Posted by simguy on 3/10/2006, 7:05 am

(Thanks to FightFan for this repost)


Before: Team Hu pays Beckinsale a little step-aside money to defer their meeting: Eliza imperative supercedes all other considerations. "Think of it as a race," Kelly explains to newshounds in prefight. "Eliza and I are both picking up speed, passing other cars - I want to nudge her into the wall so I can get to the finish line first. Plus, a good crash sets Eliza back right now - and it's in my interest to have a struggling Dushku well behind me in the standings." Dushku pushing for this fight - always a dangerous meeting of well-matched gunslingers. "Kelly's got it half right - we are fighting to position ourselves for the future - but SHE'S the one who's gonna hit the wall. There's been an explosion of elite talent in the bantam ranks over the last year, but Kelly and I are still the cream of the division. If I can get her out of the way now, it buys me some time to focus on the upstarts and lay down the law the way some of these girls need it." Kelly in black push up, yellow bikini bottoms, slick low ponytail: Eliza in red leather bikini, curly low ponytail. Small black work out gloves, both vixens.

During R1: Kelly roaming the ring, flirting with Dushku more than engaging her toe-to-toe. Hu fading to ropes, giving feints, spinning 'round Eliza with graceful pivots - often batting harmlessly on top of E's head with open palms to distract. Dushku the aggressor, trying to encroach, and occasionally raking Kelly to ribcage, but Hu always there with a snappy, pinpoint jab. Typical scenario - Eliza weaving forward: Kelly jab-jabs smartly to forehead, swivelling to her left; Eliza shifts, tries to close again; Hu spanks her a sharp lead right between the eyes, two more jabs off the mouth while pivoting away. Dushku steps out, shakes her head all tight-lipped: Hu's shifty as always. Kelly thumbs her nose with her right hand, stepping easily - legs have her in control - Hu laying down a brisk and nimble tapping in the first.

R2: More classy, up tempo work - Dushku trying to cut down the ring, Kelly looking to create space and angles. Hu nice and relaxed, pivoting left while tucking her chin behind that left shoulder, keeping her stance closed for the most part. Pre-emptive straight rights ping off Eliza's forehead or guard; tart, doubled-up jabs continually keeping Dushku's guard up, head moving. Eliza applying steady pressure with her feet - she's not landing much, but she's getting some quality digs in: firm, sticking rights and lefts jerked up into Kelly's ribcage just beneath the breastline. Another tactical round for Hu, but she goes back to her corner grimacing from well placed body blows.

R3: Dushku continues her creeping barrage - doubling up her jab, stepping sharply to spots: she's closing distance, forcing Hu to fight more often. Eliza concentrating on the torso - hooking ribs off jabs; jerking short right uppercuts to sternum; tucking hooks to liver and waist. Kelly's eyes narrowed in complaint, lips wincing - she drops left hand across her body to compensate, looking to counter Eliza with cutey-pie right uppercuts out of the closed stance. Hu more flat footed, slipping punches in the pocket more than flat out evading them: Dushku able to bang that body pretty consistently as girls trade. Kelly finding Eliza's chin, but letting Dushku dictate - Hu content to slip, look for spots as Eliza gets on the board.

R4: Hu back in control, circling, jab-jabbing, feinting, dropping in hesistation rights. Dushku calm, measured - not coming on too strong, often leaning back onto right foot, gloves raised to block shots, always careful to weave her torso side to side, not let Kelly mark her up too badly on the way in. Kelly untouchable for two minutes, but down the stretch - she's hopping to her right along the apron and Dushku lands a wide, reaching hook square to sternum, knocking Kelly into ropes. Sherrif pounces - sudden squall of short rights and lefts stuns Hu - she covers up awkwardly stooped forward behind her gloves - allowing Eliza to get her best look all night. Dushku DIGGING in behind elbows - parking her hooks snug above right hip - plowing home rights above the left hip. Hu perilously close to taking a knee at the bell - Asian eyes shiny with hurt, Kelly mincing back to her corner for repairs.

