Posted by Simguy on 6/17/2002, 7:53 pm.

Before: huge fight not just for rival houses, but for boxing in general with both girls hoping for a Kelly Hu dance in the near future. Spears and Alba both desperate to chip away at Fortress Dushku, but Jessica perhaps more personally motivated—doe-eyed brunette blaming the media for floating Eliza’s boat at Alba’ expense: “To me, she’s the most overrated fighter in the FCBA. Way overrated. I welcomed her into the sport with a knockout and the press shrugged it off as a fluke. I match up very well with Eliza—I’m not in this fight to survive. I’m going to dress this girl up. Kelly Hu beating Eliza was a fluke—the steady beating I’m going to dish will leave no doubt about who’s the—“It” at bantam.” Eliza in red leather bikini, low ponytail, Jessica in electric blue bikini, hair wet.

During R1: Beautiful rangy movement and jabbing from Jessica early—Dushku stalking, slipping the stick patiently, cutting the ring down and midway through—textbook slip to the right, slashing counter right hand over Alba’s jab drops Jessica to all fours. Jessica up—eyes tearful, legs gone—all Eliza D as she mauls a shaken Alba with hungry punches. Sadist’s work up against the ropes—Dushku knuckling Alba’s shoulders back, keeping the blows short, abrupt, working both sides of the jaw, chopping a right hand down from the shoulder in between the breasts, then digging in behind the right elbow with hooks. Jessica covering up, lolling helplessly against the ropes, occasionally leaning back hurt to lick harmless uppercut counters with no effect. Dushku doesn’t disguise her contempt at the bell as she leaves Alba trembling.

R2: Jessica showing terrific resilience—she’s back outside, moving well, long and limber with her jab as Eliza continues her patient stalking, Dushku a little to selective, not pressing the pace—Alba gets her legs back, regains composure, gets her game together as she circles her opponent.

R3: More of it—Alba circling the perimeter—very leggy—she’s lifting jabs into Dushku, trying to swat the wide sidearm right to the ear, and occasionally step in to lick at Eliza’s tummy the hook. Dushku patient, parrying the stick, rolling under most everything else and down the stretch--she times the Alba right cross, slips in under it, pops out of the crouch with a blistering counter hook and Jessica stomps away on seasick legs in trouble! Dushku moving quickly to offence once she has Alba swooning—savage rushing attack drives Alba to the ropes under a slashing hail of biting lefts and rights—Dushku working out of her crouch, getting her legs and torso in behind short, hacking that have Jessica swaying at the bell. Dushku steals an Alba round—working extremely well off the counter.

R4: Alba’s corner tells her “Baby, you CANNOT finesse this girl all night. You gotta fight her in spots. Get your respect baby” Alba standing, planting more, leaning on Eliza and the two get down to it toe to toe/ Dushku  eating it up on the inside—short, chopping side t side hacks against the breasts and ribs, plenty of shoulderbutting and elbow banging for space. But Alba’s not giving ground—she’s getting outworked as she leans forward, then she’ll crank up her longer punches, licking up into Dushku’s body with thumping uppercut action. Both girls humming at he bell after an all action 4^th has the crowd roaring.

R5: Shutout Jessica Alba. First minute—she’s the rangy, stop and go lanky body—jabbing, swatting that wide right hand, using the ring. Then she’s cheek to cheek, leaning forward all covered up inside, waiting for Eliza to get off wide, then answering with a chugging, licking uppercut against the taut body. Dushku getting blocked for the most part—Alba very systematic—left uppercut, huddle up, right uppercut, lean in—punishing body blows put a drained look on Eliza’s face as she gives ground for the first time in the fight.

R6: Shutout Jessica Alba. Jab starting to do more than irritate Dushku as she is spanked back time an again in a tactical first minute. Alba picking her spots—she’ll range right, then step in, push up hard and start to work with those lanky, cranking lefts and rights against Dushku’s ribcage and belly. Eliza shutting down, just covering up as Jessica works methodically—Alba starts to back out to let Dushku fall forward, now bouncing the uppercut off Dushku’s face, swatting the wide, whippy left hook to the jaw. Jessica nice and supple on the inside, beating Dushku into compliance, giving ground in good order and tagging Eliza’s body and head with slinging power shots this round.

