BEFORE: 

French beauty has been game as always of late, but has dropped three in a row and four of five, all to Front Street bantams. Her confidence, however, remains unshaken. "I have had some rough outings, yes," she says with a smile and that gorgeous French accent, "But, I'm still the girl who's beaten Olsen, Alba, and Pressly. And, tonight, I'm going to add Penelope to that list." 

Penelope coming off one of the biggest wins of her career, a sixth-round TKO of Jaime Pressly. She's three of her last four, and clearly believes her roll is going to continue by going right over her French opponent. "Elodie is better than people think," Cruz says with her own lovely Spanish accent, "But, she is not good enough to beat me, and I will prove it." 

ROUND ONE: 

Elodie willing to give ground early. She's got younger legs than her opponent, but she wants to work from the pocket tonight, and Cruz more than eager to engage on those terms. Quickly it's Elodie leaning back in the ropes, guard high, rolling the head and shoulders and Penelope beginning the assault, looking for any weaknesses in the French defenses and putting leather through any holes she can find or create. There aren't many, however, and Frege scores well in counter, so Cruz changes tactics and goes body. She bangs midsection and ribs, thumping the French beauty with heavy shot from close range, looking to bring the guard down, or, failing that, to claim the round to the body and begin the process of reducing her opponent. Frege keeps the guard up, scores some in counter, but, with Penelope concentrating downstairs, those opportunities are fewer and, at the bell, Penelope has secured two of her three goals, beginning the reduction and claiming the first round and the 10-9 lead. 

ROUND TWO: 

With two sleek, leggy beauties, one would not expect to see grim, grinding stuff so early in a fight, but, one's expectations would be wrong. Cruz wants to pressure, and Frege wants to set up the pocket and force the assault, so it's grim and grinding we get. Penelope's found something that works, the body, and she's sticking with it. Frege's a tall girl, 5'7", and that means there's body to be had. The Frenchwoman, however, willing to give it up to set up her defense-and-counter strategy, and she's becoming more comfortable countering the body work, getting hooks and uppercuts of her own home with increasing frequency as the round goes on. Nobody's hurt, but plenty of leather finds the target. Frege's beginning to pink up from the continuing Spanish assault, while Penelope takes some solid shot to both head and body in what turns out to be a very close round that goes to Frege and evens things at 19. 

ROUND THREE: 

Same again. Both fighters resolute. Both believe they have a winning strategy on these terms. One is wrong, of course, but no one knows which one. Frege keeps shipping damage to the body, little grunts and groans betraying the effects of the Spanish leather banging her midsection, ribs and lats. In response, Cruz takes hooks to the head and flanks, uppercuts to the face and tummy. Again, grim, grinding stuff, with neither fighter willing to back down from the strategy of taking punishment to give some back.  Both fighters again plenty effective. Lots of leather getting where it needs to be. Nobody hurt, but everybody hurting. It's been less than nine minutes and there's not any question that both fighters are going to need the hot tub when this thing is over. The question, though, remains who's hand will be raised when that happens. At the bell, it's another close one to Frege, and Elodie now holds a slim 29-28 lead. 

ROUND FOUR: 

Same again. Someone's wrong. But no one knows who. Both fighters, however, are sure it's the other girl. Both are certain that if they just keep working, the other girl is going to fail and fall. And then we get a clue. It's a right uppercut from Cruz that comes after a left hook buried in Frege's midsection, a left hook that bunches the French stunner up just a bit and allows the uppie to land on the chin. It wobbles Frege's legs and forces Elodie to clinch to remain on her feet. Cruz immediately sends in the reserves, hammering away at he French woman with both hands, shaking her again and again with right hands. Frege's in deep trouble and knows it. She hangs on desperately, covering up, clinching, holding down Penelope's arms, anything to run clock. Cruz shoves off, completely abandons the body, and fires everything she has upstairs in a concerted effort to either put Frege down or force the referee's hand. She can do neither. The bell sounds with Elodie still standing but visibly shaken and wobbly on her way back to her corner. The cards are now even at 38, but it's clear who now has the edge in the fight. 

ROUND FIVE:  

Cruz looking to consolidate, but, here's where Frege's pocket style is extremely effective. If a girl knows how to play this game and she has her legs under her, the only thing added aggression does is open up the aggressor to more counters. The girl in the pocket can block, slip, and roll with punches, all the while using the openings to land solid shot of her own. And, that's just what Elodie does. In the first minute or so, Penelope is the more effective of the two. Frege's still shaking cobwebs and Cruz is getting leather home. But, as the round goes on and Penelope keeps upping the pressure, Elodie begins to sting her in counter. Cruz keeps at it, determined to press the French beauty, but it's not going to work. The Spaniard is playing Frege's game, and there's no percentage in that. Elodie controls the latter portions of the round and claims it narrowly to grab the lead at 48-47, and, more importantly, stabilize after a tough fourth round. 

ROUND SIX: 

Frege back to the pocket and Cruz back to a patient siege strategy. Penelope taking some body again now, thumping the French beauty's ribs and abs while Frege keeps the guard up and works her counters extremely well. This is good stuff from both fighters. Cruz much sounder, setting up her punches better, Frege smooth as always, A follows B and leads to...DOWN GOES CRUZ! It's a lightning left uppercut that catches Penelope ducking to hook body. The punch straightens up the Spanish beauty and Frege follows with a right hook that sends her crashing to her right side in the sand. Penelope is down, shaking her head as the referee begins to count. She pushes to hands and knees for a few seconds, and then slowly sinks down to her belly, face turned to her left, staring out at the crowd, where she remains as the count passes her by. It's OVER! And your winner by KO6 is Elodie Frege! 

AFTER:  

Frege may never completely silence the doubters, because of where she comes from and how she started her FCBA career. They'll all remember the knockout losses, the long streaks of futility. But, with every win over a good fighter, the voices of those doubters recede further and further into the background. "I say it all the time," says a jubilant Frege, a gorgeous smile on her face. "I'm a good fighter and I prove it by beating good fighters. I proved it again tonight." And, that she did. That, she did.