Reebok Lightweight Tournament:

Rd2.

Originally posted by Simguy on 6/3/2006, 12:54 pm

Katherine in beige crochet bikini, taupe gloves

Janssen in red crochet bikini

WHERE FOUGHT: BOSTON

QUOTE: “Anyone see those fights Famke had with Peta Wilson?” Katherine jibed in prefight. “Get ready for déjà vu!”

SYNOPSIS: Coming in, most pundits agreed with the Krusher’s sideswiping assessment of this fight—it did indeed have a Wilson/Janssen flavour, and that wasn’t good for the rangy Belgian. But Heigl had had tons of trouble with Milla, Famke was a proponent of the same school of boxing. The fight would rapidly become a test to see which beauty could best get out of her comfort zone, do what she normally doesn’t do well, and exploit the known weaknesses of her opponent.

Famke showed a rigid, erect, European style: pulsing out a hard jab ticketed for Katherine’s left eye; hard right-cross chasers; steady, if stiff, clockwise rotation. The lateral movement was a sign that Famke was willing to expand her horizons for this fight: her usually set-down puncher’s stance would spell certain doom if employed for extended sequences against the beefy Krusher, Heigl stalked Famke behind a high, tight frame defense—right hand at her temple –the jab chop-thrusting out and shaking the slender model/actress whenever it smashed home to chest, shoulder or brow. Katherine sought to muscle her for to the ropes and maul her: Famke looked to tie up whenever Heigl penetrated inside the Janssen jab. Terms negotiated, the girls stuck to the bargain with grim determination. Rotating slowly midring and fighting on the outside with hardhearted craftswomanship.

After 10 rounds, both women had won 5 rounds clean. Famke laboured from Katherine’s heavy-handed commitment to rib, while Heigl’s left eye had long since closed shut under Famke’s pinpoint darts. Rising for the 11th and deciding stanza, the two fought exactly as they had for the previous half ho0ur.

In another very close round—a microcosm of the entire fight—Famke edged Katherine with a combination of telling jabs, slightly more connects and just-enough lateral movement to keep Heigl turning. When the decision was announced, tears pushed down Katherine’s swollen cheeks: she had been Euro-boxed for the second time this year, by a woman who, in Heigl’s mind, should have been blown away inside three rounds. Famke Janssen advances to the Reebok final;

BEST MOMENT, HEIGL: With Janssen against the ropes in the fifth, slightly bent forward, trying to tie up around Katherine’s arms—Heigl shoulder-bumped her foe’s chest, leaned into the gap and tucked a thick, short right hand to the pit of Famke’s belly. Janssen crumpled around the shot—face stricken—and hung on for dear life, getting the ref’s break.

BEST MOMENT, FAMKE: Second round, midway through, Famke keeping the right hand cheek-high as she worked. Famke disrupted Heigl coming in with a jab above the left eye—stepped right, then hopped lightly to the left, jabbing Heigl once more in the mouth to abort Kathy’s cocked right hand. Heigl crouched forward in a peek-a-boo guard: Famke jabbed her on the end of the nose; clouted her a swat right hand on the temple, then hooked Katherine’s jaw STOUTLY, standing Heigl up and putting her wobbly butt for the only time in the fight. Rather than stepping in to slug as she might have against Wilson—Famke wisely stepped to the left, forcing Katherine to reorganize rather than punch.

Reposted by Archer 6/29.09.