Posted by simguy on 1/29/2005

Before: Intriguing match up - Jeri calling Carpenter 'the most complete contender in the division' and appearing to mean it. CC edged by Casta in her last outing, but a punishing stoppage of Kelly Brook might have advanced Charisma's cause at Samdog. "Ryan got a good close look at Carpenter during the Brook fight," notes one BLONDE! correspondent, "and it was an impressive showing. Carpenter's a live darkhorse - Jeri needs to be on point and wear out her tapes of Casta/Carpenter in training." Charisma acknowledging the unlooked for title bid. "Naturally, we're always sending out feelers and challenges through the grapevine, but it's still a shock when your name comes up. I suspect Jeri's thinking she'll catch me on a downturn after Laetitia nipped me, but that's won't work. I feel like I match up great with Jeri - I see a lot of what I did to Kelly happening to Ryan and I'm looking forward to it!" Jeri in red bikini, Carpenter in navy blue bikini.

During R1: Jeri offensive minded - jabbing off her hip, stalking Charisma. Carpenter blocking and parrying, using lateral movement early to sort out the pressure. CC rolling the expected Ryan right hands well, but Jeri cleaning up like a pro with her left hook - champ clapping plenty of jug, rib and jawline with follow-on punches as Carpenter stays in a defensive mode.

R2: CC going to ropes and inviting Jeri in - Carpenter relaxed, hands stacked right over left chest and tummy - dipping side to side to slip, answering back in Jeri's ribs. Masterful slip and counter from Charisma - punches short, tucked in thick behind or under Jeri's arms, scoring to armpit, rib, tummy, and it must be said: jug. Ryan upright, strong stance, hammer-dropping out jabs and turning into short right hands, but catching much more than she's landing in a stubborn second.

R3: CC leggy for 30 seconds to open, spritzing Jeri jabs, stooping low at the waist and reaching stick into Jeri's abdomen, shying away from any heat, circling. Carpenter moves to ropes and sets up supple again - side to side dips, getting low with her shoulder and nudging Jeri back in the hips/tummy, popping out of crouches with hooks. Ryan dukes at cheeks, frustration showing - jab/right hand routinely missing over top. Midway through - CC slipping low and spinning off the ropes with a hand at Jeri's back, inducing Ryan to midring as blonde comes forward punching. Ryan one/two grazes Carpenter's back as she ducks while dropping the right foot back, uncoils into a crashing hook off Ryan's wide-open face and JERI GOES DOWN! Ryan walking into a gorgeous counter - CC striding past, looking coolly down as blonde struggles to shake off the tingle. Shaky 8, Ryan: Charisma moves in to clean up. CC showing she can lead as well as counter - dukes up, jabbing hard upstairs, then lambasting Ryan to the rib cage great spanking rights and lefts. Brawny stuff - Carpenter bashing away, shouldering woozy champ back into the ropes: Ryan glassy eyed, hanging on at the bell.

R4: Carpenter upbeat, cute in the pocket - she's pointing her left shoulder at Jeri in a closed stance, bending at the waist, tidying up jugs and tummy as Ryan grimly comes forward. Charisma flat footed, supple, upperbody/head movement her primary sources of defence and she's lick-swatting counters with either hand. Ryan ramshackle, just pawing and poking shots now to make contact - discouraged by the low connect percentage through 4. CC brash near the bell - popping up out of a crouch to shoe-shine Jeri's breasts with a rubbing squall - Ryan staggered back on her heels, eyes shiny with outrage as Carpenter sends a message.

R5: Jeri adjusts, sliding back, using her under-rated footwork - role reversal sees CC coming forward, Ryan hanging back to work behind her jab. Fearsome stick - Jeri snapping it off her hip and pounding away eyes, chest and left shoulder, keeping Carpenter defensive and at the end of the punches. Ryan flinching the right hand to make Carpenter commit to torso-roll - mop-up hooks catching CC as she bends to her right. Classy shutout Ryan - hard eye contact: champ's not done contesting this thing just yet.

