BOXING AFTER DARK

Originally posted by Simguy 2/9/05

PART I:

"You don't see Charlize with an open contract very often," Holmes tells a stunned conference room, "I couldn't let it pass. Before you all start attacking Theron for being a heartless bully, let me just tell you straight up: I wanted Charlize Theron - it was my idea. And I'm not here to lie down for her - I know what I'm getting into and I plan to give Charlize the hardest rounds she's had in years."

Theron nodding, grinning, corroborates Katie's story. "Katie was very polite, but firm: she wanted to fight me and she correctly pointed out that there weren't a lot of women in that category. At first I admit, I thought it was a stunt, but Holmes' people sent me videotape of her last few fights and I saw a young brunette with heart, which is more than I can say for most of them. So I'm giving her a shot. Might be a short night - who knows? But give this kid credit - she's a real competitor."

Jamie Luner returning to the Holmes corner for this one shot deal, chips in her two cents: "I was against it," Luner admits. "I tried to talk Katie out of it, but then when I saw how determined she was, I knew I couldn't let anyone else work her corner."

Holmes in royal blue bikini, Charlize in cream bikini.

Rd 1: Katie: dukes up rigid at eyebrows, chin tucked, trying to drop the jab onto Charlize from the high guard. Theron right hand at her chin, left stomach height, jabbing into Katie's body, tasting Katie's jab on her mouth and DRIFTING Katie a clean counter right hand on the button seconds in. Holmes' knees bending, straightening: Charlize treats herself to a left uppercut on the button, firm right hand straight between the mitts, putting Holmes wobbly butt. Theron edging quickly in: left hand dangling, left shoulder in Katie's chest, rubbing her, crowding her, steering her. Theron workmanlike - palming Katie and walking her around, shoving her off or pulling her forward behind the head before strapping lanky hook to quivering midriff or clapping flat right hands to jaw. Holmes beaten into stupor - at the bell, Charlize backhands Katie's rump, sending brunette chagrined, shutout to her corner.

Rd 2: Charlize right foot well back, hands chest height as she leans forward, casually rotating her torso. Katie still upright, rigid, tapping out the jab but clearly worried about Theron's counter right. CT pitty-patting upstairs, just bumping Katie in the guard with pesky rights and lefts, then SEARING Katie's abs a vicious hook. HOLMES GOES DOWN! Slow descent - Katie groaning, grimacing as she sinks to her knees - Theron grinning, prancing past as poor Holmes sobs for breath. Katie up at 8: Charlize wades in knuckles together at her chest - cocky. Theron sets up flat footed, right hand at her cheek, shoulder cycling the jab, shouldering it, then turning into a booming right, back with a slinging left. Holmes belted head and shoulders, partially blocking the lanky wallop - riding it out butt-in-ropes to the bell. Theron helping herself to another mittful of Katie's backside, cupping cheek and grinning as Holmes is sent to her corner all beat up once again.

Rd 3: Charlize at play, bending at the waist hands down, straightening and hoisting sudden lefts or rights off the thighs in Katie's ribs and chin. Holmes reeling slightly, but blocking, showing poise - end of minute one, she blocks a Theron right, answers back a pinging right on the mouth and startles Charlize. Theron hands down, outraged at the poke, takes a scrubbing left/right/left across the face as Katie drives her into the ropes! Crowd roaring as Holmes leans in, props Theron an extended left elbow to brace, then rips at golden midriff right/left. Charlize hunkering in ear to ear, trading back with thick, short right hands to belly-button, but getting outworked - Holmes curling up underneath with some nice chugging body shots, spanking solar plexus on Theron and keeping her pinned down to the bell. Charlize flushed, embarassed: gets worse when Katie helps HERSELF to a chunk of Oscar-winning backside. Ref has to jump in as Theron whirls to engage - blonde temper flaring as brunette gets uppity.

Rd 4: Katie pays a heavy price for insolence - hard-eyed Charlize comes out banging. Theron dressing Katie up with clouting lefts and rights from the hip early, buffetting Holmes' ears, clubbing her off balance. Holmes gritting her teeth, trying to keep her guard together - end of minute one a series of slinging, sidearm right hands slams flat onto Holmes' jaw, staggering her sideways to ropes and DOWN TO HER KNEES! Charlize carrying in with momentum to lean her knees against Katie's ribcage while staring out into the crowd over the top rope, nodding solemnly - ref pushes her off to give Holmes breathing room. Quaking 8 Katie - ON COMES CHARLIZE! Theron storming in, flurrying to the breadbasket, then dropping her hands, stepping straight back to have a look: Katie gurgling, dukes at eyebrows, butt back, torso forward. Theron stepping in and out, hands at her side - she lifts punches into Katie - slutty rights jagged beneath the jugline, swatting hooks tummy, flank, jaw - spilling Katie along ropes. At one point, Charlize steps in close, hands at her side, bumping Katie with her forehead, throwing a right shoulder at Katie's chin, doubling up on the left shoulder to buffett Katie to her left - Theron taunting "LOOK MA! NO HANDS!" Round ends to the sight of poor Katie leaning back on the top rope, dukes up as Theron leans in with lefts and right off her thighs, pounding away at the gates. Bell: Holmes busted up, swaying in the wind - Theron lifting her mitts, taunting dazed brunette - Luner surges into the ring, pushes Charlize off by her right shoulder - Theron and LUNER get into it as ref struggles to maintain order.

