BEFORE: 

There's no need to ask either fighter questions to know how these two feel about one another. Oh, there might be a sliver of respect down there somewhere, down deep, buried under miles and miles of stacked hatred. There's no doubt both fighters know how good the other is, and respect her abilities, because both have been on the losing end against the other, and both know that could happen again tonight. But. Only deep, deep down. Buried under miles and miles of confidence, the kind of confidence that builds when you're, for instance, a twelve time champion and Hall of Famer. 

"It's been eight years," says Dani with a shake of the head. "Eight years since I've had a title shot. My comeback started six years ago last month and it's all been leading up to this. And, the fact that it comes against Mack is absolutely delicious. I was actually kind of sad that it didn't end her career when I beat her in that best-of-seven back in 2010. Now, I'm happy about it. Because, she's finally made it all the way back to the top. And I get to be the one to take all that from her. Again." 

Or, when you haven't lost in almost two years, have a seventy percent career winning percentage, and just reclaimed the title after eight years in the wilderness. 

"There was no question about this from the moment I won the belts," Allison says with eyes as hard as you can imagine. "Fishel's on her last legs, and everyone knows it. And I'm going to be the one to shove her out the door for good. I'm going to be the one to drive that stake through her heart. Right here. On pay-per-view. Tonight. Sweet." 

ROUND ONE: 

Dani immediately wants to do what Dani does, close, work inside, go tummy. Allison's seen this act before, however, and is more that prepared for it. Come into my parlor, fly. Dani comes. Allison waits patiently as "The Tank" works body, banging back in kind on even terms. Then comes a short uppie between Fishel's gloves. Gobsmacked. Dani is gobsmacked, having fallen into a well-prepared trap baited as a result of rounds and rounds of experience against Dani's tactics. Fishel staggers backward, nearly goes down. Those sturdy legs that have held her up so many times before do the job again, but Mack smells blood in the water and goes to work. She thumps Fishel, head, body, head, forcing her backward, bodying her into the ropes, then pounding her with hard shot after hard shot. Mack getting off lusty, giving Fishel a beating as Dani hangs on desperately. The referee looks closely in the waning seconds, but Fishel does just enough and he allows it to continue to the bell. Mack can barely suppress a smile on her way back to the corner. The start couldn't have gone much better. 10-9, Allison after one. 

ROUND TWO: 

Mack isn't going to be surprised by anything Fishel does, and, of course, the inverse is also true. So, Allison is not at all surprised when Fishel is right back at her to begin the second, looking to close despite things going sideways in the first. Mack makes a show of working the jab, trying to keep the Hall of Famer outside where the blonde can use her reach advantage, but it's only a show. Dani wants to work in close quarters, and that's also Allison's game. Things quickly get into the phone booth and both fighters are as comfortable there as Superman. And, while there's some work upstairs initially, it's body work that rules the day as the round goes on. Both of these fighters love brutal wars of attrition inside, mainly because they're both so good at them. And that skill is on full display in the second, as blonde and brunette create sliver openings to the body and then fill them with leather. They dig with great vigor, pounding away at one another right to, and, as has often been the case in battles between these two, a few seconds beyond the bell, forcing the referee to force his way between them and send them back to their corners. The scorecards in this one are close, but it's Fishel by a whisker, and the fight is now even at 19. 

ROUND THREE: 

Fishel is an absolute artist inside. If you want a good demonstration of how she made the Hall of Fame, just watch what she can do in close quarters, all the tiny but crucial things. Watch how she uses her shoulder to lift Mack up slightly, opening up her ribs for a short uppercut. Watch how she rolls with a left hook and bangs home a right to the belly as she does so. Watch how the head moves behind and with the gloves to make targeting difficult. Watch the feet and the almost infinitesimal movements that create better geometry, geometry that makes the difference between a punch being blocked or slipped and a punch landing clean. Watch all of it, all the artistry of the trade of the inside fighter, and understand Fishel has all of that and needs all of that against Mack, who's as good at it as she is. Watch the two fighters grind at one another for three solid minutes, again, working almost exclusively body, investing heavily for later rewards. Watch and enjoy, because there aren't many match ups that will produce this kind of inside fighting masterwork, but this one can, and, almost always does. And, after you're done watching those three minutes, try to figure out who got the better of the round. It's not easy. Because, again, it's a razor-thin margin. But, again, it's Fishel's. And, the Hall of Famer now has the lead 29-28. 

