RETRO BOUT CA 1973

Posted by Simguy on Saturday, 22-May-1999 18:13:54

This fight took place as part of the wrap party for “The Man With The Golden Gun”, and was fought on the set as was traditional. “Gun” had a strong Hammer supporting cast contingent, and Munro was a natural invite., flying in to take the date with the feather-fisted Ekland almost as a matter of routine. Munro was widely considered to be the best small woman on the planet, having recorded a stunning KO over Raquel Welch, and earning a reputation as a tough, no-win situation type of fighter where the big stars are concerned. It was simply to be Munro carrying Ekland for a few rounds for the cast, crew and guests, but people had forgotten that Ekland could box, and had at one time been projected to be one of the best celebrity fighters ever. Ekland wore the bikini from the movie, while Munro sported her black two piece, and long, wild black hair—both girls with small workout gloves.

R1: Munro came out predictably strong, taking the fight right to Britt, but Ekland had some tricks up her sleeve. Rather than running as was typical, Britt reached with her jab and pulled Munro into her, holding the brunette in the crook of her left arm, and squeezing her tight, cheek to cheek. With no referee, and no supervision, there was no one to interfere with this nonsense, and Munro was clearly frustrated as she flailed at Britt’s tummy from the impossible closeness. Ekland pulled Munro forward, turning her, and smacked the brunette repeatedly with slapping or uppercutting right hands, always reassuming her grip before Munro could wriggle free. For almost the entire round, Britt led Caroline around the ring, molesting her with cheap shot, and refusing to let go the illegal hold. It was a perfect frustration ply, and Munro’s eyes flashed angrily when she stomped back to her corner for the break.

R2: As Caroline came out for the second, she kept her distance, playing right into Ekland’s hands. Free to box, Ekland angled her sleek body around Caroline, chipping and slapping at the brunette from outside, extending her left and holding it in front of Caroline’s eyes, then smacking her with the right, then skipping away before Caroline could respond. Munro became wild in pursuit, and as she flailed on the run, after Britt, Ekland stopped, changed direction and rammed home a devastating right to the chin that caught Munro barreling in. The follow up left hook spun Caroline to the left, and she toppled to her hands and knees, briefly stunned by the quick hit and run artist/ It wasn’t over for Munro. She rose and stumbled forward, but Britt showcased her clever hands, chopping at Caroline’s face as she effortlessly backpedalled, stinging Munro with the occasional lead right hand slipping to either side to avoid trouble. At the bell, Caroline was slightly punchy, and she staggered to her corner as Britt gleamed.

R3: It finally occurred to Britt that she was doing well, and she immediately went back to her old routine. Bending at the waist, she artfully swayed her torso in and out, up and down in front of Caroline, making the brunette miss badly. But Ekland refused to punch. Dancing and slipping, Britt let Caroline win the round on aggression, as no one could give Ekland the benefit of the doubt when she ran.

R4: By the fourth, Munro has recovered from Ekland’s crisp combinations in the second, and she confidently cut off the ring to swing away at the nubile blonde’s torso. Heavy blows to the ribs slowed Britt badly, and by the middle of the round, she lay on the ropers, desperately countering with rising uppercuts from both hands, catching crushing hooks in return. Munro was the bully, using her shoulder to set up her clubbing blows, and she neatly shoved and slugged Britt in the final minute, catching the blonde clean on the chin. Ekland’s tan legs dipped, but she clinched to escape the round as Munro taunted her cheek to cheek.

R5: Caroline continued to walk Britt down, and Ekland continued to act defensively, Munro was in the driver’s seat patiently cutting off the ring, swinging hard at Britt’s flanks, then looking for the chance to tee off on that brittle chin.

R6: Britt got back on her toes this round, and immediately made the fight easy as she circled left and right in front of Caroline, Slashing three punch combinations punctuated sweet footwork as time and again Britt was able to hit and run, setting up from a different angle to do it all over again. Munro, normally a very tough target was catching clean, jarring blows on her face and seemed discouraged when Britt had her hurt again in this round.

R7: Back and forth action as Caroline regained the momentum, shoving Britt to the ropes, and holding the blonde’s hip with her left, clubbed mean spirited right hands at Ekland’s chest and chin. Britt took these blows like a trooper, despite not being able to mo9unt much in return.

R6,9,10: With the fight very close on the cards. Britt Ekland dug down and showed why at one time, she had seemed destined for greatness. On her toes, her lithe body seemingly tireless, Britt circled and boxed Caroline mercilessly. Munro could only plow forward into a slashing rain of punches, often covering her face in bewilderment as Ekland got onto her toes and let her hands go. By the ninth, Britt was toying with the feared brunette, cupping her hands on Caroline’s jaw and patting her face left and right, moving back and getting wider until she was smacking Munro with sharp hooks. The gamesmanship was endless—Britt would step on Caroline’s feet, tie her up, turn southpaw, hold and hit—on and on, it was a heartbreaking lesson in humility for Caroline as Britt was subjected her to a long, humiliating finish. As the bell sounded to end the 120^th and final round, Britt smirked, her broad, tan face completely unmarked as Caroline pulled back with a blasted expression. Britt put an arm around Caroline’s waist and walked her around the ring, brazenly displaying the beaten woman like a trophy. In a daze, Munro numbly accepted this treatment, but would be livid in the moments after the fight, when she finally regained her senses.

In the up and down career of Britt Ekland, her masterful handling of the dangerous slugger Munro was surely one of the highlights. If only she had had the confidence and chin to go with her boxing talents—one can only speculate how far Ekland could have gone.

Reposted by Archer 4/27/10