julie up, issues beatdown near the Benz corner. Tough to watch: proud Julie battered - Neve staying on that body, then reaching under Benz' arms to restack her. Benz sitting in ropes, hands at temples, teeth clenched tight: she refuses to bend the knee, taking a sumptuous beating from Campbell bell to bell. Comes back UD10 Campbell.

After: Benz creaky, rickety, to her stool: she's stiff with hurt, throbbing from 10 long rounds of Neve. Campbell dodging bullets tonight - hurt by a clever blonde who had had excellent preparation coming in: most in attendance never would have dreamed Neve would visit the canvas tonight. Post fight interview delayed as Campbell gets into it with Garth, Price, McAdams, Mack et al: there's shoving, shouting, as officials take a hand. "Tough fight," Neve admits, hands on sturdy hips, face scuffed from Benz' leather. "Tougher than expected, if I'm honest. She took a great shot to the body - I made Rachel quit with the hooks I was landing on Julie, and Benz rode 'em out. I recognized right away that I'm built sturdier, stronger: her defence was pretty good, so I decided to trade with her and get her to accept tit-for-tat situations. In the long run, her frame just couldn't stand up to the pounding. Would've loved to have stopped her, but she's tough to nail on the button, and her legs were stubborn tonight. All I could do was empty her tank and punish her until the final bell." Anti-Neve coalition breaks up quickly: girls quickly turning against each other in a flurry of mutual challenges in the wake of bitter defeat.