Originally posted by Simguy on 6/3/06, 12:50 pm.

Tricia: Metallic baby blue bikini, white gloves

Jennifer: red leather bikini, black-laced front and hips, black gloves.

WHERE FOUGHT: MIAMI

Quote: “Tricia’s game is all deception and guile,” Jen said. “I’m going to make an honest woman out of her,”

Synopsis: All night long, Jennifer wanted to jab Tricia to the ropes, fight off the sleek blonde’s chest and systematically bludgeon Helfer into submission; Helfer looked to use her leg, show sinewy angles, and keep Jen off balance with the jab, while slashing power at her off the pivot. Both women would enjoy tremendous moments of success at the other’s expense throughout the evening.

After several see-saw heats, Jen appeared to have imposed her will in the 6^th and 7^th rounds as the brunette finally won back to back stanzas, and those decisively: Tricia was badly hurt throughout these minutes, reeling on long, sinuous stems and holding desperately to avoid going down under Garner’s constant cudgeling body attack along the ropes. It was here, at the very apex of Jen Garner’s domination, that Tricia Helfer would respond, and prove her mettle as a true lightweight threat.

The 8^th was a strong Helfer shutout that put Jen wobbly butt from flashy long-armed combinations to the head, It’s a misconception to think of Helfer as a runner—like a Danes or a Hurley before her, Tricia fights from a sound, flat footed foundation, shifting weight from one foot to the other, undulating her torso and changing angles. She was absolutely masterful this round in keeping Garner midring, sidestepping and vexing Jen with pinpoint, lanky limbed leather, and spearing her with an unforgiving jab to any thought of counterattack. A punished and confused Jen wandered back to her corner, bemu8sed and hurt. In the 9^th, things would get even worse for her.

Tricia bore down with steely-eyed determination, leaning well to her right to pull whipping left hooks against Jen’s heads, bending forward over her left foot to get slinging right hand. Garner staggered in shock, staring into the blows, her head down around her chest/tummy in an impotent stack. It took nearly the entire three minutes—a constant in-out, stepping, pivoting barrage—a merciless shredding and tearing of Jen’s defences—but with seconds left on the clock, the ref stepped in to save a stunned, cut and swooning Jennifer garner from further punishment at the ropes. TKO9 Tricia Helfer excused the favourite from the Reebok tournament, and sent the first upset shockwave shattering through the FCBA.

BEST MOMENT, JEN GARNER: Working Tricia over at the ropes in the 4^th, no one individual sequence, this was just Jen crowding in with head and shoulders, methodically pushing at Tricia’s hands and arms, bumping and jostling her in order to put thudding punches together, ribs and head,. Helfer showed tremendous heart and willowy resistance in absorbing this steady, suffocating beat-down.

BEST MOMENT, TRICIA HELFER: The finishing sequence of punches was a thing of lanky-limbed mastery. Jen was already hurt when Tricia laced her a vicious, slinging hook, pushing off the ball of her left foot to get it flush to the chin, rocketing Jen’s head back with sickening force, Stepping forward with the left foot, Tricia pushed off the ball of the right foot to slice home the right cross, then twisted hard-right to clout another hook—weight on the right foot as she curled up tight into the follow through, scowling out over the protection of her raised left shoulder. Garner reeled to ropes all glassy-eyed, and the fight was essentially over: the mop up was a formality as Tricia applied limber-stroking polish to force the referee’s hand.

Reposted by Archer 4/29/09.