Post by Lookout! Boxing on Oct 28, 2016 at 1:24am

AMANDA RIGHETTI (33 y/o, 5 ft 8, W: 66, L: 24) VS KRISTANNA LOKEN (37 y/o, 5 ft 11, W: 36, L: 28)

(Words: Bonzo / Results: Lookout!)

Before: Kristanna Loken’s often considered one of boxing’s great tragic stories – the Scandinavian-American six-footer once dominated the old middleweight division from 2003 to 2005, then did the same thing at welterweight in 2006 with a staggering 10-0 record. Over time, the blonde – once predicted as almost invincible in her combination of physical prowess, strength and killer instinct – started to suffer dramatic knockout losses to women like Natasha Henstridge and especially Torrie Wilson, the woman now widely credited with forever ending Loken’s dominant phase with two sloshing KOs in 2007. Since that date, Kris has lost fourteen fights against just five wins – that plunging reversal of fortune is almost unprecedented in recent times. She was occasionally marked ready for a comeback – impressing with a late knockout against Righetti in 2009 and a KO1 against Sobieski in 2013, but things never materialized. This development helps to explain why the term “glass chin” has been almost unanimously identified with the big blonde’s name since then, although some pundits credit her slide more to a loss of the self-confidence she exhibited at the beginning of her career. After a sad, helpless loss to muscular Brit Gemma Atkinson early this year, Loken’s lost her management deal, now forced to fight as a free agent for the first time in her career. At this point, Loken’s displaying a grim, cynical look on all boxing matters. She knows and accepts her fall from grace, but even though she’s agreed to this fight in an instant, it’s plain to see that Loken feels insulted at being chosen as Righetti’s comeback fight after a dramatic, shocking title fight KO to Kate Upton in September. Coming in leaner, looking more edged than expected, Kris comments: “I’m not stupid. They’ve chosen me so because they don’t think it’s a risky fight for precious Amanda. But it is. I mean…I’m bigger, stronger and more explosive than Kate Upton…imagine the things my right hand can friggin’ do to Amanda’s chin! Hell, I’ve done it before, for Christ’s sake!” – Righetti emphasizes her respect for Loken in response, “Beating Loken in the first round of the welter tourney in 2010 was one of the most important wins of my career. Despite that, I’ve never really felt like I’ve broken her. I guess it’s still time to catch up on that.”

R1: Early, Loken starts feeding Righetti a rangy, WHIPPING long-jab, working up scrumptious leather to the body behind a permanent poke, being tall, leggy, elusive – Righetti’s shut out, stalked by Kristanna’s poking left, forced into busy legwork to hedge, always bobbin’, weavin’ on the spot out of range, looking to drop off long-hook opportunities on blonde’s bulky frontline. Amanda’s not negotiating her way inside throughout first, second minute – she gets caught in mid-range on occasion, as Kris dumps heavy, thumping jabs on her mouth/nose leaning in, getting Amanda’s thick legs to vibrate on impact, makin’ her feel the power behind those fists. Loken motivated, exuding a strong, bully-ish confidence – her left’s precise enough to do damage, and there’s no doubt about the power supply. Later – when she’s got Righetti catching a clout too many, leaning into a right-hand power punch onto her foe’s collarbone, rendering ‘Manda’s legs all-a-quiver in shockwaves – Kris violently pushes off her girl into ropes, writhing to stay on top, applying methodical thump via right-hand hooks to redhead bust/ribs. Righetti’s shuddering, shuttled off her balance, forcing her way into clinches, visibly struggling against Loken’s taller physicality as hustle-and-bustle action moves mid-ring – she repeatedly gets shoved off her stance in the third minute, her counter jabs bouncing off Kris’s body/guard to virtually no visible effect. First round action proves Loken’s mettle: behind a thick leading-left and a big-girl bully mentality, she’s able to shut out her redhead foe in the first.

