Posted by simguy on 2/26/2005

Before: Constant bitter scrapping whenever hot-blooded Latinas are brought to within three feet of each other: scenes of Salma and Eva rolling on carpets, bouncing off tables, locked in writhing, clawing embraces make air on everything from Sportsdesk to Access Hollywood. Fight's pretty much selling itself. "I feel the sparks from her body," explains Salma, "and it sets me alight. I will not tolerate Eva in my presence. I will beat this...this Longoria like a dog." Eva having trouble observing strict HMK rules of conduct - she feels the magnetic pull of Salma just as strongly. "People have to understand - you put two Latina fighters on a stage and make them pose together - you're going to get trouble. We aren't like other kinds of fighters - our blood, our genes, even our culture forces us to compete on a level non-Latinas can't understand. I just can't wait till we take this into the ring and settle matters properly. People expect me to play matador to Salma's bull - but they're going to be surprised: Jennifer Love Hewitt exposed Hayek as a gutless bully who can't stand her ground anymore. I'm not just going to carve Salma up: I'm going to punish her - you wait and see." Eva in lavender lace push and panties, Salma in black bikini from After The Sunset.

During R1: Hayek landing some thudding body shots - scooting in close behind a spitting jab, beating Eva's flanks with thumping right/lefts. Longoria smooth, disengaging and stepping to either side, always negotiating distance, gradually spreading Hayek out with the jab. Eva taking the play away with elegant slip-and-counter - dipping low under Hayek powershots, bobbing back up to haul triumphant left or right uppercuts square to Hayek's tits. Series of biting connects proves too much - Hayek finally backs away, grimacing in discomfort, eyes blazing hot - Longoria goes over to offense. Eva extending on punches, hitting Hayek a fine right hand ear/jaw, back into the body thick, rising left hands off the front foot to decisively take the round.

R2: Eva doing yeoman's work with her feet - easing in close, getting low to crowd Salma unexpectedly, blunting Hayek's clobbering punches, then sliding well outside, circling, touching Hayek the jab. Salma off the pace - wants to be on Eva's chest and hooking her liver, but can't get position. Midway through, Eva gets it two times: that long rooftop right hand, JARRING left uppercut off the front foot, picking up Salma's chin twice in quick succession. Hayek put wobbly butt, covering up dukes at eyebrows - Eva licks Salma RAW hooks along the ribs and waist, weight on the left hip, right hand tight to cheek. Eva boxes out the remaining minute, keeping Hayek on the end of the jab, going to work on that tender left eye.

R3: Eva gliding right, scowling with concentration - she takes it to Salma bell to bell this round. Jabs sprucing Hayek up, keeping her weight on her back foot, guard up - Eva's able to dictate agenda. Longoria lunging in right hands over the top, shifting weight to front foot and getting ripping leverage on that left uppercut: Hayek just gobbling the punch between her mitts, freezing as shock is transmitted from her chin, down her torso, through trembling thighs and into her knees. Eva not neglecting that sturdy Hayek midsection - raking paunch with hooks while sliding to the right, always presenting Salma with a bit of an angle. Masterful shutout: brazen Eva with a tight little grin of satisfaction makes gloating eye contact with bruised Salma as they pass en route to corners.

R4: Eva keeps operating on Salma, establishing distance, easing in and out, punching hard at times, boxing smart at others. Punching in the vertical plane seems to be giving Salma trouble: she can block Eva's overhand right, but that left uppercut's landing WAY too much. Eva's jab hasn't missed Salma's left eye all night - that baby's starting to close. Longoria with a saucy step right, pulling that come-along hook across Salma's breasts - Hayek jugmeat throbbing as she grinds her teeth in impotent rage. Final minute, Eva in with a pretty one-two forces Salma to bend forward in defensive crouch - Longoria helping herself to flank with a limber-limbed hook, just a-tucking it in behind Hayek's elbow and EVA GOES DOWN! Salma up out of the crouch cobra-quick, turning into Eva's little chin with a hook from Mexico City - Longoria sprawls onto her back in wonder - Hayek fists at hips, glaring down, shouts a Spanish challenge not recommended for translation.

R5: Hayek's turned the tables: Eva's groggy. Salma getting her own jab on track - stubbing it out on Longoria's beautiful face, knocking Eva's head back, ruining her balance. Hayek attacking along the ropes, shadowing Eva's slide-left, pinging away straight rights and lefts, then stepping in close to gancha-hook the pelvis. Hayek doing damage - hooking Eva's body with gusto - Longoria groaning, tilting forward behind her gloves and toughing it out: Latina would rather take a body punch than clinch - something her corner won't stand for during the break.

R6: HOTLY contested round - some of the best two way fighting of the year. Longoria teeth bared - attacking in long sweeps, overhand rights and rising lefts. Hayek fading Eva's right and trying beat her to lefts underneath - girls swapping the upperhand as one or the other wins a race, baits a trap, capitalizes on a mistake. Fight ranges round the ring, but girls in constant thrust-and-parry contact with each other: nobody's running. Eva won't be bullied - she's showing Salma smart lateral movement and angles, but she's answering every single Hayek punch and down the stretch, Salma's showing gunshy. Hayek falling off the pace late, discouraged by the constant slamming impact of Eva's graceful left uppie on the chin. Bell: crowd roaring to it's feet with a standing O, lavishing both warriors with heartfelt appreciation for their efforts. Glares, heaving chests all around - Longoria with a hungry, confident look in her eye, knows she edged Hayek tough in the sixth.

