BEFORE: Tisha Merry is back in the ring following her nightmare debut versus Ashley Mulheron that ended in a dislocated jaw. She was a primary target for Sammy Winward since quite a while but because of that injury this fight had to be postponed. In the so called mean time Winward managed to get blown away by Rachel Shenton in a mild upset but the Coronation Street vs Emmerdale rivalry is always one reason to believe this contest will be as exciting as a title clash outright despite both Tisha and Sammy being widely regarded as creampuff and soft in the gut among other things. 

Denise van Outen questions whether any of this girls is strong enough to deliver a knockout punch but the Beevers' PR guru Andrea McLean who guides the otherwise unmanaged Merry thinks the Mulheron experience was simply a misjudged call on the team's side which cost Tisha a lot of self confidence instead: "We should have picked Sammy from the bat! And now watch that van Outen old slapper lose all her credibility since Tisha will smoke Sammy senseless tonight!" 

Sammy Winward wears a pink bikini and black gloves. Long blonde hair tied in a custom ponytail. Tisha Merry wears a white bikini and blue gloves. Dark brown hair tied in a bun at the back of her head. The fight is scheduled for ten rounds in the flyweight division. 

Round 1: 

Sammy's the more aggressive of the two early as she loops overhands into Tisha's face and tries to make the most out of her opponent's visible hesitation. It's never easy to return after a serious injury let alone that happening on your debut and the blonde is well aware of that as she spikes her efforts upstairs and has Tisha on the run down the stretch. Not much coming back from the Beevers girl who spends most of the time fending off the blonde's charge but still finds a soild combo on the mouth keeping Winward honest come the final minute. Both girls settle into mid range dispute trading half-hearted leather in the proccess and Denise van Outen thinks that Sammy should have kept the drive going at all costs but let Merry off the hook instead. 

Round 2: 

More early swings from Winward bounce into the brunette's face but Tisha comes out more committed to her efforts and responds by slamming her gloves into the blonde's body to keep her in tracks and moves up for some jug punishment as Sammy slips forward and gets nailed across the chest. Tisha sends a quick flurry of punches to the head making the most of the close range heat and whips the older girl on her heels before driving more leather on the mouth and sending Winward into defensive circles. Tisha ups her footwork rate but skims off the forearms in a rushed pursuit giving Sammy a chance to respond over the top and in the final minute the Emmerdale girl works furiously against Merry's face backing her into the ropes after another see-saw affair. Tisha applies the clinch to see out the clock. 

Round 3: 

Both girls settle into another mid distance exchange but Sammy's superior reach gives her the edge and after a couple of wild snaps, Tisha has to enforce more effective stance but gets staggered by a quick hook on the liver area and falls right into the blonde's uppercut flurry instead. Sammy bashes her guard aside and pummels back to the ropes where she smacks Merry across the mouth and adds solid jabbing combo to leave the Coronation Street actress covering up plenty. Winward switches downstairs and whacks her foe around the elbows to keep Tisha trapped under the onslaught but despite all her efforts, the lack of core strenght is visible and Merry doesn't even scream all that much; she even manages to riffle a late counter hook which slams Sammy on the eye and results in the Corrie girl walking off the precarious position and looping a late combo on the head to stun the otherwise dominant blonde. 

Round 4: 

Sammy tries to up the pace of the fight and crashes into Tisha's jugs but instead of wobbling the girl back, she eats a quick uppercut series and has Merry scowling at her and blowing right past the guard to snap the head back & forth and sink the surprised blonde on her knees. Tisha works the close range drill and delivers more uppercuts on the chin to dump a wobbly-butt blonde onto the ropes and a vicious hook on the liver area really gives Winward something to think about. She's unable to keep the guard in tact and allows Merry to pound her way onto the cheeks and leave first meaningful marks on the otherwise pretty face. All Merry thereafter too... she switches on the body after Winward finally managed to cover herself up properly but the midriff onslaught becomes equally lethal and has the Emmerdale blonde screaming in pain at the bell and Tisha waving her glove to the audience following her best round in BBU competition to date. 

Round 5: 

Merry makes the early jump in the fifth and dwarfs the blonde's footwork to slice through the guard and resume the facial attack. Sammy is caught on her heels and doesn't have the pace to outwork the Corrie opponent which sends her into defensive circles which only last that long until Tisha spikes the mouth with a piledriving effort and backs the subdued blonde into the neutral corner. Tisha leans her head against Sammy's chin and whoops her on the body with a full-time attack to make the older actress gasp for air and eventually moan her struggles out after the repeated blows to the midriff finally take it's toll. Again, no real killer punch in Merry's performance and she's unable to send Winward down but still leaves her sagging on jelly knees and struggling to breathe at the bell. 

Round 6: 

Tisha's jaw lasted only three rounds against Ashley Mulheron but she's really finding her stride now as Sammy just can't catch her breath and endures another midriff mauling early in the sixth to leave the Coronation Street camp cheering her girl on wildly! Merry drives more uppercuts into the blonde's chin and bends her forward in the middle of the ring before blasting her around the elbows and just pounding back to the ropes with ease. Sammy lifts her head up to witness another looping hook crashing into her left eye before more uppercuts dissect her guard alltogether and just whoop her sideways splattered against the ropes... Tisha has that killer spark in the eye and blasts the cross hook on the nose to SEND THE BLONDE SLIDING DOWN ON HER BACKSIDE with a quiet whimper... Andrea McLean leads the Beevers applause in the front seats and Tisha looks truly stunned she just send Winward down for the count... and it will be a struggle for the blonde who doesn't even open her eyes until the count reaches five and oh no, she's no good here. She shrugs her head submission style and prefers to stay sitting down indicating she cannot breathe at all and collapses to her side alltogether when the ref counts her out! KO6 Tisha Merry!!! 

AFTER: Tisha jumps up & down all over the ring and looks like she just won a divisional title but it's a complete turnaround from her disastrous BBU debut and one must understand her joy! She pulled away from the experienced blonde once the punches began to stack up and well, Sammy keeps flattering to deceive and perhaps should reconsider her imminient plans. Because right now she's a perfect opponent if you want to improve you record and handing Tisha Merry her maiden BBU victory looks on paper as bad as it is in real life! Inexcusable performance from the slender blonde who once fought so ferociously on the Emmerdale TV set with Roxanne Pallett.... those days are long gone though and what's worse, the life-long battle of the soap operas has another Coronation Street victory marker down and secured. It just couldn't get any worse for Sammy Winward & the Emmerdale crew tonight, could it? 

Final result: Tisha Merry def. Sammy Winward KO6.