R6: Ryan fighting tall, slide-stepping back, making Charisma fight her way past the jab. CC bobbing, weaving, rolling her torso, but coming up short on chin-shots - Ryan judging distance exquisitely, dropping right hands off her jab, mopping up cranking hooks amidships. Midway through, grazing right hand panics Charisma - she covers up buzzed and soaks up a splattering hook across her tummy that draws groans from the crowd. CC undone, sputtering forward - Jeri dips, stacks CC up the left shoulder and punches her belly a shoving right hand. Carpenter reels to ropes, badly gut-worn - ON COMES RYAN! Jeri enjoying splendid moments of stand-and-deliver, shellacking Carpenter as she bobs and rolls - short, cuffing hooks setting up searing right hands, every one ticketed for Charisma's chin. Final moments - Ryan palming Charisma's shoulders and swiping lefts and rights across her chest. Jeri's elbows in, getting her back into tight swabbing strokes - CC crosses her arms and sags in ropes all rocked, moist-eyed as Ryan romps to the bell.

R7: CC shopworn, sagging into the ropes and giving Ryan her best "I'm hurt" expression - mostly possum as Carpenter sets up to counter. Ryan tall, strong on the attack, palming CC's shoulders, jabbing at her, turning on right hands again - but Carpenter slipping and rolling, answering back with heartfelt left and rights thick against the middle. CC so elusive in the pocket, rolling her shoulders, ducking her head, then coming back at Ryan's long body - blonde mouthbreathing, hollow eyed after 2 solid minutes of pressing the attack without success. Down the stretch, Charisma catches Jeri a swatting hook on chin, doubles it up tasty to get Ryan on her heels - Jeri staring, seemingly out of it, drives in with a short right hand to beat Charisma to the punch! CC kissed HARD on the chin - her own right sailing over top as Jeri bends down low on follow through - brunette corkscrews, stumbles into the ropes to prevent herself from going down and ON COMES RYAN! Jeri sucking it up and lathering away from a wide stance - vicious raking hooks, murderous crosses as CC covers up and rides it out to the bell. Ryan lifting her mitts and bellowing: she just stole a crucial Charisma Carpenter round.

R8: Ryan stalking Charisma along the ropes, shadowing her course, tapping out the jab, right hand cocked beneath Ryan's chin. CC sliding to her right - stooping to jab at Jeri's body, then leaning back into the ropes, then ducking - cat and mouse as neither girl anxious to mix it up. Carpenter the more active beauty, scoring to either flank with swatting shots off her torso movement; potshotting that healthy rack - she's got Jeri's mouth open again at the bell.

R9: Ryan pressing at the ropes, imposing her will...but Carpenter's picking her apart. Fascinating to watch - Jeri chin tucked, dukes up, working hard, but it's all glancing, grazing contact off CC's pate, gloves, shoulders. Carpenter back into Jeri with vicious digging hooks - mitt really gouging up belly meat or snapping off ribs with sharp spank. CC landing short chopping rights as she bends forward, or pulling them into Jeri's hip while dipping left - blonde systematically getting chopped up by clever brunette hands through 9.

R10: Jeri throwing in her reserves, determined to overwhelm Charisma along the ropes - savage give and take as both girls dig in. Ryan hooking to flank, dropping her right hand in a short hammer-delivery, plenty of shoulder behind it, trying to get in there tight and rake hooks to jug. CC with hands stacked chest and tummy, dipping side to side - tucking in behind the arms; tight, biting hooks across jug to draw breathy grunts of protest from the champ. Hammer and tongs to the bell - Jeri indomitable, Charisma unflappable - ref has to push 'em apart as punches fly after the break. Comes back UD10 for the winner and NEW lightweight champ - Charisma Carpenter!

After: Ryan drained, pale, rueful stare in hollow eyes - she's clapping her hands because she's just that classy, but she'll be living with Charisma's heartless body punches for days to follow. Carpenter bursting into tears at the announcement, hands at her mouth as BSE stablemates flood the ring. What a moment for long-suffering Carpenter and her fans - the slumps, the mismanagement, the comebacks - it's the defining moment of her long, rollercoaster career. "I don't know what to say," weeps triumphant brunette, "it's like a dream come true. I knew I could take Jeri apart if I survived her bombs and that's what happened. She did hurt me, I have no problem admitting that, but I sucked it up and kept after her. No lightweight can take my body shots for 10 rounds - I knew I'd be the stronger girl down the stretch if I could just keep putting hands on her, so that's what I concentrated on. She was really sucking wind towards the end - my hat's off to her: she kept chucking right to the final bell." Jenny O'Dell clapping, beaming broadly at Charisma's triumph: camera stays on her like a microscope as announcers speculate (without a shred of evidence) that it's got to be killing her to see Carpenter conquer Ryan for the coveted lightweight crown.