FRIDAY FRACAS": Bantamweight Title Unification

Posted by simguy on 12/19/2003, 7:23 am

(Thanks for FightFan for this repost)


Before: "I just want to thank BSE," Eliza grins in pre fight. "It's comforting to know that when I need a belt, there's a whole organization out there devoted to serving me up cupcakes so I can strip the titles off 'em. They go to real extremes - blubbering little quitters on the one hand, aging geriatrics on the other, but hey - I love variety. I gotta say - it's an honor to be tangling with Ms. Halle Berry. Kind of like taking a knife to the Mona Lisa, you know?" Berry smug her side of the dais. "Dushku's had this coming for a long time - a real grade A, shiners-and-fat-lips, woman-on-a-girl, pillar to post beat down. She may have some of the BSE suits nervous, but I'm a whole different nightmare for the 'Sherrif'. Baby, you ain't ever been prettied up the way I'm going to pretty you up! Trouble's comin' to town you can't handle!" Dushku in red leather bikini, Halle in gold Swordfish bikini.

During R1: Shutout Dushku. Minute 1: Eliza tracking Halle down, cutting off the ring, then carving up that caramel gut slashing right/lefts. Minute 2: Berry winded, shying to the ropes for a little block-and-roll - Dushku stays disciplined, stays on that gut, those ribs. Bruising shove and slug from razor sharp E - staying low, moving her head side to side, digging Halle's torso with either hand. Final minute - the finest jug mugging of Eliza's career. Dushku not a regular practitioner of the tactic, but body work has Berry slumping forward, bulging ledge of jug there to be taken - Eliza just standing up in the stirrups, shrugging her shoulders and beating the bejesus out of those sacks. Halle all rung up and dazed - Eliza beaming - she claps a chunk of Berry's buttock after the bell, not even looking back as she palms juicy rump, just sending Halle back to her corner chagrined.

R2: Berry nodding at instructions, spitting out water in her corner, standing, pounding her gloves together and promptly marching out to suffer another bell to bell whitewashing from Eliza D. Dushku weaving the Berry jab then pounding that midsection - doubling hooks up on the waist, turning into short, gut wrenching rights to tummy, swabbing those tits, clawing at those flanks - Berry belted and swatted shabby to the ropes. Halle just sliding along the perimeter, covered up, blocking, grimacing as Dushku stays on her, breaks her down piece meal. Final minute: Eliza working hard, right hand at her cheek as she flexes her knees, cranking hooks up into Berry's ribs, working her way up the torso trading hooks on the chin and Berry slumps stunned against the ropes! Halle hurt for the first time tonight, covering up - Eliza squares away, clubbing rigid rights and lefts to the ears ala Jennifer Garner as Halle swoons to the bell.

R3: Dushku looks to mop up...and gets spurned by a still-live Halle B. Berry getting the jab on track - she's marking Eliza on the way in, slowing her, then sidestepping her - Berry able to work some angles at last. Dushku a little hasty - trying to lead with rights to the body and get close - she's getting tattooed, turned as Berry loosens up and gets off in combination. Halle regaining her legs, bouncing in and out, dropping her hands and getting cute, swatting at Eliza's ears with shots off the thighs.

R4: Dushku quells the uprising - diligent and disciplined about scoring to Halle's midriff before looking to the head. Halle baring her teeth working hard - girls lean in and trade multiple right hands to taut bellies at one point, bump and hook each other around the ring, each pivoting sharply left, trying to wrong-foot the other. Eliza a little cleaner with her combinations, more efficient - she's outscorring Halle, outworking her and really tearing up that world class belly.

R5: Halle shows those gorgeous hands this round, really spicing Eliza up with combinations. Quick left/choppy right, whippy left hook, pivot left - Halle's eyes hard as she scores and gets out of dodge. Eliza coming forward but getting pre-empted and when she is punching - she's late - Halle leaning, bending and pivoting out of range, using her legs well. Midway through, girls trade rights, trade hooks and Dushku's legs give a shimmy - Halle leaning forward to pump away right/left to the body as Dushku cringes forward. Eliza with some boozy clinches down the stretch, not too proud to drape herself around a girl's waist and get her bearings back.

