PARAMOUNT/REEBOK LIGHTWEIGHT TITLES

Posted by Simguy on 10/28/2000, 4:30 pm.

Before: Tempestuous pre-fight conferences, Judd staking her claim in no uncertain terms: “I’m here to strip Jeri Ryan of the belt, People say I’m this big underdog. I’m looking across at her right now and I don’t see it. I’m the special fighter in this bout--Jeri’s just the outgoing chump.” Ryan uncharacteristically ruffled by Judd’s brazen disrespect gives the challenger “5 maybe 6 rounds at best.” Jeri with notorious one-punch stopping power, but Judd a busy fighter and Ryan has been out worked in the past. Ryan in red bandeau bikini, Judd in black and gold bra-cut bikini.

R1: Jeri out in the Louis shuffle, sticking the jab from her hip and moments into the fight turns on the go-home right that clocks Judd’s head violently to the side--Ashley wobbly butt and hurt, gloves at her lips, covers up as Ryan looks to finish. Jeri squaring up midring, digs to the right side with sledgehammer hook as Judd bends forward, Jeri just stepping back and letting Ashley stumble into the next big body shot. Midway through the round, Jeri punishing her foe with terrible single shot licks when Judd comes alive, ripping consecutive hooks to the body then the head and RYAN IS HURT! Now Jeri looks shaken up, crossing her arms and standing right in front as Judd gets off with clubbing lefts and rights. Double lefts followed by jolting single right hands pile up on Ryan’s available jaw and JERI GOES DOWN! Champ shellshocked, gets to her feet and reels back to the ropes as the ref checks her glassy eyes. Judd wades in and launches a barbaric assault, going left/right to the waist, then straightening to bang the hook off Ryan’s drooping head. Bell sounds--Judd doesn’t back off an inch, keeping up the punishment until the ref tackles her away--big round Ashley Judd.

R2: Judd senses Ryan’s hurt and uptempos this round to capitalize, touching off with her left shoulder. Judd bashes a series of short, overhand rights to the temple and eye of Ryan, bludgeoning her to the ropes and busting open the brow with an ugly gash. Ryan swooning, bending mechanically over her feet, but too slowly to make Judd miss. Ashley’s accurate, snapping combinations buffet Jeri’s face left and right, but significantly, Ashley doesn’t ignore the body. Ryan’s body cringes from vicious left hand digs--Judd twisting her hips and arching her back to rip the punches home. Bell sounds--Ashley won’t let up, piling on a few more cudgeling lefts and rights in close as Ryan soaks it up in a stupor--ref jumps in and escorts Ashley back to her corner.

R3: Ryan showing that trademark durability, busted up and already partially used up, but coming forward in that crouch, right hand set, snapping the left with authority as she keeps Ashley outside in the first minute, Judd all bright eyed and opportunistic, pounces midway through, gambling on overhand rights and wide lefts that miss as Ryan falls back to the ropes, but, ultimately pays off when a clouting left hook flush drops Ryan’s hands as her head lolls on her chest and Judd POURS it on! Squaring up, Ashley pumps lefts and rights to the chest, then the face of her foe--Jeri slumping sideways and nearly toppling, but somehow keeping her feet. And, in the final minute, Ryan starts punching back! Out on her feet, Jeri starts to beat Ashley to the punch as the girls trade lefts and rights, Judd giving ground step by step as Ryan hammers her back to midring. Bell sounds, both girls slugging flat footed as the ref is forced to intercede once again.

R4: Judd opens rough, coming in hard with her head to re-open the cut over Ryan’s left eye and taking over as Jeri tries to shake off the flagrant butt. Hammer and tongs, back and forth as the girls grind forehead to forehead, touching one another with clouting hooks to the body and head, little right uppercuts or chopping right hands on the cheekbones in close quarters. This is brutal take no prisoners stuff--and very tough to score. Fought in a phone booth, both girls getting off in turn and laying waste to another in a series of brutal exchanges. Crowd roaring at the bell--neither girl wants to let the other get the last punch in with predictable results, Both warned for extra curricular activity this round.

R5: Ryan using the fade, draws Ashley in behind a Judd right hand that comes up short, then rocks forward to bash a vicious right hand counter off the sternum--ASHLEY IS ROCKED! Judd wobbly butt, stumbles forward to clinch--and Ryan has a field day. Keeping her hands I front, letting Ashley grapple up around her neck but moving her fists back and forth into Judd’s torso. Early Ryan advantage evolves into the usual give and take, toe to toe struggle as Archer stubbornly refuses to wilt. Hard fought round goes to Ryan on nearly power--both girls looking shopworn through 5.