R7: Dushku showing signs of respect—she’s pivoting around her jab, trying to work off Alba’s right shoulder, straightening out her combinations to work between Jessica’s mitts. Midway through, Alba getting toe to toe again and hoisting away right and left to the chest—Dushku responds in anger and two-way punching gets suddenly murderous as the girls dig in and pitch! Alba with a nice press up, step out, times a slinging left across the mouth as Dushku opens up to punch and DUSHKU IS STAGGERED! Eliza stumbling forward—Jessica sidesteps, wallops a wide right hand to the ear and back of the head to drive her girl face forward to her knees at the ropes, Dushku dazed, takes her 8 and it’s WAR at the ropes. Jessica Alba piling on to finish—Eliza D digging in, staying compact and just chopping back—both girls getting their heads lifted up,. Getting their bodies lashed as vicious back and forth spills past the bell.

R8: Hammer and tongs trading—Dushku still a little woozy. Fighting off Alba’s chest and trying to outwork the lankier limbed beauty, but Jessica doing a terrific job of holding her ground. Both girls rattled on occasion—Dushku able to slice in a sneaky right chop from her shoulder to Jessica’s cheek, then digs lefts underneath, has Alba rooted in agony on the spot. Jessica with her long, thumping uppercuts stamping away to the breadbasket, shuts Dushku down for moments at a time, and she’s often able to push Eliza back a step. All even to the final minute—Alba starts to step back, walk Dushku into devastating solo shot uppercuts on the chin. Left, step, Right, push—Dushku staggering forward, head snapping up every few seconds—she finally clinches open mouthed at the bell as Alba positively vibrates with confidence. “I’m hurting her!” Jessica tells her corner as Eliza gets Endswell pressed hard against her eyes in hers.

R9: Dushku doubling up the jab, drops in a bashing right against the sternum, pivots right, puts the jab on Alba as Eliza ups the class quotient early. Jessica trying to get back on top where she’s been unexpectedly successful, but Dushku’s not cooperating and midway through, it falls apart. Alba pressing, stalking, eats a shattering one-two off her face and is dropped to her back with sickening finality—long-limbed flopping and twitching somehow gets her back to her feet. Follow up bombardment along the ropes vintage Dushku—she’s stepping with her wilting foe, measuring her with lead rights, cranking in the hook, slipping and bobbing side to side to evade weak counters, then back in with heartless chopping heat. End of the second minute—Dushku with her arms slightly crossed—she’s just dipping and ripping the hook upside Alba’s stunned head—brunette finally toppling to her side at the ropes, once again, Jessica guts it up off the canvas, but she’s a shambles. Dushku jabbing in close, then letting her hands go—putting together a withering barrage of rights and lefts as Alba droops forward in swoon. Jessica simply melting to her hands and knees, blood seeping from nostrils—eyes glassy—incredibly she beats the count and makes it to the bell as Dushku circles away like a thwarted shark.

R10: Eliza moves in to finish the job, Alba laying back against the ropes, hands up high—she’s shaken repeatedly as Dushku goes at her sides with ripping left/rights. Shove and slug from Dushku, but Jessica won’t punk—she’s protecting herself, starting to answer back, getting her weight forward where she can trade effectively off the ropes. Midway through, Jessica pulls ion that slinging hook across the mouth, steps Eliza back with a supple shoulder in the breasts, then CLANGS home a looping right upside the head that has Dushku wobbly butt. Eliza staggering, turning her shoulders as she backs away to slip the incoming—Alba driving her foe to the ropes without making flush contact, Both girls ramshackle down the stretch, swinging away, muscling each other’s back to the ropes—crowd roaring as the two finish up stupid with hurt at the bell, Duke comes back a DRAW!

After: Dushku pale, eyes swollen to slits, shows no reaction to the decision—Alba sobbing happily, face equally punished—she hugs her trainers, Britney, in evident glee with the announcement. Vicious, vicious fight brings out the best in both women—the precision execution and power of Eliza, not to mention an 11^th hour comeback to save the fight—unguessed  heart and determination from Alba who had been vocally criticized by Dani Fishel for lacking those traits. Alba’s boxing neutralized by Dushku’s efficient counters—Jessica turning to Plan b and fighting her girl toe to toe, surviving a disastrous 10-7 9^th to stagger Dushku yet again in the 10^th, Any other year than Famke Janssen/Peta Wilson I this might have been “Fight of the Year”.

Reposted by Archer 8/9/09