R6: Dushku matching potshotting rights with Halle, then sliding back - Berry bounding forward, gets caught a perfect little check hook and HALLE'S DOWN! Eliza nodding at her own timing - beautiful counter shuts off Halle's legs just long enough for the 8 count. Eliza pinning her ears back, marching in and it's WAR! Eliza wants to finish things here and now - Berry baring her teeth, proving she's tougher than she looks - meanspirited, hardworking swapping back and forth as girls lean forward, pulling leather in from underneath. Down the stretch, Halle puts a right uppercut onto Eliza's chin, hooks her jaw, hooks her again and ELIZA'S HURT! Dushku shook, eyes vacant - she reaches in under Halle's arms and bodies her to the ropes, backside trembling. Ref tugging at Eliza, warning her for holding, Berry whining in protest - Dushku with the presence of mind to stall to the bell, take her stool to recover. Berry pumped, turning the Dushku 10-8 into a competitive 10-9.

R7: Shutout Dushku. It's classic E, Berry comes out of the 6th riding high - Dushku calmly takes the wind out of her sails with another systematic, patient, no-mistakes follow up round. Eliza using her jab to stymie Berry, break up her timing, then sliding around to the left. Dushku feinting to the head, but concentrating on the body - she's very conscious of Halle's legs and need to neutralize them. Gorgeous, meaty spanks to Berry's ribs, supple waist and firm belly - Eliza not hurrying, just making sure she lands with leverage when she gets there.

R8: Halle's eyes shiny with hurt - body work really adding up, but the champ's no punk. Berry standing her ground and going right at Eliza - technicians tightening up on the inside, dipping low on the opponent, budging her back and slashing gut and head. Girls punch with elbows in, getting their bodies and hips into punches, snapping and snatching at one another and Berry's getting better of the trade. Down the stretch, Eliza stepping back in good order, pounds a well timed right off Halle's face, trades hooks to chin with Halle, Berry's legs don't like it and the final, digging hook amidships has her swooning forward into Eliza's arms. Dushku muscling her girl into the ropes, getting low, then shoving up and ELIZA GOES JUG! Dushku tearing up the Berry rack, short swabbing rights and lefts, shoulders rotating - Eliza just hup-hup-hupping 'em in to the bell. Dushku steals the round - she's a happy vixen strutting back to her corner. Berry: choking back tears, struggling to gather herself on her stool.

R9: Wow - Halle fights back, takes the round. Berry doing it the hard way - legs are pretty much shot, she's just getting her shoulder into Eliza, trying to outhustle her with pure handspeed on the inside. Halle's nice and sharp - chopping, swatting blows in tight, clipping Eliza's jaw, snatching at her tummy. Berry with nifty little pushes at Eliza's elbows, or tugging suddenly on the back of Dushku's head to sidestep her. At the bell, Dushku shaking her head in frustration - twice she's felt she's had Halle ready to go only to encounter fierce resistance.

R10: Dushku closes the show - afficianados sit back, light up cigars it's so good. E backs Berry up with quick up-jabs to the guard, short, driving rights - all shoulder - directly to the breadbasket. On the ropes - Eliza digs in behind either elbow, systematically crippling Halle, numbing her. Berry droops forward - Eliza picks up those luscious melons, just bringing her gloves up underneath, thumbside up in a rapid shoeshine. Halle leans back tired, woozy - Eliza threads straight rights and lefts criss-cross through the mitts, shredding the defence. It's just a vicious, non-stop assault and by the final minute, the wheels have fallen off Halle's wagon. Berry wilting, guard limp, eyelashes fluttering, head lolling, and the punches keep coming, pounding away at what's left and HALLE GOES DOWN! Eliza shrieking 'WOO!' as she steps over Halle's legs en route to neutral corner - Berry busted up, bleeding from the nostrils, stunned and shabby as she reaches behind her to find the ropes. Berry beats the count - bell sounds, Eliza lifts her mitts and bellows. Comes back UD10 for the winner and NEW Bantam weight champ - Eliza Dushku.

AFter: Hard fought, competitive battle, but maybe Halle understands about Eliza now: the Sherrif is double-tuff in title fights. Dushku smug as belts are layered over her shoulders, winking, nodding at individuals ringside - she's back on top. "Pretty much as I expected," breezes Eliza. "I POUNDED this girl to the body - her legs weren't a factor tonight and that was the key to the whole night. She takes a better punch than I thought - I figured she was done in the sixth, but she was still kickin' late. I basically knocked her out in the tenth - if she hadn't gone down right at the ropes, there's no way she could have gotten up." One Claire Danes standing, applauding heartily - if the rumoured Danes/Dushku bout is in fact a go-fight, flyweight champ looks like she's more than willing to accomodate the newly minted bantam queen.



sim guy



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