R5: Dushku walking Kelly down now - Hu reluctant to scrap, favouring her body, doing a lot of shameless running. Eliza scooting to cut off escape routes, jabbing to make contact, scouring combos to douse receipts, then always, always looking for the sweet gut shot. Not a lot of contact in a round of denial from Hu, but Eliza does park a few choice, rising lefts and rights up into Kelly - sternum seeking missiles starting to wick away the spring from Asian legs through 5.

R6: Kelly's hand-eye coordination unmatched, reflexes still astounding: she gives Eliza a memorable pasting this round. Kelly flatfooted, pointing the left shoulder at E and coaxing her forward: Hu executing absolutely flawless shoulder rolls and counters, picking Eliza up time and time again sharp, sudden right uppercuts or pokes from the screened stance. Kelly scoring, pivoting to the side or fading back - constant renegotiations have Eliza stumbling to maintain position. Dushku's chin checked again and again - former champ proving her mettle as knees knock and buttocks wobble, but legs refuse to give way. Kelly's eyes alight though: she knows she's got Dushku hurt, stunned - Hu just ringing up flashy right hands, clawing hooks, tearing away in sharp one-two patterns as she circles. Late the round, Dushku woozy: Kelly hooks mouth, hooks mouth again - Dushku's gumshield flutters off her teeth as Sherrif stares back drowsy. Right uppercut to the body has Eliza groaning, paralyzed. Kelly steps back while palming Eliza's shoulders and lights Dushku up a mindblowing 5 punch combo to the cheeks - cuffing, swatting lefts and rights as E stoops forward, blinking in stupor at the bell. Eliza in a haze, mouth open, nose bleeding, eyelashes fluttering: Kelly delighted, chest-bumping Dushku in the right shoulder, lifting mitts and strutting happily to her corner with a 10-8 domination round.

R7: Dushku swelling up despite enswell during the break - legs look dicey as she fades to ropes with a sullen look. Hu pouncing, pressing her attack behind pretty, clipping right hands off the step and swatting hooks - looks amazingly like the punching Roy Jones Jr. used to finish off Vinny Pazienza. Dushku slumping into ropes, curling up hurt then HOOKING BACK HARD! Total game of possum - Eliza roaring back with alert eyes and strong body - she gets ALL of the Hu chin, putting Asian buttocks a-wobble and staggering Kelly to her left. Walking barrage - Dushku chopping rights and lefts and she stampedes Kelly to ropes: E in tuff with the top of her head against Hu's chin, stunning Kelly and making her available for a pumping series of lefts and rights rub-a-dub-dub on the waist. Kelly drooping forward to clinch - Eliza won't have it: Dushku keeping mitts free, jerking up out of her crouch, weight on the front foot as she hooks the HELL out of Kelly's flank. Hu crumpling up, desperately hurt - Eliza snarling, dipping right to curl that right hand up to solar plexus; dipping left, arching her back to hoist in the left. Hu jerking and jolting with body blow damage, finally spitting her mouthpiece out after a savage rip to sternum and HU GOES DOWN! Kelly dropping to all fours, sobbing in gutshot agony and it's OVER! Hu can't get off her knees - KO7 in heartpounding fashion, Eliza Dushku!

After: Classy vixens always seem to find some way to stop one another - this time it's Eliza's turn as she hunts body, digs her way to victory over shellshocked Kelly. "I wasn't worried," Eliza says when asked about Kelly's quick start. "I knew she was outpointing me, but I was getting quality touches and that's what we fight-planned for. As long as I was getting up in there thick, I knew she'd be available in the second half." Eliza! Eliza! Has this rivalry taken a toll on Kelly? Would you say she's lost a step, and if she has, are you primarily responsible for taking it from her? "That's a good question," Eliza smiles demurely, briefly glancing at the canvas before looking up through her eyelashes. "I think the wear and tear of me IS getting to her. Kelly's built for speed, not for impact, and I always put the mileage on her legs that other girls don't. One of us was going to get used up, I mean, we're pretty much always on a collision course - and it looks like it's her. She's been a good foil for me: when I'm inducted into the hall of fame, she'll always get a nod for pushing me to be my best. A small nod. Like a footnote."

sim guy

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