UNIFIED MIDDLEWEIGHT TITLE

Posted by Simguy 7-26-03

Thanks to Ginny for this repost

Before: 2 years ago, Romijn enters this fight a prohibitive favorite - Heigl's closed the gap since becoming champion. "Gold around the waist firms a girl up," grins Janet Jones in pre-fight. "Katherine's a better fighter, a better woman since winning the middleweight title. It's always been a question of confidence with her - she's always had power to the body and head, but you have to have the confidence to get in position and use it - when you're questioning yourself, you're too tentative to really be a puncher. Heigl can hurt anyone in the sport now, because she's committed to getting off at the right times and spots." Becky carrying 140 well, but welter still her best weight - remains to be seen if she'll carry her athleticism into the fight. Becky in silver string bikini, Katherine in black crop top, baby doll sleeves (tight), black high waist aerobics bottoms, blonde ponytail.

Rd 1: Becky rangy, classy early, keeping Heigl on the end of the stick. Midway through, slashing right hand meets Katherine barging forward - Heigl stunned, torso out over her feet - Becky loops in another walloping right behind the ear to drub her girl to all fours. Heigl takes 8, sits in the ropes - takes a long-limbed lathering down the stretch as Becky strokes her wide lefts and rights against the flanks.

Rd 2: Heigl shakes it off, comes forward - still trying to negotiate range. Becky staying outside, steering champ the stick - Kath doing a nice job of slipping under the whistle-crack right hand of Romijn - Heigl able to come up underneath, wrap up around lanky blonde torso and walk Becky to ropes, bogging down the action.

Rd 3: Becky on wide pins, jabbing and leaning into the booming right cross - Heigl reading it, getting low and driving a straight right to the heart in a series of early exchanges. Midway through, Katherine comes off the body shot with a crisp hook and ROMJIN'S HURT! Long legs suddenly gangly and weak as Becky topples backwards - hits ropes in disarray, covers up. Katherine hopping in, feet in good order, jabbing to the guard and lavishing Becky a crunching right in the ribs to buckle challenger forward. Romijn glomming on hurt, clinching for dear life - she's able to get a couple of ref's breaks, get back to mid ring and leg out the round as Heigl stomps after her.

Rd 4: Heigl has Becky flat footed, weaving the challenger's long jab, coming back out of the crouch with hooks to the ribcage. Katherine getting her range, keeping her head snug under Becky's chin, palming at challenger's hips and biceps to open her up to systematic body abuse. Becky's butt in the ropes, hands around Katherine's ears for the most part - Romijn getting outworked for points.

Rd 5: More Heigl, grinding it out on a shopworn Rebecca. Romijn gritting her teeth, tired, sweaty, hanging onto Katherine - she's just not active enough with Kath fighting off her chest. Heigl weaving her way inside, staying busy, keeping her hands free - she's methodically wearing out the Romijn ribcage and legs, working the waist with a snapping delivery, bouncing the leather off meat.

Rd 6: Becky jabbing a bit better, stepping around - finally giving Katherine some angles to think about and the champ can't close. Heigl reaching, jumping in and midway through - Becky fades, walk Kat into a heartbreaking right uppercut. Heigl's mouthpiece shoots into the air, knees give a deep bend, then straighten locked - she's wrecked, hands at her temples, stooped forward and Romijn unleashes. Becky lick-licks a long right/left across the belly, sending a shudder through Kat, then gets the whip hook in behind the ear. Heigl crumbling backwards, Romijn stalking forward, bending to pull limber wallop into Heigl, driving her ropeside. Katherine dug in stupid, out on her feet, hands at her temples - beating flows forth from a hungry, hungry Rebecca. Stroking body shots getting cringe downstairs, vicious uppercuts picking Kat up drowsy, walloping overhand rights behind the head drooping her forward. Somehow, Heigl doesn't go down, but she's defenseless and shipping horrific punishment as the ref tackles Becky away at the bell. Comes back 10-8 Romijn - Heigl pleading semi-coherently with officials not to stop it as she is interviewed in her corner.

Rd 7: HEIGL WINS THE ROUND! Katherine all busted up, warned by the ref and ringside physician that if she doesn't show something they'll have to act and Heigl roars out to put Becky's butt in her own corner bell to bell. Romijn in shock, batting down on Kat with palms, trying to spin out - champ just butting her head into tall-girl jugs, driving into the hips and belly, looping head shots out of the crouch - just a swarming, desperate attempt to get back into this thing. Kat showing her lower body strength, repeatedly getting in under Becky and packing her tight to the corner - Romijn can't squirm free as she takes a bludgeoning. Heigl pulled back seething by the ref.

R8: Romijn aggressively taking mid-ring, jabbing, sliding back - Heigl trying to jump back into chest and she's caught gambling once again. Becky with a beautiful fade, counter right hand down over Heigl's left - slicing shot takes Heigl's legs and turns them into jello. Katherine reeling to a neutral corner - Becky taking a deep breath, striding in - she guts Kat a sweeping right to the body, then sets up lanky to finish. Limber lather body and head - Becky just scything away at what's left - series of clubbing rights behind the ear and head have Heigl drooping forward, hands low, unresponsive and the ref steps in. TKO8 Becky Romijn - a shattered Katherine Heigl bawling in protest as she slumps in the official's arms.

After: Heartless Becky Romijn right hands, not to mention an unforgivable number of rabbit punches salts away a sometimes sloppy, but pleasingly violent middleweight title tilt. Heigl getting caught negotiating her distance, but basically in control after 5. Slight lapse in concentration causes her undoing in the 6th , fight should have been stopped, but Katherine's heart wouldn't allow it. Romijn ascends the throne, but Heigl's roaring 7th the most memorable moment of the fight - coming back to win a round after absorbing the worst punishment or her career says something about the former champ.