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30 December 2015 Title Ch Odette Yustman vs Jaimie Alexander

Page history last edited by Vassago 8 years, 2 months ago

 

OFFICIAL "SEASON'S BEATINGS" SSB PPV

 

UNIFIED LIGHTWEIGHT TITLE

 

Posted by Lookout! Boxing on December 30, 2015, 11:35 am

 

Unified FCBA Lightweight Title
Odette Yustman, Ch (29-15-1, 22 KO) vs Jaimie Alexander (4-0, 4 KO)
(Lioness Club of America vs Alpha Boxing Club)
Results: Lookout! Boxing / Story: Vassago

BEFORE: Many experts and fans were stunned when the Lioness Club of America announced that Jaimie Alexander has been chosen as Odette Yustman's opponent in her second lightweight title defence. "Jaimie Who?" was the general response that immediately put the choice under deep scrutiny but the Bradenton based executives were quick to point out that if only Jaimie cleared the indie pool earlier than November 2015 she could have been right up there with Odette for years already. More details from Erin Andrews who talks to LCA owner Vassago: "That's right, Erin. Jaimie is like an Odette clone, her long lost half-sister. Put Mary Elizabeth Winstead in there and we have a Terror Trio which would be good enough to depose Yvonne Strahovski from the P4P throne. But the problem is that nobody knows how good Jaimie actually is. Of course we KNOW that but everyone else thinks the match-up was rigged. Let's be clear, Jaimie is a much needed breath of fresh air in the division. Even Tess Valmore said the lights are stagnant at the moment (...) Yes, we rejected the Jessica Biel idea and everyone knows that. The division doesn't need a 11-time champion making a glorious comeback and keeping the new names at bay. Not when we're in charge. Give us the benefit of the doubt and let's compare the notes AFTER this one is over, shall we?"

Controversy over the Alexander selection somewhat overshadows Odette's Lightweight Of The Year success in the annual Boxing World Magazine awards but at least she will be spared the official upset razzie in case of dropping the title against a fighter who was a free agency no-name as late as October. Talk about a meteoric rise to prime time. Can Jaimie go all the way now?

Odette Yustman wears a red bikini top, black knickers and red gloves. Long black hair tied in a sleek ponytail. Jaimie Alexander wears a golden bandeau bikini and brown gloves. Long black hair tied in a curly ponytail. The fight is scheduled for ten rounds in the lightweight division.

Round 1:
Jaimie shows no signs of fear ahead of the biggest fight of her life but her pouncing route is quickly tamed by Odette's world-famous bendiness which shuts the challenger out in fruitless pursuit and exposes her for a counterpunching drive down the stretch. The champion's happy just to throw single punches and visibly annoyed the fast moving but ineffective fellow brunette to the point Jaimie must yield real estate as Yustman's uptempo begins to hassle her upstairs a bit too frequently and just indicates how the California-born actress has improved since her days with TKO Boxing. No easy picking for Odette but just a determined mindset that leaves nothing for Jaimie to explore at this stage.

Round 2:
A couple of early hooks smack the champion's guard aside but Jaimie can only land single punches over the top as the fight becomes more of a freelance affair with both girls happy to exploit some quick moves. Jaimie's been in the league for only a couple of months - sans her Pauline Gretzky cameo back in 2013 - and she's still a great unknown to the experts but there must have been some behind-the-door research done by the Lioness Club since Odette doesn't look all that concerned by the older brunette's aggressive jabbing and accepts the close range dust up which ends in a stalemate and neither of them able to score a break through punch. More bendy dekes from the champion to see the challenger out in mid range follow though and it's strictly business atmosphere in the ring which should have been expected.

Round 3:
Odette ups the tempo a little bit to upset the challenger's high guard and a big left hook drills Jaimie on the temple letting the younger brunette for a hassling series on the cheeks. Alexander leans on the front (left) leg nonetherless but misses the counter and eats another whooping hook on the eye that reels her back with a quiet wince before Yustman blasts her across the mouth and lungers into a facial tirade that quickly brings out the earmuff cover. A switch on the midsection keeps Yustman on top and she pounds Alexander back to the ropes where she looks to dish out more punishment to the liver area but gets duly locked in a clinch and wrestled away to the corner instead. Jaimie shows some core strenght there but she needs more than that to upset the Lightweight of the Year.

