FLYWEIGHT TITLE UNIFICATION BOUT

Posted by Simguy on 6/9/2001, 1:05 pm.

Before: Brash challenger—haughty champion—it’s as tense a pre-fight setting as we’ve seen in a long time. Liu’s had her way with the flyweight division for years, occasionally encountering setbacks, but overall it’s been a reign unrivalled for it’s harshness, humiliation and sheer damage down to worthy contenders. Dushku showing no respect for the champ—showing up at Lucy’s training camp to cause a scene, maligning Double L in the press and during interviews—pundits can’t decide if Eliza’s confident or scared with these tactics, Lucy in black push up, leopard print boy cut trunks, slick ponytail, Dushku I red leather bikini—Eliza going nose to nose during stare down as Lucy glaeres.

During R1: Liu hands down, leggy early as she traverses the ring, bounding in from awkward angles to potshot the tummy and forehead with slappy blows from the thighs. Dushku patient, guard high, often ranging back as Lucy comes ion to make Liu over-extend, Liu the clear aggressor—Eliza just taking a look, seeing what may be available—round to lucy.

R2: Liu continues to lead—Eliza cautious, using fades, stepping to her left as Lucy walks her down, jumps in and continues to sling punches from her knees and thighs with vicious power licks, Midway through the round, Liu misses a wild overhand right as Dushku calmly slips to her left and buries her right mitt in Liu’s belly. Lucy momentarily winded—Eliza pivots, pulls Liu’s head down with the left and ROCKS her back into a jolting right uppercut, adds the hook up top and LIU GOES DOWN! Lucy blasted to her back by a withering combination, and she is WOBBLY getting to her feet. Eliza stalking forward, pounding the jab off Lucy’s eye to drive her ropeside, then piling into the stomach with a blunt straight right. Dushku cute with the left hand, pulling Liu’s head down, but not holding her, just setting her up for that CRUSHING right uppercut and LIU FOLDS TO HER KNEES! Lucy in desperate trouble on all fours, trying to stand, stumbles to one knee and just barely beats the count. All Eliza in the final minute, but she’s crafty—she hangs back, lets Liu come t her—it’s Dushku working behind her jab, walking Lucy into punches at the bell.

R3: Eliza Dushku comes out to finish this round—a shellshocked Lucy liu bounds to her right along the ropes with a concerned expression. Eliza hounding Liu to a corner, Lucy pawing the left suddenly slashes a right hand across Dushku’s temple and ELIZA GOES WOBBLY BUTT! Dushku suddenly wide eyed and hurt—she falters into the ropes with glves at her lips as Liu squares up, hands down—just snapping left hands up in behind the elbow, trying to land another right hand bomb down the middle. Final minute—Dushku regains her composure—she’s jabbing with Liu, working to her left—Lucy getting coaxed once again into coming forward at the bell.

R4: Eliza trying to box and counter—but Lucy’s quicks are making it tough. Liu very disruptive with her slashing attacks from outside—Dushku able to duck and cover to block much of the damage, but Liu able to operate at will, dragging heavy punches into the firm midsection whenever the head is too well protected. Liu finding her hit and run rhythm this round—starts to showboat with her supple upperbody as well, causing Dushku to miss with exaggerated leaning back and forth at the hips.

R5: Better execution from Eliza this round—she’s ramming the jab, moving to her left, forcing Liu to lead and whenever Lucy jumps in, there’s a tough right hand in her stomach or biting hook on her eye to greet her Both girls getting off in a wide ranging fifth—Dushku less flashy, more economical with her feet, but effective—she’s one of the most mobile opponents Liu’s had to deal with.

R6: Liu turns up the heat, loping to her right, she swats little come-along hooks under Eliza’s chin, then suddenly changes direction to walk Dushku into a crushing right hand on the mouth—Eliza double clutches as her legs lock up. Liu with that Hamed look—feet wide apart, hands down—she leans in and out as Dushku freezes, helping herself to Eliza’s breadbasket or face with surprising swats from her thighs. Dushku just standing in front of Liu, not forcing adjustments on the champ as she was earlier and Lucy has her best round. Eliza D lumping up a bit after a comprehensive shutout from Liu—Lucy chesting up to force eye contact at the bell.