Rd 5: Charlize flat footed, hands low, undulating slowly on her hips as she rotates her torso. Theron just reaching in to touch Katie's tummy with either hand, touching her, touching her - everyone in the park knows a chin-check's coming - but Katie won't have it. Holmes out of that rigid high guard starts dropping straight lefts and rights, peppering Theron's pate and upperchest. Charlize annoyed, leaning back hands down but misjudging range - she's getting her face scrubbed as she topples back - Katie stepping with and driving Theron to far ropes! Katie leans in right cheek on Charlize' right cheek, the better to hook Theron behind the elbow, then Holmes drops her right foot back to get a little room for a carving left uppercut. Theron bewildered more than hurt, but Katie landing - big blonde turning her shoulders side to side, bending at the waist, looking to slip and counter. Holmes stays on top, scrubbing, bumping, not a lot on the punches, but she's tidying up, working to the ribcage, clouting the chin - effect is magnified as crowd roars with every Katie connect. Theron pushing Holmes away with contempt at points, but Holmes jabbing her way back in, works the former champ over bell to bell, punctuating the heat with a series of patting left hooks on Theron's flat belly as Charlize stoops forward to take

KATE HOLMES VS CHARLIZE THERON Conc.


Rd 6: Charlize getting serious, left hand still a little low, but right hand at her jaw - she's rotating gently left, letting Katie taste the A jab. Holmes spanked back outside - she's batting at Theron's stick with a parrying right mitt, honoring the bite of the punch. Charlize loose, graceful outside, stepping in to collect Katie's chin with sweeping, elegant, cupping hooks on the jaw, then pivoting left around them. Charlize also leaning in to get a swinging right roundhouse in above Katie's left hip.

Rd 7: Katie combative - eyes are puffy, mouth is open, but she's found a level she can compete at. Theron dropping her left hand to her thigh as she leans into gaudy rights, then easing out to pick Katie up the fall-away hook on the mouth - Katie taking slinging wallop well, keeping her form together. Holmes chipping and chiselling her jab either cheek on Theron, just spitting it at her, then turning on level right hands to the mouth, scoring tart, angering the blonde. Late the round - Theron left hand at her thigh, punches right hands into Katie's guard while sliding back a little, finally releasing on a GORGEOUS strapping left across the ribs under Holmes' elbows to draw an agonized cry of complaint from brunette. Gutshot Katie grimacing, crumbling forward into harm as Charlize steps back in good order, walks her girl into thick right and left uppercuts underneath.

Rd 8: Charlize spacing Katie out with a long pushing left hand in the body, skipping to the right, skipping, and DROPPING A PULVERIZING RIGHT HAND! Holmes clapped upside the head, covers up, then legs rebel, pitching her forward across the ring into the ropes. Sunny smile Charlize as she bounds in carefree - bopping in close, flurrying to the breadbasket and stepping back hands down to savour the sight. Holmes baring teeth, badly shook, but resolute - knees buckle but don't give way completely as Katie digs in at the ropes. All Charlize - she'll extend hands to palm up on Katie, just to brace her, then it's licking, clouting hooks on the ear or flank; banging right hands straight against the guard; gouging left uppercuts dug to solar plexus. Katie numb, grunting, bending forward on the verge then gathering herself - brave brunette takes it like a government mule as Theron lathers away to the finish line. Charlize petitions ref to stop the slaughter during the break - Katie grim on her stool, getting enswell, water, TLC.

Rd 9: Theron caught with her hands down, trying to weave and slip, but leaning back and getting caught as persistent Katie steps-with and chugs away straight left/rights. Theron rubbed and bumped to the ropes - she stands erect, palming Katie in the shoulders, cupping Katie's ears - Theron playing a little rope-a-dope as Holmes gets off. Katie fighting through the clinch well, utilizing a stabbing jab to Theron's body to set up clouting hooks, short right hands on the chin. Charlize unfazed, but crowd roaring every time her head jerks from a Holmes' connect: Katie putting 'em together and actually laying hands on Theron late. Final moments - lazy Charlize just extending her arms to push Katie back by her shoulders - Holmes able to dip and rip a surprising left uppercut tasty to sternum. Just the hint of spasm in Charlize legs off the shot as she immediately shakes her head 'No' in response.

Rd 10: Best two way action of the fight! Holmes more or less over her awe and butterflies, jabbing pesky to Theron's chest - Katie putting right crosses up top and comeback left hooks to that Oscar-winning waist. Theron ignoring the touches, getting her step-and-sweep hook on Katie's jaw, jabbing to Katie's middle, dropping the occasional sneaky counter right hand over Holmes' jab. Spirited play midring, Katie able to maintain the tempo despite being consistently outfought. Bell: Charlize grinning, nodding, folds Holmes into a congratulatory You-Just-Went-The-Route-With-Charlize-Theron hug. Holmes relieved, beat up and happy despite the lopsided score. UD10 wide, Charlize Theron.

After: Luner baleful, frowning, but showing good restraint in the background - she didn't like the beating Katie took, but recognizes Theron's good faith gestures in the aftermath. Theron hugging Katie, pulling her behind the neck to touch foreheads while they talk in close, patting her on the back - Holmes chatting back like a peer and why not? Kid showed guts in taking some howitzer lash from a former multi time FCBA champ.

"Every time I hurt this kid - every time: she came back at me," grins an admiring Charlize. "Not a lot of sock but she's nice and rangy and don't forget: this isn't her best weight - I probably had a good 10 pounds on her. I've seen worse fighters believe me - Katie Holmes is no joke. Great tune up for Jenny O'Dell - I'm thinking that chick probably would have quit in the fourth round of this fight!"