R7: LONGORIA DISCOURAGES SALMA TO THE BODY! Unmistakable signs of give in Hayek as she folds forward, dukes at temples, unable to answer Longoria's thick, flat left hands to belly. Eva stepping left, knuckling Salma into position, jabbing at her, extending on punches and putting elegant lefts and rights together in sinewy combination. Hayek sullen, crossing her arms, turning on her heels: she's a frustrated, shopworn beauty. Eva circling, patiently breaking Salma from outside for two minutes, steps up her attack down the stretch. Gorgeous move: right hand barely blocked by Salma - Longoria with a quick 45 degree pivot right, weight on the front foot arches her back and picks up Salma's chin the hardest left uppercut of the fight. Hayek lifted onto her toes and nearly dropped to her knees - she's wobbly butt, stunned, tilting forward behind her gloves as Eva TEARS away hooks. Longoria not sparing the lash, right hand at her cheek as she slashes hooks ear, jaw and flank on Hayek, beating Salma in a weary little semi-circle at the bell.

R8: Collision midring - both girls throwing hard punches - Hayek comes off best as she buries a shivering left up into Longoria's ribs. Salma immediately jabbing face her stubby jab, edging in close and hooking the liver - she's got Longoria staggering backward. Ferocious stepping barrage as Hayek pounds her way forward, driving Eva shabby to ropes and squaring away for the first time all night. Longoria's turn to suffer: butt-in-ropes, leaning forward dukes at temples, she's a crippled beauty, there for Salma's pleasure. Hayek RIPPING hooks to ribs, DIGGING hooks to pelvis, bumping Eva back with shoulders and clocking her right hands on the cheek. Up and down, up and down - Hayek just smashing away tidy, bringing her fists back quick, leaning forward to keep her forehead on Eva's guard or forehead. Savage, savage body work being done: ringsiders can hear Eva's whimpering gasps and all can see her slender chassis shudder, lithe legs tremble as Hayek tortures her. Bell: Hayek wide-eyed with fury and disbelief - she clearly expected Longoria to fall under that sustained Mexican bombardment.

R9: Eva's legs shot at last: too much Salma to the body - Longoria quickly herded to the ropes where Hayek goes to work. Salma leaning in with forehead, dukes at chest and she's just snapping at Eva - constant hooks in the waist, jerking left uppies to jugs and chin, book-end left/rights clouting Longoria about the ears. Eva grim, dug in, and answering back in spots - lithe beauty getting banged up but not giving in one bit - she's licking little left uppercuts to chin, dipping and ripping left hooks to waist underneath Hayek right hands. Salma drenched in the sweat of her own labours at the bell, breathing hard, looking Eva over: Longoria holding that challenging gaze, still has plenty of fight left despite 2 strong rounds of Salma.

R10: Glorious two way fighting - both beauties reaching deep into respective tanks to slug like 18 year olds in the tenth. Eva with sharp pivots - wants to be punching Salma but doesn't want to be right in front - she's always falling off to one side or the other. Hayek responding with stubby jabs and straight right hands to help her cut off the ring, then setting down on heartless hooks to Eva's svelte midsection. So competitive and close...but Eva the more vibrant, dynamic vixen. She's catching Salma with those gaudy, crowd-pleasing left uppercuts on the chin - Hayek taking them - but it's such a visible, showy punch. Eva also going to the proudest rack in all of Mexico, harvesting Salma's bulging jugs with a clawing hook from outside Hayek's left shoulder - Longoria determined to bring to tears to Salma's eyes if she can't stop her outright. Fight finishes in a murderous blur of punching from both women - crowd screaming to it's feet as ref has to intercede to enforce the bell. Comes back UD10 comfy...Eva Longoria!

After: Biggest win of Longoria's career catapults her to the forefront of serious flyweight fighters - she breaks down into jubilant sobs as corner and teammates surround her in celebration. Hollow, bleak look in Salma's eyes, left eye swelling shut, body and breasts well-used by another Latina tonight - we've seen the same expression on Kelly Packard's face after her first loss to an up-and-coming Claire Danes; on Dani's face when Allison Mack's fists pounded away to victory; on Cameron Diaz' face when Charlize Theron first made her presence felt. Hayek with the bigger shots tonight, but giving away too many minutes - nimble, sinuous Longoria able to fight her fight consistently, and when she couldn't, she held her ground bravely to deny Hayek. "I turned back Salma Hayek," a shiny-eyed Longoria says in postfight, still half-disbelieving. "I proved myself to her body, I hurt her, I backed her up, I boxed her - I did everything you need to do to get Salma's respect. I would have been proud to fight Salma hard for ten rounds, but to beat her - I can't tell you what that means to me."