R2: Loken moves in with hefty left-hand work applied to Righetti’s ribs/belly/arms: acting on a strong-legged, assertive jabbing stance, she’s backing up Amanda butt-into-ropes, sloshin’ right hands to follow/clean up. Righetti’s getting jostled early…she’s being stalked, then outgunned into inferior positions. Later in the first minute, Kris has her muscled into ropes for more body punishment – all goes well until Amanda, her torso leaning back over top rope, suddenly clips Loken a powerful short, right uppercut counter to blonde chest, jolting the blonde’s upper body back in tremors. Kris takes stumbling little steps backwards, hurt, extends a loooong, straight jab – Righetti immediately starts bobbin’ her way closer, leans in aggressively from her right side, thump-thumping Loken’s armpit/neck with her wide right-hand punches. Kris’s slowly getting repressed when Righetti spreads out with her own jab, opting to stay in outside range, but no longer using the range to dictate terms – Amanda fixes Loken in position with jabs, bump-bump-bump, then drives blowing right-hands into gut/waist/side, as Kris hobbles to ropes in leggy, floating steps…turning her head…leaning against ropes…throwing sluggish extended-jabs to guard. Loken with that familiar mopy look on her face, stumped, insulted at Righetti’s abrupt takeover…she’s not finding the right, committed counters against Amanda’s pushy, brawny work thudding into her body. Throughout second, early third minute, Righetti mops up – she’s exerting pressure, flogging Kris’ body with wide, whipping hooks to either flank – Amanda works from bendy, athletic stance, elbows tucked in, always reverting to tight guard position, pumping out that well-known, rhythmic, dominant jab. Loken more concerned with defensive work, stayin’ tall, erect, but stiff – she’s protecting her head, but suffers to the body, big blonde often forced into leggy, hectic sidesteps, fleeing from Righetti’s relentless poking left. Similar stances in third minute: Righetti scores huge on occasion – she’s penetrating Loken’s guard with a chop-chop right-hand combination that swooshes to blonde’s jaw…hammering her upside the head with a jerky, short left…belting Kristanna’s collarbone/chest with straight right-hands. Loken’s tall but she’s not shutting out Amanda from inside range, crowded, hustled into ropeside sieges…she’s looking sullen, grumpy at bell, as Righetti scores wide.

R3: During break, her own corner harshly demands more effort from Kris, furious at her inactivity, shyness – so Loken saddles up, actually starts trading more vigorously against Righetti’s incoming left, pulling right hands for a thudding, hairline-grazing, mid-ring slug-out. Righetti stalks forward on her bobbin’ legs, opts in to the wild action, poppin’ sturdy lefts for jaw, but a slam-bang, percussive throb on her left temple shuts her down early, folding her all stiffly into Loken’s monstrous follow-up, a left haymaker to mouth, before buckling into a shuddering clinch on the spot. Loken stays aggressive, pushing, palmin’ shoulders – Kris targets Amanda’s ribs/shoulders/tits, applying jackhammer poke via lefts, sloshin’ juicy right hands to guard/head. Loken commits to the body all-round-long, dictating space/rhythm with that badass left poke from a wide, tall angle, walking strong circles to back up, narrow down more and more on redhead – Righetti responds with nimble, athletic legwork, but there’s not much she can do offensively against Kris’s tall, pumping pressure, forced into defensive guard positions, evolving into a tight earmuff, so she’s usually walking into steady sock when she pivots forward in aggression. Righetti’s not all outside of range – she’s still occasionally sneaking in wide, gritty hooks to belly/flanks, but Amanda’s got to put in more legwork, spend more energy while Kris calmly controls her via the powerful, effective left, rendering redhead all-a-busy-legs, bobbin’ on the spot, swinging sideways, not really penetrating with her own jab at all.

R4: Loken assertive, finding her groove – this is big, bad Kris Loken pumping a heavy big-girl poke from that broad, imposing stance, exerting forward pressure. Polished look for Kris: weight on left foot, using her height/reach, she’s denying Righetti access into range with her steady left, shelling Amanda’s guard…those wide, swatting jabs really putting the hurt on Righetti’s ribs/gut, occasionally soaking through guard to jaw/mouth/cheeks, jerking Amanda’s head back ever so slightly. Bitter moments for Rigs…Loken’s increasingly in-your-face, using heavy one-two pressure, one-two pressure, one-two…then she’s palmin’ up…she’s shovin’ her girl…she’s SHUNTIN’ Righetti’s own broad body backwards with those belligerent little pushes – redhead really gets treated shabbily here, as Kris looks striking, dominant, she’s got a plan and she’s working it like a badass. Loken’s rarely used her height so well against Righetti as in these instances…she’s the big-girl, putting rhythmic, diminishing pressure on smaller redhead, tryin’ to use her up all the way to core/stamina. ‘Manda now shut out, controlled: she’s usually near ropes…later, there she is, hoverin’ on the spot in pain when Loken whacks a hook, then another hook across her waist, making it look easy…Righetti’s wincing, closing her eyes, gasping in pain. Down the stretch, Loken’s loosened Rigs up for more serious penetration, suddenly splitting her guard open in brutal fashion via right hook, then landing two right-hand thuds on Amanda’s mouth/jaw, before Righetti slumps into another sluggish clinch…she’s tyin’ up in pain, strugglin’ against blonde’s shoulders, her legs holding on impact but she’s wobbly-butt – Loken’s impressive so far, jumping ahead on the scorecards with a widening lead after four.

