AMANDA RIGHETTI (33 y/o, 5 ft 8, W: 67, L: 24) VS KARLIE KLOSS (24 y/o, 6 ft 1, W: 5, L: 0)
(Words: Bonzo / Results: Lookout!)
 
Before: “I’ve got the Bonzo gym running scared”, an upbeat Karlie informs the press pre-fight, “The guard is changing – that old-ish brand of Bonzo, Bazz hard-bodies is starting to come up short against the new crop of tall, beautiful supermodels, myself included. Kate says it’s a new era in the division’s history and I agree with her. After I rumble, tumble, knocked out Naddy B. into forced retirement, the fear has already spread, so now they’re sendin’ out Rigs Spaghetti to contain me. Would I have challenged Rigs on my own? Probably not yet – I wouldn’t have minded some easier prep competition before that, but to tell you the truth, I’m already ready for her, one hundred percent. I don’t mean to sound arrogant but Upton’s the girl to beat right now, and I’m actually much warier of her than I am of Rigs Spaghetti. She’s old news.” Fresh, pretty, smiling supermodel Kloss an unexpected trash-talker…she’s milking most of what she can out of her Bjorlin KO (the girl who subsequently retired, though she’s in the Bonzo corners tonight) to provoke the usually placid Righetti – tall blonde’s now exceeded her streak to an impressive and still undefeated 5-0 record, the winning streak making her one of the hottest commodities at the weight and a potential title contender. Righetti responds without biting the bait, “Karlie’s for real, no doubt. She’s going to give me problems, not least stylistically, I’m sure. I’m not used to such a palpable height disadvantage, so I might need some rounds to figure out how to smoke her out, but she’s still very much lacking in sophistication, technique and experience. Honestly, I kinda think girls like her belong into the long-defunct middleweight division, but she’s there all right, so I need to be prepared to deal with her, and deal with her I will, even if it means wielding the axe for ten friggin’ rounds.”

Fight: R1: Kloss with a more sophisticated opening charge than we’ve seen in the Bjorlin fight – she’s being tall, erect, pumpin’ a bumpin’ jab to punch n’ shove the approaching Amanda in her shoulders/neck/tits for strong, thumping impact. Righetti much more agile, tappin’ her toes, turning torso/head – forming a fast-moving lightweight-ish stance against imposing six-foot blonde foe. Kloss can’t negotiate past Amanda’s alert guard, but she’s proving her workwoman strength via that barging left-hand work pumped to upper torso – Righetti stays robust, not relenting from applying forward pressure with brisk, short hooks to gut/ribs, bobbin’ on the spot, side-steppin’, but occasionally Kloss gets that thumping left hand blasting through into her redhead foe’s shoulder or chest – it’s a dangerous strategy for Rigs because she’s rarely been maltreated with such a vehement, powerful push n’ shove, clearly getting rocked to her core at times, shoved off her stance in brutal fashion, the power flashing thru her body. Rigs reacts, tightens her stance late in the first minute, upping the tempo: she’s a-boppin’ into range, jolting wide, strong hook combinations in either of Karlie’s flanks, exposing weaknesses in blonde defenses – the strategy works, as Kloss starts grimacing in pain, looking to escape the whipping body work applied to her ribs/sides, stiffening a bit, no longer counter-penetrating on the approaching Amanda as effectively.
 
