UNIFIED JUNIOR BANTAMWEIGHT (SUB 115 LBS) TITLE

Posted by Simguy on Saturday, 25-Sep-1999

Before: preflight dominated by Hayek’s discussion of Twain’s body and what she’s going to do it on fight night. Classic clash of styles, but most experts discount Twain’s skills and quicks against Salma’s power and tenacity. “Any way you look at it,” noted one scribe, “you’ll see Twain winding up on her back at some point in the fight. I just don’t see her getting off against Salma like she has some of these other girls.” Twain in fuschia spaghetti strap sports bra, matching high cut aerobics trunks, Salma in black push up, red high cut aerobics bottoms.

During R1: Twain out quickly, staccatoing around Salma, feeding the Mexican stinging left jabs for the first minute to get Hayek reaching, then mixing in the slicing right cross from the midway point, Twain’s first right opens a marvelous gash over Salma’s eye, and Shania goes after the cut with both hands. Twisting the jab upon impact, and rifling right hands right onto Salma’s eye, Twain has Hayek reeling, shutting the champ out, cutting her and hurting her badly to win the first by shutout.

R2: Panic in Hayek’s corner as 3 different voices tell her 3 different things to do, and Salma comes out looking battered, confused. Shania opens with stinging none-twos right up  the middle, banging back Salma’s face in the first minute. Hayek tries to come forward, but Shania effortlessly backpedals, tagging Salma’s face with swatting left hooks and clipping right uppercuts before stepping out at an angle. Hayek discouraged, stops coming forward, and Twain goes back to leading--scoring with the twisting left jab, biting right cross to cover Salma’s face in crimson. Hayek I shock, standing flat footed, hands at her chest as twain simply dismantles her with savage, slicing punches. At the bell, Salma goes back to her corner sobbing, and quits on her stool! Shania leaps for joy as the No Mas is announced! Shania Twain adds the Unified Junior Bantam title to her resume, and immediately enters the Top Ten Pound for Pound with this stunning victory.

After: it’s the worst punk out of Hayek’s career, but she absorbed hellacious blows from the very accurate Twain for 6 straight minutes as Shania broke Salma’s will in this one. Quitting will dog Hayek for the rest of her career, but the damage done was real and Twain certainly earned the stoppage as there is no evidence to suggest that Salma could have continued even is she had wanted to. Shania merges as the most dominant fighter under 115 pounds, her questionable chin and average power neatly glossed over by a string of gaudy victories.

Reposted by Archer 9/19/10.