R5: Righetti’s turn to rally, committing more into riskier right hands, stepping-to Kris to trade her jab directly against blonde’s own poke – during first minute girls both struggle to hold canvas as a result, but Loken has more difficulty dominating range/angles, no longer cleanly shutting redhead out as effectively when Amanda proves leggy. Righetti pounces on with vicious slugs to flanks/ribs/chest – Kris aloof, looking rigid…she’s still pumping her stiff, straight jab close, but without repelling Righetti’s pushier attacks. Righetti, her head lowered, plays hound-dog to Loken’s taller deer, poppin’ sharp, ever-faster combinations, yappin’ steady at blonde with her scratchy left, rat-a-tat-ing her right hand deep to solar-plexus/ribs/tits, wham-wam-wham – Kris suffers, getting dragged, jostled backwards, unable to repeat her wide, circular outside control – she’s accepting the inside game, turning the fight sluggier, less classy during first, second minute. Loken now firmly out of her comfort zone, still tryin’ to figure out what to do: she starts getting constantly fixed in tight, punishing positions by Righetti’s stout right hand, that proactive jab, taking increasing damage. Beatdown phase in the third minute: Kris leans into ropes, trying to spin away from heavy punches, slug her way out with detonating counters – Righetti stays bendy, athletic, not relenting with her pressure…blonde comes up short, not cutting through with her counter punches against alert, meticulous redhead. Later…Righetti twists her body closer, leaning in for a even harsher left poke, really hoppin’, hoistin’ her body into vicious right uppercuts, snapping back blonde’s head in dramatic jolts when she gets thru – Loken’s slumping more and more into the top rope, her torso/ribs taking relentless suffering. As round draws to a close, Kris’s just doing the clinch game to protect her chin: tyin’ up, holdin’, waitin’ for breaks, looking for moments to breathe, as Righetti’s all effervescent, pound…pound…pounding her girl with right hooks…she’s rolling her shoulders into crippling punches to Loken’s lats/arms/flanks in the tight grasp, as Kris winces under the impact, swaying, only lashing out with loose, swinging punches around Amanda’s head, not scoring well.

R6: Loken braces up, trying to compete with her left jab against Amanda’s punishing pressure like she did earlier, sluggin’ it down straight from tall position, but Righetti’s stronger, more ruthless, brutally crossin’, weavin’, hammerin’ her way past Kris’ poke…walk-and-strike has big Loken always yielding ground, pushed into ropes against her will after half a minute. Amanda still working with the bendy, athletic torso, the lowered head, always touchin’ body/guard/head with her left…next, she’s chopping Kris a BRUTE right hook to paunch, rendering Loken to lay back in ropes in exhaustion, seemingly turning sleepy, confused, not coping well with the constant pressure. A bit later…Righetti chops, chops, chops her girl a series of uppercuts with her left, as Kristanna’s torso bends further backwards…Righetti’s slowly unhinging that strong frame via brutal work to the mid-section, making Loken’s legs all-a-tremble. Big Kris helpless: her elbows tucked in, upheld arms shaking, she’s ceasing her attempts to still shrug ‘Manda autopilot-like short straights to head inside, trapped on the spot for more punishment. Righetti’s entrenched herself – she starts clobbering Kris with rough, swinging uppercuts, no longer getting rebutted with counters. Redhead working in dramatic, pounding fashion: left, right….left, right…left, right…’Manda’s bashes Loken on either side of head, near her ears… trying to bypass her foe’s guard from side angles…all left-right, left-right WHACKING, as blonde’s head starts to vibrate from impact. Poor Kris not answering, turning her head to the side, facing away from the barrage, her guard loosened…Amanda’s next jerking right uppercut drives over the blonde’s feebly sinking left arm, smacking to her skull underneath the jaw like a freakin’ sledgehammer...Loken’s head jerks back on impact, her body finally slackening from all the brutality. Kris folds up: big blonde’s body tilts forward powerlessly, flapping against Righetti’s upper body, just as redhead’s taking steps backwards, knowing she’s finished her blonde. Loken’s legs pancake, her butt slumping: she thuds onto her haunches/butt, propped up against ropes…her head sags down, arms dangling uselessly, mumbling incoherently…she ain’t making any attempts to rise back up, punched into a snooze by a KO6 Amanda Righetti!

After: Pummeled blonde a picture of misery, as she’s lead to her corner, propped up by team on either side – Kris really believed she could get into Righetti’s mind after Upton’s rude-shock-KO. Instead, Loken’s decline into division irrelevance continues: as many times in the recent past, she’s no longer able to use her still-robust power persistently, unable to cash in on a dominant look in R3/4. Righetti’s upbeat, looking unimpaired, clearly happy with her performance tonight. “This was exactly what I wanted. I don’t expect to dominate every round against Kris. She’s tall, sloshes a heavy left, a heavy right – so there will always be moments during which she might shut me out for a bit. But at this point, you can be pretty sure she’ll fold under pressure.” Asked if she thinks Loken should retire, Amanda responds, “Actually, no. There are other welters who’ve suffered like her. I don’t think she’s any less dangerous, one-punch-wise, than Romijn, Henstridge, Nolin, you name ‘em, right now. She’s still got some sparkle, for sure."