Round 4:
Jaimie swarms all over Odette's breasts in the opening seconds as she seeks a new way through the tight guard but keeps eating too many punches over the top and Yustman doesn't even have to push the bendy button here as she simply whacks her foe's temples from both sides in close range and stuffs Alexander up on her heels. Another counter punch goes wayward and doesn't even clip Odette's flesh which allows the champion to blast a right hander on the navel and add a scorching left on the ear THAT BRINGS JAIMIE DOWN ON HER KNEES... Ugh! That was almost effortless from Odette who somehow made the challenger look really mediocre there... Jaimie's up at five though and indicates she simply slipped but her weight balance was way off and Yustman didn't even have to strike her that hard to secure the knockdown. Immediate flurry of punches stalks Odette thereafter as Alexander's keen to shake the dismal image off but she simply misses too many of them and gets whacked across the mouth to earn herself a fat lip in the dying seconds as the fight truly takes a bad turn for the Alpha Boxing Club leader.
 
Round 5:
Some of the experts believe that Odette isn't even firing on all cylinders yet and she still has Jaimie under control, the quick movement allows her to shut the challenger down in mid range pursuit before stalking her with a series over the top but for whatever reason Yustman just doesn't have the destruction mode in her tonight and still gives Jaimie plenty of opportunities to score some fine punches. However the challenger looks a bit lethargic on her feet at times and fails to land that truly big punch despite a lot of effort. A rather low-key round concludes with both women pounding along with single strikes over the top and if anyone expected immediate rush from the champion to send Alexander on her way after that previous round knockdown well, it just didn't happen but the smile couldn't get any bigger on her face either. Looks like Yustman truly enjoys herself out there while Jaimie stomps her foot in frustration falling further back on the cards.

Round 6:
Perhaps Jaimie needs some advice from Rachael Leigh Cook how to enforce the truly vicious nature but the repeated misses made the challenger really annoyed over the lack of production and you always try to mock Odette's slender build until you find out how difficult it is to actually sock her with one of these wild swings. Another hurry up drive meets a world class defence and Jaimie fails to land that piercing overhand combo she was looking for and has to cover up for the classic Yustman counterpunching drill that buries her under a great deal of pressure and it only now looks like the champion wants to hurt her alleged clone by powering ahead through the mitts and dumpig Jaimie butt-in-ropes on the two minute mark. There's no escape from there and Alexander wobbles badly on her feet while soaking up the champion's rally but actually manages to sting her on the solar plexus with a rare shot from behind the guard and then cease the onslaught with a line drive on the chin that sinks Odette with a loud yelp. A little to late to save the round though?

Round 7:
Jaimie jumps into a hectic pursuit and for once outsmarts Odette's route to punish her with a cross hooking check before adding a vicious uppercut up the middle. Yustman wobbles on her heels for the first time since a while and gets stuffed in close range as the challenger bumps her off and beats for another quick hook on the eye. Odette circles back but the pursuit brings more success and Jaimie clobbers the champion to the body before adding a left/right combo on the temples and sinking Yustman on the ropes. The champion doesn't want to yield real estate and bounces off forward with a piledriving effort that gets beaten for a split second mark by Jaimie's crunching hook on the left ear... AND DOWN GOES ODETTE just sliding to her left side and hitting the canvas with a loud yelp. Ugh! If the first knockdown came out of nowhere then this one was a beautifully disguised effort... Yustman seems a little puzzled and someone needs to tell her she's being counted out here in a moment.. she's up at eight but staring at the fellow brunette with hollow eyes and that shot on the ear was truly the moneymaker... Unfortunately for Alexander the clock expires just moments after Odette got up and she can't quite add more punishment in this round but if she needed something to justify the title shot then she pretty much secured that already.

Round 8:
The fatigue hasn't been a factor so far in this fight and Odette's one of the most durable fighters around the division but Jaimie shows little problems in that regard as well and in fact wants to pick up where she left off by pouncing on the somewhat slow moving champion from the opening bell of the eight. Big questions over Yustman's recovery from that knockdown which certainly was a little tougher to swallow than for Alexander before and it seems like the bendy skills are in short supply for once as Jaimie riffles a repeated series over the top to keep Yustman covered in high earmuff but the midsection switch still does the trick and backs the struggling champion into the ABC corner where the pounding continues. Odette's rarely been so exposed sans the Strahovski test but she's routed to the body in impressive style by a fast working opponent and Jaimie truly brings the sparkling attitude to another level as she ravages Yustman's breadbasket and drills her navel to the point the younger brunette simply slides forward and wraps herself around the shoulders to just survive the onslaught. Another massive round for the challenger and the comeback is very much on!

Round 9:
Odette's still ahead on points but most experts believe she won't end the fight with a knockout anymore as Jaimie hassles her with a speedy rush and even the bendy moves are no longer capable of shutting the feisty challenger down. All Alexander here in the ninth and the crowd anticipates a massive upset when Odette's bumped sideways into the ropes half way through and just struggles to even punch back with the challenger romping her to the gut to disregard the high earmuff. Heavy slaps punish Yustman's ribs and she weaves around on her feet scowling but can't shake Jaimie off whatsoever and somehow the pressure increases in the final minute with Alexander mastering the fitness approach and rocking the champion like she's been in the ring for five minutes or less. Yustman in survival mode and totally shut down on offence but does Jaimie require that knockout after all?

