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7 November 2015 Yvonne Strahovski vs Sarah Lancaster

Page history last edited by Vassago 8 years, 5 months ago

ESPN SATURDAY NIGHT BOXING

(NON-TITLE 135 LBS CATCHWEIGHT BOUT)

Posted by Lookout! Boxing & Vassago on November 7, 2015, 12:44 pm

BEFORE: "Oh yes, Yvonne and I go a long way back!", Sarah Lancaster says before the fight, "She was the lead female cast on 'Chuck' but I held my own there too! And while she's a lead FCBA cast, well - she's kinda used to running the show, isn't she? - my revival proccess is THE story of 2015! You can't make this stuff up! I deserve as much credit as she gets for rising to the P4P throne and I intend to silence all my critics preaching that my welterweight title run was only down to the division being weak! What a pile of horse! Is that LeeLee Sobieski so foolishly venting out her frustration in the press? She never like me, you know! And she wasn't even invited to the Revival tournament in first place! I almost feel sorry for her going all catchweight again... enjoy your Asylum pension, honey!"

Yvonne Strahovski stays clear of the welterweight controversy and plans to simply further establish herself as the best all-around FCBA fighter. Tackling the current 130+ champion is a bold idea for ANY lightweight and allthough many pundits believe the blonde Australian is still the designated favorite, Lancaster's rise from the inactivity ashes this season has turned so many heads, betting against her doesn't make much sense either... but someone will go down here tonight and the fight is worthy of the Boxing World Online special edition cover regardless of the post-Halloween hangover.

Yvonne Strahovski wears a light blue bikini set and black gloves. Blonde hair tied in a loose ponytail. Sarah Lancaster wears a brown bikini set and silver gloves. Dark brown hair wet and straight. The fight is scheduled for ten rounds as a 135 lbs catchweight (Sobieski pun intended).

Rounds 1 & 2:
Plenty of mutual respect between the two women leads to an overly cautious start dominated by single punching that makes little impression on the offence and allows the iron guard to shine. Strahovski looks happy just to see what Lancaster's got, her first fight after losing the straps to Odette Yustman was always going to be a great unknown even if there's not much to hide for her pound-for-pound elite prospects. On the other hand Lancaster's revival that toppled Bridget Regan for Upset of the Year candidate meets a familiar scheme that was enforced on the 'Chuck' movie set for years and whatever the welterweight champion has in store for the blonde compatriot, it's yet to be revealed inside the opening six minutes. Both women show no intentions to make the early moves but something will have to give sooner rather than later even for the sake of making LeeLee Sobieski's catchweight decision to look a viable option for anyone not associated with Front Street Gym.

Round 3:
Lancaster is the first one to break the cover and that's what Strahovski was waiting for, a burst of speed targets the blonde's midriff and reels her backwards channelling some welter power. Sarah leans on the front leg and looks to dominate the close range tangle whereas Yvonne throws overhands from the back foot but bounces off the top of the forehead and gets rocked by a hook to the solar plexus that enables the brunette to run away with more piercing jabs on the ribcage. Strahovski has to yield real estate as she keeps the welter champion in check but as she keeps missing upstairs, Lancaster just smashes her ribs with a furious launch and flicks a belting hook on the liver that sinks the blonde with a loud ache... a lightning quick follow up finds the jaw AND YVONNE GOES DOWN ON HER BACKSIDE... Sarah just made it look so easy! The crowd is stunned by the swift knockdown and literally nobody saw this coming... Strahovski's up on her feet very quickly though and shows enough respect to her rival she nods in approval of that shot... but it takes more than one punch to the jaw to send the Aussie powerhouse packing and she turns and spins herself away from more welter venom... Lancaster doesn't put the hammer down and lacks the agility required to clamp the Aussie escape down, she's showed enough close range heat to leave her foe wondering though but it's equally strange for the fans and pundits to ponder on what exactly happened there with Yvonne getting caught like Carrie Prejean's long lost twin sister!

Round 4:
Strahovski on the run, she openly refuses to enforce the close range drill and leaves Lancaster cutting into thin air for most of the round. The pursuit is on but for all her intimidating affairs, Yvonne just goes tactical here and lets the brunette wear herself out while keeping in bounds the single hand counterpunching performance that makes no impression on the parties involved. Sarah stands tall and pauses briefly but even that switch doesn't let Yvonne in for more attacks - any at all for that matter - and the round conculdes with more ducking & weaving as Lancaster maintains the upperhand but just isn't allowed to take full advantage of that unexpected knockdown in the previoius round.

