UNIFIED FLYWEIGHT TITLE

Posted by Simguy on 11/1/2003, 9:51 am.

Before: With all due respect to Hewitt, Packard et al--Danes/Portman being promoted as the best pure boxing showdown the division has to offer right now--plenty of pride at stake along with the belts, Mish Williams sums ‘em up. “This could be a stinky fight, both girls really know how to run but I’m curious to see how I plays out. If they mix it up a little, I think Claire can put it on Natalie--Danes is a little more elusive and Portman’s petty conventional boxer. But you can outwork Claire and Natalie’s very good at that--if Portman’s allowed to set the pace, she could bury Danes on the cards,. It’s a toss up, it really is--I have no clue who’s going to come out on top.” Claire in red bra style bikini, Portman in white sports bra, high waist white aerobics bottoms, battle braid.

During R1: Connects in the single digits for both women and those grazing, glancing type blows< Portman the aggressor, coming forward behind a constructive jab--Danes tucking her chi behind her left shoulder, putting her lead foot in a bucket and swivel-pivoting around her girl, using more a pesky slap-jab. Natalie takes close points, just for moving her hands, making the fight.

R2:  Natalie brisk, putting jabs, smooth right hands and hooks together--Danes slipping and ducking a lot of it, but a trailing left catches her chin, stuns her and sets her up pretty for Natalie’s under-rated right. Claire staggered, face taut with pain--she makes moves at the ropes, scurries to the corner as Natalie patiently hunts her down to finish. Second minute, Portman punching hard right hands to Claire’s flank, looking for hook up top, but danes times a left juuuust before it and NATALIE’S HURT! Portman rocked a counter-hook off the ropes--veteran Claire dips and digs a thumping barrage to tummy. Final minute--Natalie woozy, clinching as she did against Halliwell--Danes bouncing up and down to butt her shoulder against Natalie’s teeth in reprisal.

R3: Claire comes out southpaw--has Natalie a little tentative, cautious. Danes dragging her front right foot--pawing and chiseling the jab, keeping it on Natalie--then drilling the straight left hand--Portman’s head jerking back from popping blows on her face as action heats up. Nat shooting the right cross, but Claire’s dipping underneath it, snick-snacking at the gut, coming out of the crouch very close to Portman and NAILING her tight right hooks, Down the stretch, Natalie getting herself together behind her jab, ducks in close, comes up cheek to cheek with Danes and a FURIOUS barrage of body punches rips back and forth as girls hustle leather to the finish line. Hardhearted exchange tears on after the bell--girls separated all flashing eyes and heaving chests.

R4: Natalie wants her way inside, coming in guard up, looking for short uppercuts, Claire obliging her, licking the torso and ribs with steady strokes, swiveling to the side--nip and tuck punching from both cuties. Final minute, Natalie not punching, guard drooping a little as Claire’s rib-shine takes effect. Danes with a swatting southpaw right hook, straight left hand sends Portman reeling onto the ropes. Claire hops forward, licking righty hooks against that throbbing ribcage, then SMOKING a worn Portman a meanspirited right elbow/forearm in the ear. Natalie dazed--swooning--Claire pounding away tight, tight elbow smashes against the ear/jaw, spilling the champ along the ropes. Bell sounds--Claire pulled back by the ref--Portman shaking her head, staggering back to her corner in a fog.

R5: Natalie glaring as she puts neat lefts and rights together--missing, but keeping Danes on the defensive. End of first minute--Claire bending low, saying her torso side to side--Portman cranking hooks finally clips temple, buckling Claire’s knees! Danes straightening, clattering straight back-Nattie on her with spitting jabs, driving right hands to stampede challenger to ropes. Brisk, punishing lather--Natalie raking lefts with the right tight to her cheek., digging rights up underneath with the left tight to her cheek--compact, professional form as she whittles away on Claire, Danes making Portman miss up top, but brunette body touches add up--both girls know enough to dig to the midsection--Portman’s got Claire hugging up hurt at the bell.

R6: Claire staying southpaw, slowly carving out her territory. Portman shortening up her strokes to make contact, but she’s getting tattooed-=-Claire lathering a snatching right in behind that left elbow, then bringing it to jaw, swiveling to the right as Natalie can’t get off. Claire stepping right, spotting her left hand--she’s getting a nice straight hesitation left off her feints, catching Portman flush on the chin--Nattie’s legs don’t like it. Portman shook at several points in the round--when she tries to clinch--Danes wears out the midsection and slides off to the right. Claire smiling, pumping fists en route to her corner--she’s feeling it through 6.