ROUND FOUR: 

BOOM! BOOM? BOOM! Almost instantly. At the very beginning of the round. It's the short uppie again. Perfectly timed between the gloves of the Hall of Famer. Fishel is straightened up, sent stumbling back. She nearly goes down, but is able to regain her balance just as Mack arrives to launch the all-out assault. What happens next isn't pretty, especially if you're a fan of "The Tank". It's a brutal battering of head and, especially body by the blonde, who viciously abuses the brunette for nearly three solid minutes, mostly against the ropes. Several times Fishel wobbles, but manages to stay on her feet. And, as the round nears its end, the referee is poised to step in and stop what's happening. But, again, Dani does enough. Just enough. He allows the abuse to continue, and, continue it does, right to the final second. Mack breaks off cleanly at the bell, turning her back on her rival without so much as a look. Allison claims it wide and evens things at 38. 

ROUND FIVE: 

Fishel looking like she's on her last legs early. Mack has the advantage now, and she's pressing it. She's backing up a wobbly Dani, getting off lusty with both hands. Fishel fighting hard to hold ground, but can't do it. Mack systematically taking it from her, cornering her, setting her up for the kill. Dani, of course, is Dani. She's not going to go quietly. She's firing back with all she has, using every trick in the book to slow the blonde, but nothing works. Mack's romping, in full control, and then BLONDE. GIRL. DOWN! Just like that. It's a short left hook that freezes Allison and a scorching right that sends her to her back. Mack's up quickly, shaking it off at six, but on comes Dani! Fishel looking to clean up in a big way, regaining all the canvas that was taken from her earlier in the round, pinning Mack to the ropes and battering her body viciously as the blonde keeps the guard high and runs clock. Fishel never comes close to finishing, but she rolls up points, grabbing a round she was clearly losing 10-8 to go up 48-46 and change the complexion of the contest. 

ROUND SIX: 

Mack fuming as the sixth starts. She's been here before with Fishel and she's not having it tonight. Tonight is HER night, the night Allison Mack evens the career series at 4-4 and successfully defends the championship she worked eight years to reclaim. Mack's shaken off the knockdown, has the legs back, and wants to punish Dani for her impudence. But, Fishel has other ideas. She holds ground now, and we go back to the phone booth, back to the terms Dani loves, back to where "The Tank" is queen. Oh, Allison holds her own, because Mack can work in here, where the grimy, gritty, nasty stuff gets done, as well as just about anyone, but, again, Fishel's an artist. And, it's not so much that she gets more done as the fight settles back to where were in the second and third, it's that she appears to. And, that's an art in itself. So, after three minutes of clean dirty work, the bell sounds and Fishel claims another round by the slimmest of margins. And, she now has the champion in a hole, 58-55. 

ROUND SEVEN: 

Back to the grind, and more aggression from "The Knife". Allison knows she's behind, knows she's got to get rolling, so she gets even more physical. What was more of a tactical fight becomes more of a wrestling match, as Mack shoves and grapples, working to overpower the shorter woman in close combat. Of course, overpowering "The Tank" is easier said than done. Dani holds her ground pretty well once again, and, if it's wrestling Mack wants, it's wrestling she'll get. The hate is useful here. Useful on both sides. Makes it easier to apply a headlock and crush a girl's head between your left arm and side while you work her ribs or kidney with your right. Makes it easier to pull her head down into the path of an uppercut or wrap her arms up and shove her backward, all the things you need to do when things get like this inside. And, both girls have plenty of hate to draw on. And both take quite a bit out of those respective accounts. When it's over, it's yet another close round, this one to the champion. With three to go, it's 67-65, Fishel. 

ROUND EIGHT: 

We're back to the slop. And, do you know who "The Queen of the Slop" is? If you guessed Danielle Fishel, DING! DING! DING! And, Her Majesty is not about to get bested at her own game for two consecutive rounds, at least not without a fight. Fishel ups the ante inside, using every trick in the book. She's got Mack's right arm trapped between her own left and her left side while she hooks ribs with the right just under the bust line. She's leveraging the blonde constantly, getting low and knocking her off balance with shoulders. She's got her head driving into the middle of Mack's rack as she thumps her flanks with leather. And, Allison responds in kind. Headlocks, arm locks, underhooks. Somebody might have gotten two points for a takedown if the bell hadn't rung when it did. Again, it's a near thing. And, again, Fishel claims it, taking the 77-74 lead with just two left. 