Round 5:
Lancaster's ahead on points but forced into some jabbing action just to keep up with the blonde's tactics. Someone called for the bendy drill? Yvonne hands the brunette her best impression of Odette Yustman as she rolls away from more attacks and freezes the welterweight champion in the middle of the ring with a belting hook on the liver and thumping a follow up on the chin moments later... Sarah barks in frustration but just can't lay down the law as Yvonne bounces off her jugs and steps back to explore more footwork hoodoo... another burst of speed finally spikes the guard aside and connects with Sarah's face afterwards and the counterpunching goes wayward allowing Yvonne to duck in with a tummy assault and simply bump the brunette into the ropes where a late clinch prevents more meaningful action allthough Strahovski still manages to drill some leather into her foe's guts as the ref separates them. A long stare between the two at half-distance and one must wonder who exactly dominated the 'Chuck' TV set when the cameras were switched off?

Round 6:
No more respect from Lancaster who feels like she has to enforce more of that welter power on the blonde; a furious attack hacks Yvonne's tummy but the Aussie refuses to buckle and hammers a right hand on the temple to wobble the older actress forward... the blitz follow up comes from the left and has Yvonne thumping the ear to spin the brunette around before a jarring hook on the breasts stacks her up against the real pound-for-pound menace... A right cross finds the jaw and SENDS THE WELTER CHAMP SOUTH... heavy thump on the boards as Lancaster is ragdolled onto her bums... another knockdown out of nowhere despite the revealing lead-in for some... Sarah takes her time as she stares down at the canvas but the reality bites her hard... an uninspired Strahovski performance never takes her out of any contention... we're back up after a full eight count but the lack of speed leaves Lancaster battling for a clinch respite; Strahovski unloads the midriff drill to punch her back to the turnbuckle and while she can't split the gloves anymore, she does more than enough to freeze the brunette out in the corner and give her ab muscles a heavy leather check. Are we back to square one now?

Round 7:
It seems like Strahovski won't look back now after handing Lancaster that knockdown but she gets blitzed by a piercing overhand that slams her on the nose and allows the brunette to spike the tummy thereafter and wobble the blonde into a close range drill. An accidental clash of heads throws both women off their stance and Sarah recovers faster of the two blasting a left cross on the nose and jamming in a right hand on the eye moments later... Yvonne's head snaps on the spot and her arms drop low handing Lancaster a chance to drive a looping hook on the temple... AND DOWN GOES STRAHOVSKI... the blonde powerhouse never planted her feet properly after that clash of heads and was stunned by the brunette in another shocking knockdown reality... she crashes on her left side and rests on her knee after the five count taking more time to adjust to the fight plan. Still, there's no visible damage on the P4P leader but Lancaster is close to running away with the scorecards if things don't impove... and the gloves are off - if not literally - afterwards; both women trade heavy facial leather leading to a swelling make-over but it's like watching two of the most durables fighters around, no signs of checking out, just a straight-forward leather bash to decide who's better... Sarah maintains the upperhand by cleaning out the blonde's tummy in the dying seconds and she's on the verge of another big upset as Yvonne for the first time looks hollow in the eyes shaking her head in clear frustration.

Round 8:
Lancaster steps back in her assault holding the knockdown advantage that might just swing the fight her way and Strahovski gathers her thoughts before the ineviteable blast. Some pundits think the Aussie actress can no longer win the bout on the cards and it looks like both women realize that too as the eight round serves as the throwback to the opening two where action was very limited. Sarah's ready for the blonde pounce but it never happens and if Yvonne wanted to save some energy for one last push. she also handed the brunette a much needed respite along the way. The might of Lookout! Boxing brain powers are tested to the extreme now since even the BWO record keepers don't remember when was the last time that Strahovski lost two consecutive bouts. The upset is still on!