R6: OH ASHLEY! Judd ROCKING Ryan in the opening moments with a looping overhand right to spill Jeri across the ring--ropes preventing the fall as Ryan lifts her mitts pathetically to her lips. Savage beat down as Judd piles on the hurt--raining lefts and rights, her fist bouncing off Jeri’s skull and shoulders--Ashley twisting left and right with a furious rhythm, Ryan won’t go out, battered senseless and bent over her feet--Judd slows the pace to sustain the pressure. Judd on top, clinching under Ryan’s arms to heave her up against the ropes, stuffing her mitts in tight to Ryan’s belly, and landing short blows, 0% fist, 100% forearm to that bulging left eye. At the bell--Judd pressing up against the drowning champ, laps at the eye like a thirsty dog--Ryan too hurt to protest the psychological torment as the ref pulls Judd back.

R7: Neither girl has much left below the waist--they lay in together, face on face, and take turns working one another to the midsection. Slower, but still ruinous pace as the girls try to get everything on each punch, holding one another about the waist or shoulders as they heave in the free hand. Tumbling along the ropes, lead changes every few seconds as each feeds off the other’s fatigue. Close round called for Ryan as she seems the stronger girl down the stretch.

R8: Ryan flat footed, touches Judd’s breast with a light backhand jab, hooks off it to leave Ashley staring, turns into a HARD right cross and Judd slips into a swoon! Ryan getting off at power punching range, touching up the jab, flinching her shoulder into a compact hook, then twisting her body into that short Louis right hand--punches bursting bursting off Judd’s drowsy face with devastating effect. Once again, one girl takes a ruinous beating, then the fight settles into the merciless trench warfare of the previous 7 rounds. Mouth on shoulder, instinctive slugging--girls wandering aimlessly around the ring in constant contact with each other. Ryan’s power grows as round winds down.  Both girls slump wearily on their stools during the break.

R9: Jeri crosses her arms and lets Judd get off for a solid minute--Ashley groggy, but moving her arms, swatting and clubbing at Ryan with hard, but mostly blocked leather. Ryan takes over at the minute mark and never looks back--HER punches are straighter, harder, more selective, breaking Ashley down with every impact. Round drifts lazily to the ropes--Ashley covered up, drooping forward, clinching--Ryan working methodically, just sticking her heavy fists into the blonde’s taut body, or bashing at Judd’s skull with crude hacks. Ryan pulled off the exhausted blonde--Jeri groggily taking in the sight with her one good eye.

R10: Jeri jabbing from a flat footed stance, squashes that left mitt hard against Judd’s willing face--Ashley now defenceless, stands center ring with hands down at her chest. Ryan putting ponderous combinations together and it’s all connecting flush--the jab, the hook, the right uppercut and short right cross. Judd beaten back to the Stone Age--swoons over her feet, arms crossed useless against her body as she staggers forward, backward, to the side. Ryan blasting away with everything she has left, routinely crushes Judd’s head back but can’t put her down. final minute has the crowd roaring half in frenzy, half in horror as Jeri Ryan beats the woman own at the ropes. Jeri propping Judd with the left at the throat, turning into that crunching right, pushing Judd back, driving in again--it’s heartbreaking stuff. Ashley Judd beaten beyond recognition, out on her feet, but refusing to go down lasts the distance as an exhausted Jeri Ryan, left hand don, finishes up with scrubbing right uppercuts in close as she leans on her foe. After a very long delay, the decision comes back…a DRAW! Jeri retains her title after an epic war.

After: Both girls showing signs of the bitter struggle, eyes swollen, lips cracked and puffy--we haven’t seen soul searching like this since Ryan/Dunning II. Judd refusing to accept the verdict demands a rematch. “Jeri knows I touched her heart in this one--she knows I won the fight. If you have any scrap of integrity  you’ll  do this again Jeri.” Ryan putting forth one of her most courageous efforts ever, tracking down a huge Ashley Judd lead to finish the undoubted stronger, literally pounding Judd out I the final round, but unable to break her challenger’s will. Negotiations pending on the rematch, but HBO already offering the kind of money that nobody says no to.

Reposted by Archer 7/13/10.