Posted by Simguy on Monday, 03-Jan-2000 10:57:09

(From a Fight Fan repost of 6/7/2006, 11:42 am)

Before: Fleet Center rocking with a vocal. Pro-Syren crows “Southies Love Syren” chants and placards typical of the mob’s appreciation. Syren the bigger woman, clearly the stronger and harder hitting, but a long lay off makes rust an issue, and although the legs look good, pundits wonder how they’ll hold up against Zeta-Jones’ insistent attack. Jones forced to wait I the ring as Syren makes her leggy entrance to ZZ Top’s song of the same name, and the girls go nose to nose even while entourages are still milling about in the ring. Syren in green top, yellow bottoms athletic bikini, Catherine Zeta Jones in black sports bra, red Adidas terry cloth trunks.

During R1,2: Syren with economical movement, chin tucked, left hand loose and saying in front, right hand at her chin--stalks after Jones as Catherine looks to make the big woman move early. Catherine nibbling with jabs, occasionally leaning in on her front foot to rake hooks off Syren’s tummy or jaw, bust basically staying ion her toes out of reach. Syren chasing, doesn’t have her footwork or timing down in these rounds, and is shutout if both rounds. Zeya-Jones with a cocky smile at the end of the second, struts to her corner with this fight “won” after 2.

R3: More of the same as Jones continues to peck Syren’s face with the spiking jab, moving to the left, and clouting Syren to the ear with the hook. Looks like another shutout until the final minute the as Syren begins to move her upper body, bending her knees more, and getting underneath Jones. Late the round, Syren a brisk exchange end with Syren landing a short right on Jones jaw: CZJ legs go numb as she stumbles back to the ropes--crowd roaring, CZJ wide-eyed and hurt, slips and covers on the ropes as Syren moves in patiently, reaching with the left, hurling in booming rights to the body, although  missing the head to steal the round.

R4: Syren comes out looking more confident this round, cutting off the ring, extending the left to measure Jones, an screen the right cross, and early on Syren bends into a vicious right hand that bangs off Jones’ forehead. Catherine stunned, looks limb and helpless for the moment, and Syren bends back the other way with  a clubbing left ion the temple. Jones spinning sideways collapses to all fours, spitting her mouthpiece out as she grimaces in pain., Jones beats the count, but the beating is on as Syren bodies up, muscles Jones to the ropes, and lays in with a propping left lands, and a digging right to the jaw or body. Syren just pushing in off her powerful legs, no backswing on these right hands, getting her body into it and Jones is bludgeoned senseless this round. Late counterpunching off the ropes shows Catherine still in it, but she goes back to her corner withy a glazed expression, and hurting body.

R5: Jones with those zesty legs, turns boxer once again, bouncing left, popping the double jab, and has Syren fending off incoming more than punching back herself. Brilliant tactical round for Jones as she controls Syren with the jab, gets her head together, and recovers nicely from the beating in the 4th.

R6: Syren able to walk Jones down this round, using the relaxed left to measure or swat them, then TURNING into those mean right hands. Syren’s gloves bash off Zeta-Jones’ shoulders or ribs with blistering impacts, often leaving Catherine pouting in pain, and forcing her to move away. Jones running this round--draw boos from the Fleet Center faithful, as Syren pulls ahead on all cards.

R7: Catherine shows a little Stevie Johnson this round, upping her punch rate, coming at Syren with crisp combinations, and turning the big brunette with a neat little sidestep. Syren doing well when she can corral the shifty Brit with her left and club right hands, but down the stretch, Jones working well inside, pounds away on Syren’s gut to momentarily shut the big woman down.

R8: Jones likes it inside and goes shoulder to shoulder to make this a test of reflexes at close quarters. Relaxed, hands at her tummy, Jones blocks most of Syren’s efforts on her elbows, and counters with chopping lefts and rights to the belly, coming up to swat the jaw, and constantly moving her head from shoulder to shoulder on Syren. Midway through the round, Jones with nice little shoulder shrug straighten Syren up and clips the brunette’s chin with a curling right uppercut, sending tremors down Syren’s thighs. Big round for Jones as the girls trade leather in the final minute.

R9: Toe to toe slugging continues, but Jones starting to show the edge in handspeed, technique as she gets off first and last, pivoting around Syren and forcing the action. Syren won’t back off, pitching in scooping rights to the body, and trying to come over the top with the payoff cross, but Jones doing a good job of slipping the right hand, makes Syren pay with hooks on her eye. At the bell, harsh words exchanged as Jones lands late.

R10: Syren comes out strong, but Jones steps in and down, slipping Syren’s big right cross, and coming up underneath with a hook to the chin combination to stagger the brunette. Syren regrouping, comes in again, but is beaten to the punch as Jones bounces a right hand off the face, then bends into a deep crouch, bobbing low and rotating her way back up to land a wide left hook on the mouth, and Syren is getting hurt. Syren on her heels, looking a little shellshocked, takes chopping lefts and rights as Jones jumps in, and soon the big woman’s back is against the ropes. Syren covering up, takes vicious whipping blows in behind her elbows as Jones mugs the body. Down the stretch, Syren able to slug her way off the ropes, and has Jones on the run, Seconds left in the round, with Catherine shamelessly dancing away well out of reach, she raises her gloves in triumph as Syren looks non-plussed. Decision comes back; Unanimous duke Catherine Zeta-Joes, who struts the ring oh so slowly, taoped hands above her head as the crowd boos.

After: Jones typically catty in post-fight, “I carried her, Pure and simple. I was hurtintg her and gave her the beating she deserved and not one punch more.” Belies the fact that Jones got lumped up the middle rounds, and nearly taken out herself in what for the much older Syren was a very courageous effort.

Reposted by Archer 8/11/11.