R7: 180 degrees from Eliza as she goes from sly counter punches to bent-nosed grave digger inside. Liu not expecting the shift and Dushku gets to the Asian’s chest, walking Lucy to the ropes and piling on this round. Dushku working over Liu’s left side, cramming left hands into the waist, clubbing right hands onto the back as Liu lays in to take. Just pressure fighting basics from Dushku—using that left shoulder to Liu’s mouth, staying busy and she leaves the champ numb at the bell-Liu looking shopworn as she wanders to her corner.

R8: Liu’s legs aren’t there—Dushku jumps on and continues to work at a feverish pace. Eliza keeping her head on Liu, using her right mitt to pull Liu’s left shoulder down then spanking kidney with cheap, but effective right hands. Constant scrabbling left hooks short and tough to the belly have Liu squinting in pain—Lucy bullied up against the ropes as Dushku does her best nia Peeples imitation.

R9: Eliza D feeling it—she’s got Liu’s thighs trembling after every round of body work, and she goes right back to the midsection with dreadful concentration, Liu cheek to cheek, gets off on occasion, but she’s getting walked into ropes and worked over—this isn’t her fight. Dushku breaking  Liu down with thudding work to the back and belly, but spicing things up on occasion with that jolting right uppercut inside, taking advantage of a wilting Lucy Liu as she bends forward. Discouraging beating for the champ—she peels her sticky back off the ropes at the bell and can’t disguise the hurt on her pinched face in the corner.

R10: Dushku jabbing her way in, then its back to the salt mines, pulling and wrestling with Lucy’s arms, licking at the Asian’s quivering middle, and forcing Liu to the ropes. Dushku getting brawny and loving it—those hurtful right hands to the back setting up delicious lefts to the gut—Liu glassy eyed, punished—she’s lolling forward in a daze and gets ROCKED back by that opportunistic uppercut. LIU GOES DOWN! Lucy caught clean, momentarily stunned, sinks to one knee as Dushku dances away with a cocky grin—champion’s heart won’t let Liu go out, but she sways hurt in her corner to take 8. Eliza driving in hard down the stretch—shouldering and propping Liu back into the corner, putting punches together and really getting her hips into devastating hooks to the body to keep Liu hurting. Liu slipping into stupor as Eliza will nudge Lucy’s right shoulder with the left palm just to open her up a little, then dig a hook into the stomach with no backswing. At the bell, Eliza D can’t restrain the glee—she knows she’s done it. Comes back UD10 for the winner and NEW unified flyweight champ, Eliza Dushku!

After: Great fight plan, greater results—Dushku hanging back, taking no chances early, carrying Liu into the latter half of the fight and then hammering the body with singleminded malice to the end. Side by side at the decision—Liu’s achy body language and swollen features stark contrast to the beaming, glowing face of the new queen. Fight all even after 6, but heartbreaking body work sapped Lucy’s legs of life—Liu just gutting it out down the stretch as she took a withering beating in losing he title, “I’m satisfied,” says the grinning champ nouveau, “I thought she might punk out in the second, but she hung in there to take her beating, and I give her credit—most girls would have quit going down in the tenth, knowing that it was all over at that point. I love the face we went rounds—no one can say that I got lucky or that she wasn’t at her best. I dismantled Lucy Liu tonight and threw her back to the pack. She’ll have to earn a rematch just like the rest of them, If people thought Lucy was a harsh champion, just wait’ll they get a load of me!” With the promise of continued tyranny, potential challengers are lining up—including a potential Buffy showdown—Gellar beside herself with what her brunette understudy has been able to accomplish away from the WB closed door sessions.

Reposted by Archer 10/22/09.