Round 9:
Here comes the ineviteable charge... Strahovski doesn't want to push the envelope to the very last moment and still holds a considerable footwork edge on her rival.. the piercing facial jabs set up the tummy switch and Lancaster almost openly teases the blonde into working the plan... but hold the phone, the haymker counter aimed at Yvonne's jaw goes wayward and wobbles the welter champ into a crashing hook on the nose that might have broken some bones to another girl... she gasps for air but falls into the close range mug juggin' that further slumps her down and has Strahovski pounding away into the ribcage thereafter... again, the footwork doesn't hold up well for the brunette who is backed into the ropes and while she tries to clinch the rampant blonde, she is nailed on the jaw amid a frantic uppercut flurry... a right hand follows on the nose and makes Sarah scream out her loudest of the night before another brutal uppercut SENDS HER SLIDING DOWN ON HER BACKSIDE... Strahovski equals the knockdown count and she bullied the brunete into that bitter scenario... The blonde powerhouse looks relieved upon that fact and Sarah is visibly upset... everyone saw the late surge coming but still, she just couldn't stop it ever since that massive hook to the nose... what's worse, she remains glued to the ropes after that knockdown and Strahovski pounds more air from her lungs with a late rally aimed exclusively at the guts... Sarah stumbles forward at the bell and for once she looks to be plain tired out there...

Round 10:
Lancaster finally applies the clinch to bide her time in the ring as Yvonne eyes another close range affair to enforce more pain on the fellow 'Chuck' starlet... it's a blatant survival attempt for Sarah regardless of the scorecards but you simply don't give Strahovski any extra chances... whatever it takes to defeat the blonde powerhouse... things get jumpy when the ref refuses to separate the wrestling & shoving reality and Vonnie lets him have it verbally... Lancaster is finally dragged away into the clear deep inside the two minute mark but knows she has to weather one last charge... she decides to go right after the blonde but is too slow to beat Strahovski for the overhand meeting... AND YVONNE NAILS HER ON THE EYE tearing the brow ridge into a seeping nightmare... blood spills out and gets into the blonde's eyes shutting her follow up down but Lancaster is rooted to the spot and wobbles forward with a loud yelp, she bumps off Yvonne's head and then gets clipped by another uppercut on the jaw... there's not much strenght left in her AND SHE TUMBLES DOWN FLAT ON HER BACK as Strahovski somehow scores the third knockdown of the night.... can Sarah avoid the most painful of losses after her comeback? Cue in the durable operator... she's up at NINE would you believe it and swaying around like a leaf in the wind... still, ref doesn't stop the fight as Yvonne indicates he should do it!!! Now we have some bad temper on display but the blonde shouldn't argue with the man in charge but plain attack the wounded brunette instead... by the time she finally realizes that, the clock is not her friend anymore and Sarah hangs on for the bell buried in deep earmuff and soaking up the repeated harpoons to the liver area... But no, Yvonne just can't finish her off before the final bell... and we will go to the scorecards. Comes back 93-92 for your winner Yvonne Strahovski in one point duke come-from-behind fashion!!!

AFTER: That was a gruesome bout that had plenty of highlights including no less than FIVE knockdowns that didn't result in the KO outright... and all this at 135 lbs catchweight... Strahovski looked bleak for majority of the time, either as a result of facing a classic welterweight opponent or simply still chasing some Odette Yustman demons away... Sarah was leading the cards after eight rounds but that's why Strahovski is the pound-for-pound leader... you should never count her out even when the fight heads the wrong direction... and let's be honest, nothing went wrong for Sarah Lancaster other than learning that Yvonne is really THAT good...

Mutual respect from both women after the verdict is announced; they share a warm hug and make fun at Sarah's nose barely escaping a fractured reality, not to mentioned the busted up brow ridge: "Well, I hoped for a different outcome but losing to Vonnie isn't the end of the world!", Sarah tells Erin Andrews in her post-fight interview, "And I'm still the welterweight champ! (laughs) Boy, she can hit a ton and is fast like a cat... or is it that the welters aren't used to such mobile opponents? Who knows? But that was impressive after coming from ten rounds versus that Yustman chick. Vonnie is the true FCBA leader and I can only wonder what are her limits? Kate Upton perhaps? (laughs again)".

"Thanks for the kind words, Sarah but well, I must adjust my schedule now!, Yvonne replies while giving thumbs up to the departing brunette, "I simply need to take a small break since going ten rounds in back-to-back fights versus Odette and Sarah was just criminal to my body! And I don't want the vultures to stack up next! It's never easy to win a fight in this universe and I pushed my limits to the extreme to beat Sarah tonight! Sure, I looked bad at times but this is 135 lbs after all, I'm comfortable adding some extra weight yet I realize some jealous creatures will keep calling me out like there's nobody else out there in the division. And I don't have to worry about defending the belts for the time being (laughs)".

Final result: Yvonne Strahovski def. Sarah Lancaster 1 Pt Decision.