R7: Natalie bracing Claire with jabs, overwhelming the defence--blonde twisting and turning, stepping back, but Portman staying on her and landing. Sharp punching in combination the key--Claire can slip a few, but Nat’s getting through with the 4th and 5th. Portman gets a stunning right on the chin of Claire off the jab, reloads and pokes an immediate right hand follow up home and DANES GOES WOBBLY BUTT! Claire scattering to the ropes, elbows in, leaning forward to get low--Natalie won’t spare the lash. Meanspirited rights and lefts swab off Danes’ vulnerable lower back, dig heartlessly up underneath, shoehorn in behind those elbows. Claire weak-kneed, faltering, but refusing nto go down--she’s clinching shamelessly, but can’t walk Natalie back--brunette pouring it on much too strong. Down the stretch, Natalie gets face on face with Claire, GOING  at the blonde, beating her in the body with galloping lefts and rights, sitting Danes in the ropes and the bell sounds! Natalie clips chin a late uppercut puts the hook on top and leaves Danes in a haze as the ref tackles an enraged champion off. Claire whining woozily of kidney shots and late hits to no avail.

R8: Hammer and tongs! Girls still defensive sound--Claire supple. Moving her head--Natalie with a tight high guard, blocking shots--but both want to get after it late in a close fight. Natalie digging belly, belly, tits and chin with a busy left. Claire shoving a straight left into Natalie’s taut tummy, clouting ear an immediate right hook. Back and forth--crisp, hateful punching. Claire applying a liberal dose of elbow in her work--bashing Natalie’s ribs in tight, cracking the brunette’s biceps as she guards up--it’s having an effect as Portman fades late, outraged by the cruel forearm touches. Dying seconds, Claire commits heart and soul to Natalie’s stomach, snatching and hammering at it and PORTMAN BUCKLES! Natalie sobbing out, clinching around the blonde’s neck--Danes able to slam away right forearms against exposed rib-bone as Natalie hangs on hurt at the bell.

R9: Claire. Danes circling, but pressing Natalie now--getting wince whenever she touches the champion’s midsection, backing the brunette up, Danes patient, never coming straight in--she’s tearing up the left flank with hooks, snuggling in close to pack her left just above Nat’s trunk line, shoeshining stomach and tits as  the girls lean in Portman looking discouraged, not punching back--Danes able to nibble, step and sting at will, really braking her girl down this round, Shutout Claire--she forces eye contact at the bell, making Natalie walk around her.

R10: Girls go for broke--Nat batting hooks against Claire’s right flank--Danes bobbing and digging up the middle with ropey, rolling combos and CLAIRE GETS HURT! Danes stepping in fence post holes, turns away just in time from a cleaving Natalie right--gets stampeded hurt into the ropes as brunette squares away. Danes shook, but alert--she relaxes into ropes, blocking wide shots on her shoulders, bending low beneath the straight pokes--she’s got Nat missing, now she makes her pay. Danes chipping her way back into the round, dipping side to side, snatching at ribcage as she moves her torso, checking the chin, sliding in close to smother the receipts, Portman gambling, trying o press the issue, but she’s not making solid contact, can’t finish what she started in the first minute. Both girls finish up breathless--Claire landing juuuust after the bell a saucy left hook,. Comes back one point duke for the winner and NEW flyweight champ--CLAIRE DANES.

After: Danes ascends the throne, strutting around the ring with a belt held aloft in both hands--she’s glorying I the moment. Surprisingly spirited affair, girls defensively sound, but not overly so--both got hit and hit hard tonight. “She’s cheaper than I thought,” says a disappointed but gracious Portman in post fight, “MUCH cheaper. She was throwing elbows all night--at my body, at my head, and I couldn’t even get the ref to warn her. I’m not saying she didn’t beat me, but what comes around goes around. Claire Danes isn’t true championship material.” Danes aglow, unrepentant, “Hey, we went at it, everyone said we’d be too cute to fight hard, but we went AT it, and the better woman won. Every time she hurt me, I hurt her right back--that’s never happened to Natalie before. She wanted to wear me down to the body--I KILLED her to the body, She’s not as smart as I thought she’d be--she was winning the fight outside, but I coaxed her in, lured her forward and took her part, She’s shabby--I’m the champ--life is SWEET!”

Reposted by Archer 11/21/10