(STUDIO 120 POUND TITLE)

Posted by Simguy on Tuesday, 06-Jul-1999 08:45:01

Before: Too soon for Carpenter? It’s a question posed by many pundits, but most agree she deserves a high profile fight. Carpenters legs her best asset in this fight[--if she can keep the pressure on, she’s the natural big woman in this contest and could wear Kiana down in the later rounds. Studio brass not shy about letting the press know they would love a Carpenter upset tonight. Black spaghetti string jog bra, little red cotton shorts for Kiana, black jog bra, red adidas terrycloth trunks for Charisma.

During R1: Charisma comes out with that high guard, arms extended, while Kiana counters with the low-slung left, right cocked at her chin. Early feeling our process sees Charisma eat leather from Kiana’s pounding jab, and a crisp exchange of right hand midway through results in Carpenter scooting to her butt for a quick knockdown. Charisma immediately up but looking tentative. Kiana wades in, ripping those scooping left hooks to the pit of Charisma’s body from well outside. Tom is there to be countered, but Charisma pants, hands on one knee as she tries to regroup, hammered to the canvas for the second time. Tom thrusts her gloves in the air to signify premature victory. Charisma beats the count and escapes a disastrous first round.

R2: Charisma shows good resiliency, coming back in her toes, snapping that high hard jab into Kiana’s forehead and eyes, and most importantly, hooking off the jab to keep Kiana’s right hand at home. Kiana loading up with countershots, gets off balance as she spears with that right hand, and nimble Charisma takes advantage with nipping hooks,  stepping in and out on the more flat footed Hawaiian. Carpenter takes the round, but she’s got a long way to go to eat up 2 knockdowns against.

R3: Kiana has a way of looking static, then suddenly uncoiling with that right hand, and she catches Charisma napping to open this round with a clouting cross to the jaw. Carpenter reeling early, covers up, giving Kiana her body, and Tom bashes away from outside with that lanky left hook, and lunging straight rights, Kiana has her way, but slows towards the end of the round, allowing Charisma to step left, pop the jab, and get some work done at the bell.

R4: All Kiana as she legs on in to Charisma, and goes into slugging mode. Tom lashing hooks and spearing right hands, chases Charisma all around the ring. It’s a disorderly retreat for Carpenter who just can’t take the heat, and cant get set to respond. In the final minute, Tom finally catches up with a lunging right hand as Carpenter pulls back, nearly dropping the young brunette for a third time. Charisma looks discouraged at the end of this round, as she was run out of the ring by the champ.

R5: Charisma sucks it up, standing her ground to punch with Kiana, and counters beautifully to finally put some hurt on the champ, Blocking Kiana’s rights with her left, Charisma counters with harsh right uppercuts to Kiana’s unmissable breasts, and straight rights to the face. Tom makes things worse by standing and slugging, and Carpenter has her best round as result.

R6: OH KIANA! Sensing bravado in the opponent, Kiana sets put to break Charisma’s heart this round. Loping left, Kiana lifts that spiking jab off her hip to set u crushing right crosses early in the round that have Carpenter foundering once again. Charisma stumbles forward to clinch, but Tom steps back, cranking lefts and rights to the ribs and ear of the brunette. Carpenter tries to back off, but Kiana keeps on her with that persistent jab, constantly knocking Charisma off balance when she tries to move. So in the final minute, Carpenter stands flat footed to slug, and gets battered senseless in the process. All tom in a crowd-pleasing final minute as Charisma begins to field huge right hands off her chin. Carpenter’s punches go limp, simply pushing at the air as Kiana punches with her, harming Charisma with every blow in return. At the bell, a shell shocked Carpenter staggers forward, eyes blank, lips pouting in disbelief.

R7: Once again, Charisma comes back after a tough round to show why she’s a top contender. Battered in the sixth, Charisma has her best round of the fight in the seventh, using her legs to step in and out on Kiana to exploit Tom’s bad balance. As tom tries to catch Charisma with right hands, she often shoots too far forward, and Carpenter begiuns to counter with Oscar de la Hoya left hands to the cheek of the Asian. In the final minute, Charisma puts Kiana wobbly butt as a swatting hooks smacks Tom’s head sideways. Kiana staggers to the ropes, in trouble for the first time in the fight, and gives up the body to her challenger to bell.

R8: Kiana finally looks wary of her foe, legging left, sweeping and poking with her jab, and trying to keep her distance. Neither girl hurt in this regrouping, tactical round.

R9: Kiana lulls Charisma to sleep with the slow pace, but once again uncoils a vicious right hand to the cheek that has Carpenter stepping in fence post holes to open the round. Kiana shakes her right hand as though she’s hurt it, but continues to pound away, looping it overhand to hammer Carpenter to the ropes. Charisma is helpless, and Tom feasts on the young brunettes breasts and belly with ripping hooks and short right hands from middle distance, Carpenter’s form badly degrades, and she begins to catch unnecessary abuse. With seconds left in the round, Kiana hammers Charisma along the ropes, pounding right hands to drive Carpenter into a corner. The bell rings to end the carnage, as the girls exchange bitter glares.

R10: Kiana calls a safety, and hides behind her jab the rest of the way, knowing she has this defense all rapped up. Carpenter has been shredded in this fight, and clearly doesn’t want any of more of the champion, and is happy to go the distance. Anti-climatic last round, unanimous decision Kiana Tom.

After: Carpenter earned Tom’s grudging respect, refusing to quit although hurt on several occasions by the Asian champ. Rarely down in her entire career, Charisma’s prize legs failed to open this bout in disastrous fashion, and mentally she never recovered. For Tom, another bruising display of hunter-killer boxing, landing bombs in almost every round. She looks as solid as she ever has, clearly fighting with a chip on her shoulder.

Reposted by Archer 8/22/10