Posted by simguy on 10/18/2008

Before: Tricia's been a bit of a JKO nemesis - once handing Ali Landry a terrible body-beating loss, and defeating Kelly Brook in a prior engagement: "It's true, we do owe Tricia," Kelly admits in prefight. "You could say we are definitely in arrears where punishment-in-kind is concerned. I like where I'm at for this fight: I've secured my standing in my own gym, and I'm ready to move higher. Tricia's slipping a bit this year: she's built slender, and everyone's been really diligent about attacking her body - I think it's adding up on her. You saw it against Theron - Tricia was very hittable in that fight, and she didn't have the reserves to weather the hits when they came. Now's a brilliant time to be coming at Helfer, and HMK: perhaps we can start putting the losses on THEIR side of the ledger!" Helfer confident on her side of the dais, quick to answer any charge that she's wearing down after a long year. "If you look back on my fights this year, you'll see that I gave more than I received when it came to body work. I don't think I'm any more run down than any other fighter, so if Kelly is hoping for a Helfer let-down, she's going to be disappointed. I do like that she's coming in confident: I never like to see a girl downcast at weigh-in, knowing that she's probably headed for a loss. Better to surprise 'em, don't you think?" Tricia in metallic baby blue bikini, white gloves. Brook in scarlet bandeau bikini with asymmetrical skirting; black gloves.

During R1: Tricia supple - showing face-in-gloves in close, twisting and bending on her hips, then looking to lash back sneaky licks. Kelly more conventional - dukes up, jabbing at Helfer's front, then punishing her flanks big, brawny right/lefts. Kelly robust here - gloves bouncing loud off Tricia's taut chassis: Helfer dippin'-n'-lickin' right uppercuts to the midsection in saucy body action early. Second minute - Kelly getting outhit, but coming forward - she's pressurizing Tricia, constantly cutting off the ring, bringing the fight. Down the stretch, Kelly's hard work pays off: she's ringing Tricia up rights and lefts on either hip, then steps in with a stuffing left uppercut to jug/right cross combo, neatly checking Helfer's elusive chin. Spasm in Tricia's legs - she staggers out of it, reeling to her right - hitting ropes in a fog as Kelly pours in. Brook goes back to beach roots - piling into Tricia with a shocking body-block; digging at her midsection a pumping brace of lefts and rights; bodying on to stack; going chin with stroking rights and lefts. BELL: Tricia stariing, getting face-shellacked - she's out on her feet, long legs holding her up as ref pulls seething Brook off.

R2: Brook back into Tricia's body with a long, reaching jab: Helfer takes flight. Trish up on her toes: she doesn't often box with this dancing style outside, but she's evidently capable, exposing Brook's much more rudimentary footwork. Kelly in grim pursuit, looking to end Trish with one punch: Helfer sidestepping gracefully, guiding Kelly past with a helpful hand at her back, or pushing behind either Brook elbow. Wonderful, lithe blonde matadora stuff - Kelly constantly turned and bamboozled - and she's hardly landing anything of consequence. Offensively - Tricia not doing much more - the odd jab or cute lead right hand off the front foot - just poke-and-go from Helfer as she regroups, gets her legs back.

R3: Kelly ranging in with that heavy jab - pounding blows to chest back Helfer up, in her ropeside early. Tricia assumes supple pocket defence - elbows in, gloves at her face, torso rolling/tilting/twisting as Kelly squares away. Brook lays down an initial bombardment to ribs - bouncing heavy, shivering rights and lefts off the flanks - then she's shouldering Tricia upright, bullying her. Kelly reaches in under Tricia's arms, pulling the guard apart, bodying her to ropes: Brook very rough, getting a sweaty glove on Tricia's face for a rude face-washing before ref's break. Brook immediately back on after having been pushed back: long, spearing right hand pounds off Tricia's midsection as blonde's forming up willowy again. More pounding of the flanks, then heartfelt right uppercuts scraping away at the forearms of Tricia's tight blocking scheme. Helfer chops a cute right hand off the ropes, ducking in and down with it: Brook back with a sidearm right, missing over top. Both girls try for hooks, both land partial chin-checks. Kelly quick to recover - palming Tricia's biceps to push her into ropes, then digging a pair of close-in left hands snug to tummy: Helfer gurgling, face pinched - she reaches to clinch, gets brushed back a sliding right uppercut from Brook. Another hook - wider, brawnier, toggles Tricia's chin: she's staring in response, startled when the big Brook right hand crashes home. Crashing blast - Kelly leaning in driving through chin, swiveling that platinum-tressed skull and ending Helfer's night in a heartbeat. Trish slumps forward onto Kelly, then slides down to pool on canvas: KO3 in thunderclap fashion - Kelly Brook.

After: Kelly rough with Trish, but also skilled and determined - she finds a way to deploy that deadly right hand against a girl who rarely takes a chin-shot flush. "I do feel Tricia's becoming more available," Kelly preens in postfight, glowing from a high-quality win. "I punished her body, and she slowed right away: those ribs of hers are bruised and tired from previous fights, and you can go there and wear her down. She likes to take you to the ropes and drown you, but I was too rough for that. I wouldn't let her cast any spells, you know? I was pushing on her, bodying up, muscling her - anything I could do to break her rhythm. So Tricia's put down - fiercely - and I daresay that was a championship class victory for me. I look towards the winner of Durance/Theron next: I honestly feel as though I've fought my way into contention again, and I'm the next logical choice at this point."