ROUND NINE: 

Mack turns it up. The blonde may or may not know she's in a hole. After all, five of the eight rounds have been so close the judges could be seeing them either way. But, while she may not know she's behind, Mack knows this thing is close, and she's been here before with Dani. And, again, she doesn't want to revisit any of that. So, she gets even more physical inside. This time, though, it's not about tying up, but about doing some thumping. She's letting the hands go at every opportunity, pounding every legal inch of Fishel's body save the rack before going upstairs and then right back down. But, again, this kind of inside work is what Danielle loves, and "The Tank" can't wait to engage in more of it. The result is an absolutely brutal round that sees both women's bodies viciously punished and both fighters take several hard shots to the head that back them up a step. Of course, that only results in said fighter taking a quick step forward to re-engage, because, again, neither one of these two women are about to give an inch to the other. When the bell finally rings, we have a sixth very close round, this one to Mack. 86-84. With one round left. 

ROUND TEN: 

Allison may not know she needs a big round here. She may not know that, of the six narrow margin rounds thus far, Dani has claimed four, and, as a result, finds herself to be three minutes away from reclaiming belts that, frankly, few people ever expected her to reclaim when she walked away from the FCBA eight years ago. Mack may not know that. But, she acts like she knows that. Or, perhaps, she just knows that Danielle Fishel is still standing and that's not something she can live with. Because, what happens in the tenth round is an absolute blitzkrieg. "The Knife" charges "The Tank" off the bell, amazingly, taking the brunette by surprise with her ferocity (and, how much ferocity does there have to be for Fishel to be surprised by something Mack does?) and immediately sending her into retreat. A blizzard of punches drives the Hall of Famer out of her defenses, has her backing and covering, and then a left hook sends those sturdy legs to wobbling! Fishel's hurt with two plus minutes left, and Allison Mack looks like a lioness who's just been tossed a juicy steak. Mack empties the magazines, shells her ammo dumps flat. She fires everything she has at Fishel, sending Dani stumbling, retreating in front of her. Fishel is shaken again and again as she desperately hangs on down the stretch. She's trapped against the ropes, eating power punches, her legs quaking with each blonde bomb that lands. The referee has to be thinking about it. He seems about to leap between the fighters several times. But. He knows who these two are and what this fight means. Then comes another left hook. Fishel stumbles along the ropes, nearly goes down. The referee begins to move. And the bell rings! It's over! Fishel's battered but still standing and so is the crowd. What a finish to this one, and, with six very tight rounds, everyone awaits the final decision. As it's read, the place goes nuts. 95-94. For your winner. And NEW Unified Bantamweight Champion, DANIELLE FISHEL! 

AFTER: 

The ring an absolute madhouse. Fishel in no condition to try any post-fight antics with Mack, and the Front Street corner not going to allow Allison to do anything against the unwritten rules of same. She's not the winner, so, as many spoils as she'd like to take, she gets none. She's spirited out of the ring as Fishel and company celebrate. And, oh, what a celebration it is. It's a celebration of vindication. 

Vindication for Fishel's comeback. A comeback that's been criticized over and over again. "She should have stayed retired," they said, when she lost four in a row in her comeback year of 2009. "She should have stayed retired," they said, when Britney Spears blew her up in two rounds in 2010 and used her as a springboard back to the title. "She should have stayed retired," they said, when she lost to up-and-comers Ashley Greene and Alyson Michalka in 2011. "She should have stayed retired," they fairly shouted when she looked bad in losses to Christina Ricci and Alyssa Milano in 2012. "She should have stayed retired," they said, with shaking heads, when Jessica Simpson beat her and jugged her out on the beach in 2013. "Why didn't she stay retired," they asked, when she lost to Greene and Demi Lovato in 2014. THIS. IS. WHY. SHE. DIDN'T. STAY. RETIRED. She's on top of the world again, having just won the titles back, and, perhaps more importantly in her mind, having sent Allison Mack home frustrated and disappointed yet again. She's back on top. And she doesn't try to hide the elation. "This is AMAZING!" she says with a huge smile. "Ranks up there with any fight I've ever won. To do it like this, after all this time, against Mack...when no one thought I could...it was all worth it. This makes it all worth it!" And, so it does.