Posted by Simguy on 6/3/2006, 12:54.

Helfer in metallic baby blue bikini

Ryan in midnight blue stain push up bra and panties, silver/white lace trim

WHERE FOUGHT: NYC

Quote: “This just might be the match of the decade” - BLONDE! magazine, waxing hyperbolic yet again.

SYNOPSIS: Both women came into this fight with KO momentum, but it was there the similarity ended. Ryan has crushed her foe in toe-curling fashion: Helfer had vexed and chipped away at hers, accumulating punishment over the long haul to force referee intervention. Both would rely upon the techniques that had seen them safely past formidable opponents, making for a crowd-pleasing, stylish, tall-blonde slugfest.

Helfer bobbed like a buoy in high seas, pivoting around and sliding her left foot, turning her shoulders tuck her chin, rotating sinuously on her hips as she stroked, clawed and slung powerpunches off a tart jab. Confounded by slick angles and supple upperbody contortions, Ryan turned stalker, standing slightly pigeon-toed as she stepped in her jab and tried to cave in Helfer’s chin with occasionally punishing her foe - but Jeri stole moments with the odd ringing connect (as in the second round, when a short Ryan right had Helfer momentarily stepping in fence post holes).

Slowly but surely, Helfer grew more confident, establishing range and tempo fighting her fight against an increasingly haggard Ryan, Jeri’s eyebrows began to bust up in the fourth and fifth - both exquisite shutout rounds at the end of Helfer’s extended punches. Helfer routinely exploited Ryan’s balance: distracting her with tapping rights or brushing lefts, then surprising her with lanky-limbed clout; leaning out to change distance and nip back at Ryan after Jeri came up short. In the 8th, a gorgeous series of counterpunches-off-the-pivot saw Helfer land right after right hand to the jaw of her opponent, finally spilling a frazzled Ryan to all fours for a woozy 8. The writing was on the wall: Jeri was a battered, exhausted vixen, hoping for a miracle down the stretch.

Hope is not a plan: Tricia attacked with renewed vigour in the tenth and soon had Jeri slumped on the ropes, her right arm over the top strands, left hand up at her temple in a feeble parody of defense as Helfer poured in. A savage series of straight lefts and rights flowed forth from Tricia shoulders, pelting Jeri in the left ear and shoulder, prompting the ref to halt the fight. TKO10 Tricia Helfer.

BEST MOMENT, JERI RYAN: Mid way through, Jeri would jab Tricia’s lips and land a chopping right hand over Helfer’s left hand, rocking the tall blonde’s head hard to starboard with authority. Unfortunately for Jeri - Helfer proved more durable than she looks, taking the punch in stride and answering with three straight shutout rounds thereafter.

BEST MOMENT, TRICIA HELFER: In the 8th, with Jeri hurt, coming forward in an earmuffed-up crouch. Helfer tapped her opponent’s guard with the right knuckles while easing back on her right foot, waiting as Jeri straightened slightly to punch, and neatly preempted Ryan a swift-swiping left hook across the chops. Knuckle-tapping the left hand against Ryan’s startled cheek while pivoting right. Helfer dropped in a slinging overhand right, smashing Jeri’s jaw and putting her wobbly butt. Helfer completed the dazzling sequence with an exquisite carving left uppercut off the front foot - spanking Jeri’s blinking face up off her gloves - then clawing the step-away hook across Jeri’s face while pushing off the ball of the left foot (shifting weight to back foot). Ryan wobbled, confused for a moment, then swooned to all fours, ears ringing.