(RETRO BOUT 1966)

Posted by Simguy on Saturday, 22-May-1999 10:30:27

1966 is best remembered by celebrity boxing aficionados for the series of raucous brawls up and down the east coast between Ann Margaret and upstart Raquel Welch for Stateside supremacy. In between these high profile collisions however, Welch had found time for an intimate encounter with song and dance woman Barbara Eden in the Presidential Suite of the New York Hilton. Welch’s backers thought an easy fight would be a nice change of pace for their girl, and Eden was dismissed as a pure opponent. After this fight, Barbara Eden would never be taken so lightly again. Welch in black push up bra and panties, big hair—Eden in pink full coverage bikini/

R1: Eden sailed into Raquel from the opening prompt, getting onto Welch’s chest, digging into Welch’s neck with her head and churning her little arms into the glamour girl’s body. Welch’s face showed her discomfort and shock as she held her gloves high, tried to lean on Barbara, bringing her elbows in to protect her beleaguered torso. From start to finish, Eden molested Welch with nonstop bombardment, often not even looking where she was punching, hitting hips, thighs, groin, and even the occasional legal body shot. Eden shoved Welch hard against the dark paneled walls of the room, tackled onto the bed numerous occasions and on one occasion engaged Welch in slugging while the two were on their knees. At the bell, Welch appeared stunned as Eden stomped back to her side of the room, spiting and wiping her mouth with the back of her small glove: Barbara had inadvertently gotten strands of Raquel’s heavily coiffured hair in her mouth during the infighting.

R2: From now in, Raquel knew she was at war, and buckled down to fight it. Welch tried to use her legs, lifting a long jab off her hip to catch Eden coming in, but there was no stick and moving around the buzzsaw blonde for long. On the inside, Barbara would rotate her shoulders to bang Raquel, while Welch would stand straight, keeping her elbows in, and occasionally jerk a short hook or uppercut into the blonde. Very close action from start to finish as Eden continued to fight like a hungry dog for the last bone.

R3: Eden once again had the clear advantage this round, pushing Raquel off balance, and punishing her along the walls. Welch would become a master of fighting off the ropes, but at this stage of her career, did not know what to do under this sort of pressure, and her hips and waist were absorbing tremendous punishment from this tireless blonde.

R4: A turning point of sorts occurred this round as Eden finally worked her way passed the Welch jab, working to the body, but suddenly straightened and caught Raquel a stern left hook on the chin. Welch staggered back a step, and the punch to her face seemed to change Raqi. Wading forward with new determination, Welch went toe to toe with Barbara, answering Eden’s wildness with a meanspirited elbow or thumb whenever the opportunity arose. For the first time in the bout, Eden took backward steops as Welch began to assert herself.

R5-8: Barbara would remain competitive, but Raquel was beginning to win rounds, and she dominated this stretch with accurate punching from outside. Doubling the jab, and stepping to the left, Raquel began to blunt Barbara’s rushes, as Eden spent more and more time covering up in no man’s land, trying to slip the stick. Welch began to find the range, and worked her potshotting right hand in on Barbara’s face, timing the bobbing blonde very well, and catching Eden more often than not. Eden would make her rushes, and continued to score, but she was being shrugged off now, and steered as Raquel’s confidence grew. The slight lump under Welch’s right eye was motivating her to break Eden down, and round after round, Barbara became slightly more sluggish. Less effective as the fight ground on.

R9: Barbara came out flat footed, her face lumpy and tired looking, and Raquel promised her that she would not finish the round. Welch’s you g legs sprang to life as she danced around Eden, snapping and poking the jab into Barbara’s face, then stepping in and snapping off a short right hand into the blonde’s face with increasing frequency. Eden pivoted, trying to bob, trying to block, but Welch was embarrassing her now, hurting her  with almost every punch. A pounding straight  right to the center of the forehead dazed Barbara, and Raquel’s slender left whipped through the air, doubling the hook to make Eden stumble sideways, Raquel sensed the end game, and came on in a rush, pushing lefts and rights into Eden as the blonde backpedalled, then fell to her back, legs rolling high before settling back onto the carpet. Welch stood over Eden, daring her to rise, but Barbara’s eyes were unresponsive. Welch sneered in victory, but behind the haughty disdain lurked a great deal of relief at the stoppage.

Welch gave a great performance to turn back Eden on this night, but the bigger story is how Barbara had brought greatness out of the legend. Expecting to sleep walok through the affair, Raquel had to dig down and fight this terrific little blonde, and in the end, this tough fight against an awkward opponent did more for the young Raquel than all the mismatches put together.

Reposted by Archer 2/25/10.