Photos Courtesy BI Photo Lab

BOXING AFTER DARK

Posted by Simguy on 12/17/2003, 8:32 am.

Before: “I’m telling you--I’ll tidy up on Natalie!” Bleats Rachel to anyone who’ll listen. “Of all the top names at flyweight--she’s the none I’m most comfortable with. There’s no way Portman can take my punch--no way!” Portman saying all the right things--Rachel’s dangerous, Rachel’s hungry, so on and so forth, but veteran movie star’s a prohibitive favourite coming in. “You can’t take a Bilson for granted,” says Nat. :the second you do, that’s when they bite you.”

Nat in white sports bra, high waist white aerobics bottoms, long battle braid--Rachel in retro look red bikini, bra style top, stylized white belt on snug bottoms.

During R1: Nat taking a page from the Cat Bell handbook--storming out early to take confidence away from a young puncher. Portman bending in with right hands, beating Rache to the punch, spanking back pretty brunette face--Bilson’s on her heels early, flailing punches, back, obviously shocked, Portman working her girl to the ropes and getting positively big in there--rugged elbow props and shoulder butts to jostle Rachel, hacking, tight overhand right on the ear and short left uppercuts to the chin. Rachel swinging back, wrapping punches around Nat as Portman weaves in close. Blistering three minutes--Bilson baring her teeth and slugging fruitlessly at the bell--mission accomplished Portman as she puts brunette butt in ropes and bloodies her girl’s nose.

R2: Here’s the Nat Portman we all know and love, working the cruelest jab in boxing to Rachel’s dark brown eyes. Portman so pretty in there, stabbing away to Bilson’s face, sliding in sudden right hands, dipping down on follow through, then swing-pivoting hard to port, coming up on the other side of Rachel and turning her midring. Bilson can’t get her feet set--Nat constantly reversing field on the brunette, spanking face that darting jab and fine right hands flush. Rachel not much for head movement--dukes up and wide, head banged back at a constant clip--she frustrated, taking a good punch, but busting up early.

R3: Natalie’s corner tuning her like a formula one race car, rubbing her down, telling her to start going to Rachel’s body. Natalie preps Rache the jab, drives into the sternum straight right hands, then gets the jagged comeback left uppercut on the chin and BILSON GOES DOWN! Rache dropped to her backside, shook by the body shot and chin-checked sharply, she’s up and woozy for 8. Natalie cleans up the rest of the way--patient attack along the ropes, patting Bilson down the jab, targeting belly for slicing long right hands, back up top with hooks and left uppercuts. Rachel rung up, frazzled--eyes swelling, back against the ropes, hands up--she’s pretty stationary, shipping classy leather.

R4: Natalie back to working her jab, systematically pounding away on Rachel’s tender eyebrows. Like watching a chicken peck away at a rival hen--Portman steping ‘em in, pivoting sweetly, turning Rachel with a hand at the brunette’s back, pushing her behind her right elbow to aide the sidestep. Bilson still punching--mostly missing short as Nat steps out, or wrapping around Portman’s shoulders as Nat dips inside brunette wide blows.

R5: Nat stings Bilson another hand flush of her face, dipping down and in on follow through--boozy Rachel right sails to the body, giddy up lefts and rights to the ribs as Rachel grimly stands stooped over, dukes at her temples, soaking it up amidships. Final minute--Rachel sweeping and slapping away, missing, getting ring up--frustration bubbles over as Bilson pounds a right hand flat to Natalie’s trunks, finally bringing up the ex-champ to a halt. Ref breaks ‘em up, gives Portman time to recover--Bilson breathing hard at the ropes, puffy eyes glaring, mouth in a b###hy snarl--she drops her fifth straight round.

R6: Natalie POURS herself at Rachel, answering the late low blow with a lathering, withering non-stop attack. Portman able to score hard right crosses to the mouth off the jab, pounding up the middle o drive Bilson backward, Toe to toe, Natalie’s galloping to the midsection, shoveling on the shellack--Bilson numb as she ships a thumping to her taut waistline. Natalie licking at Rachel’s flanks, wearing the brunette out at the ropes, even clubbing and slashing at hips and lower back--it’s just a masterful display of sustained, controlled fury. Bell: Bilson a wreck, face busting up badly, shoulders slumped--Natalie straighe4ning up from her smoldering opponent, looking over the punishment.

R7: Rachel wins a minute! Natalie surprised by some stiff Bilson resistance early in the 7th--brunette letting Nat come to her, standing in the pocket, tightening up in her stroke and directing a rising, two-gun attack up into Portman’s ribcage, Natalie too fresh, too strong at this point beats down the attack with sheer volume--no respect at his point at this point beats down the attack with sheer volume--no respect at this point as Rachel is shabby with hurt. Portman getting cheek to cheek, punching, bumping her girl back--Bilson winds up shopworn at the ropes, covering up and taking that licking, stroking assault to her tummy and flanks at the bell.

R8: Crowd groaning as Natalie targets Rachel’s face for driving blows, pulling back from pushy Bilson punches, then nailing the counter right hand flush. Nat gets bit over and over in the first minute--timing Bilson to the millisecond and lighting her up--little brunette stamping hurt into fence post holes, staggering around the ring. Nattie P’s been teeing off on chin all night--can’t get Bilson to go--she spends the rest of the round picking spots to come in right, work the midriff with giddy-up, Bilson hanging in at the bell, trying to tie up as Natalie mops up.

R9: Rachel scores her first, flush, clubbing right to Natalie’s head, putting it in tight over Portman’s jab, jumps in close with a short hook and gets Portman on her heels. Natalie on the defensive, dipping side to side as Bilson steps and punches--Portman clearly surprised to see his much coming back at her from a badly beaten opponent. Crowd pleasing stuff--Natalie chased to the ropes and defending herself, twisting he shoulders, hands chest-high to parry Bilson’s furious criss-cross punching, Nat spinning away when she can re-direct her opponent’s blow and get Rachel stumbling forward.

R10: Bilson charging recklessly forward, pin wheeling punches, piling into Natalie, butting her, flailing at her. Portman using her legs, not wanting to mix it up and risk getting caught by something wild--she dances around a pre-emptive jab, content to poke, spin and sidestep as Rachel swings for the fences, safety first Natalie drawing some boos as she keeps her distance, but it’s the smart play--she’s got this thing all sewn up in the cards. Comes back UD10 wide.

After: Rachel’s eyes closed to slits--face all touched up, but she’s defiant: 10 feisty rounds, good heart and late punching all add up to a promising future. Portman sweaty, got good rounds tonight, dropped her girl, gave her a beating: “I was really working on the shutout,” grins the ex-champ sheepishly, “but Rachel wasn’t having it. I give her a lot of credit--she took punches that would have stopped a Mish Williams and forced me to box out the clock, I couldn’t believe she came back at me after the 8th--a lot of girls would just have quit on their stools at that point.”

Reposted by Archer 1/15/11