Round 10:
Yustman tries to channel the escape route but falls into Jaimie's ripping gut checking combo and has to slug it out in close range anyway. This gives her a chance to actually land some punches on the midriff but Alexander whips her onto the ropes again with an uppercut combo and keeps pulling back with the title very much on the line for her. A flurry of punches smacks Odette's cheeks into visible swelling and thanks to that late rallying display ever since the seventh Odette actually looks more bruised of the two as she spikes Jaimie's liver area on the two minute mark to finally tame the onslaught. She screams out in frustration and nails the challenger on the nose with a lurid hook before adding a belting shot on the temple which reels Jaimie back to center of the ring. A last hurrah escape from the ropes prevents the looming knockout or a total Yustman disaster and both women finally accept the decision fate and see out the clock circling back & forth with Alexander looking out of breath for the first time tonight after a truly gallant effort. There's no other way to settle this... we go to the scorecards to find them dead even at 94 each which means that Odette retains the title...

... or does she?

After years of flying under the radar nobody's gonna accuse her of getting away cheap with a lame draw decision... the overtime is on!

Erin Andrews contacts LCA owner Vassago who personally approves the call: "The naysayers will never go away but if Odette goes down, she goes down fighting!"

OT rules are simple, two consecutive rounds win the decision outright or a knockdown to rally back the cards if neccessary.

Round 11:
Alexander looked slightly out of breath at the end of regulation but the extended break before the LCA decision was announced actually helps Odette too. What to expect now? Jaimie's exceeded the odds already and she had Yustman rattled big time... no time to think that one over as Odette springs into action like the last four rounds never happened and slides in low to clatter the challenger's ribs before bumping some extra leather on the jugs. Jaimie swarms back in pounding the liver area but slips forward and bounces off the champion's shoulder which leads into a heavy double uppercut combo on the chin that dumps her on the heels... AND ODETTE WRECKS HER JAW with a surgical strike from the left... Knees turn jelly for Jaimie who drops her arms and wobbles back still on her feet but badly exposed... and a right hand on the eye SENDS HER DOWN in an ineviteable follow up... disaster for the Alpha Club as Jaimie crumbles on her back and bursts into spasms... Odette shakes her glove in delight but... but it's not over as a wincing Jaimie scampers herself back upright at nine... that was a slow count and the ref didn't wave it off on the spot... even the champ looks shocked Jaimie didn't sail off to the sunset but perhaps another punch was needed... the challenger is rattled but not quite done and that speaks volumes of her attitude... will she find enough to rally back after this though? Well, the answer is no... Odette channels back the quick moves and stays away from a sluggish but determined pursuit in the final minute which has Jaimie screaming out and almost breaking down in tears over the lost chance... not gonna happen... Odette avoids closing in and struts back with arms dropped by the side as Jaimie desperately tries to stick one more punch there but simply can't. And we're finally done with this contest... the official score is 104-102 and your winner through unanimous decision and STILL the unified lightweight champion Odette Yustman!!!

AFTER: The Battle of Los Angeles between Minka Kelly and Troian Bellisario was supposed to be the highlight of the night but what about this one? Where are the experts who questioned Jaimie's unexpected rise to the title opportunity less than two months after securing a management contract? The Lioness Club knew she wasn't just a random name signed off the street and her performance against a champion who lost exactly one fight in the last 26 months justifies the choice over the Hall of Famer Jessica Biel as much as some people in Nashville won't like it.

Nothing but mutual respect between Odette and Jaimie post-fight. Odette hardly makes any enemies in the ring in first place - unlike in the various news rooms around FCBA - but there's just no way she can't appreciate Jaimie's gigantic effort that saw her lose five of the first six rounds and still rally back to take the last four of the regulation. It's even closer than Cassidy Freeman's come-from-behind win vs Brooklyn Decker for the welter straps in August 2014 that resulted in utmost respect for the vanquished opponent. And above all, Alexander simply wouldn't allow the champion to knock her out that brings a whole new meaning to the word 'durable'. The lightweight division officially has a new name among the elite.

Odette's so gassed out Erin Andrews indicates she might take a month off again in January to recover from this epic clash. But the champion refuses to sit out the next PPV and confirms she'll be back in four weeks time to defend her belts for the third time: "I know who's gonna be challenged and they know who's gonna be challenged too. The word isn't just official yet. And don't pull my leg here, Erin. We don't wanna some experts out of the job, right? (laughs). Only thing I can confirm is that Jessica Biel's not my intended target!"

Final result: Odette Yustman def. Jaimie Alexander UD11.
 

 

 

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