Second minute – Righetti spreads out via rhythmic jab, buryin’ a sloshin’ series in Karlie’s ribs, then tests her guard with two violent right hands jerked upward to the jaw, chuck/chuck. Kloss takes wider, rangier steps, trying to create distance, but she’s soon getting stalked by Amanda’s short, jumpy lefts, those wide, detonating right hands. Righetti strategic, accurate – she’s increasingly backing up a jarred, tripplin’ blonde onto her toes, as Karlie’s butt hits the ropes for the first time tonight. Amanda’s smaller, but she’s trapping her blonde at ropes tightly, rhythmically pulsating those whacking jabs into Karlie’s torso, turning the blonde’s all-earmuffed, shuddering after yet more stocky shots to her ribs…Karlie’s swinging out her limber counter-punches in pretty desperate, wide-off fashion, already looking a bit disheveled, listless. Throughout third minute, Righetti continues to manage Kloss in alert, dominant fashion, shutting out the tall blonde via stubborn, clockwork jabs, with her hefty right-hands pounding into Kloss’s loosening guard – Karlie’s exchanging hooks thru the middle at times, but she’s out-foxed, out-punched by Righetti’s quicker, more relentless work to torso/skull. At the bell, Karlie’s a bit messed up, sweating, showing a little cut near her right eye, stumbling to her corner stiffly, staring blankly – Righetti’s all business, marching to her corner only after demanding eye contact in hardened, assertive fashion against taller blonde.
 
R2: Early on, Righetti exposes Kloss’s lanky, clumsy deficits even more thoroughly than feisty Bjorlin did early versus the blonde a while ago…redhead works from a sturdy, bobbing stance, holding her own against Karlie’s wide torso even in body-to-body clinches when Kloss tries to crowd her out, overwhelm her…Rigs’s staying active, ramming straight hooks up blonde’s ribs/tits, then spreads out, pushing Karlie off with gritty, rampaging, thumping short-jabs to nose/mouth, going fully into mauling mode. Long-legged Kloss settles in for a ropeside beatdown, trusting her ribs/abs while protecting her head, actually making good use of her lanky limbs to keep some pressure on her besieging foe via swirling, dangerous right hands looping for Amanda’s jaw or temple. Redhead clearly adjusting well to her height disadvantage overall, but she’s not exerting as much thorough pressure whenever Kloss manages to stay rangy, outside…Amanda’s forced to take more risks in the second minute, negotiating, bobbing her way forward…but she still wants inside badly, allowing the occasional thud on her guard/jawbone because she’s puttin’ tremendous hurt on Karlie when she’s there…inside, Karlie’s slower, hulking, coming up short against Amanda’s rapid, jerking aggression to tits/armpits/ribs. Righetti’s drumbeat strategy pays off in the third minute… Kloss falls back into her slack mode, moping alongside ropes, pressed by Amanda’s rhythmic whacks, looking overwhelmed…getting a bit bulldozed in spots. Amanda moves from body to skull late in third minute, keeping Kloss busy via jabs, then hauls up a firm right hand that splits Karlie’s mitts open, connecting brutally with the blonde’s left cheek, as supermodel wilts forward in pain and confusion, only narrowly escaping Rigs’s follow-up right hook to temple. Kloss’s forcing clinches towards the end, stalling for time, swaying, struggling against Righetti’s crisp aggression, reaching the bell to prevent more hurt.
 
R3: Karlie finally sweeps in with her own, limber jab again, proving more elusive, rangy for Amanda from the start – with the right stance and precise jab-work, Kloss can close off her inside more effectively, shut out an aggressive, bouncy Righetti via long-range whipping lefts to redhead’s core/chest/guard. Righetti’s still more active, boppy, but Kloss gets into control with that lanky, massive straight-down pump…landing some nice hits on the imminent, lunging Amanda’s neck/shoulders/skull during first minute…Rigs appears to take the shots well, still tusslin’ back wide, short hooks into blonde’s flanks, her legwork robust. Second minute: Kloss’s strategy more ambigious – she can hold off redhead with quicker left-hand poke, the occasional smashing-window right, but she’s shying away from taking over the ring entirely, allowing Rigs to set the tempo, direct her around the ring…redhead trucks forward, negotiating her forward pressure carefully, not reaching past that mid-range while Karlie plays a textbook jab-defense from her tall, safe stance. Third minute, the action dissolves: girls settle into closer contacts, but it’s mostly messy clinches, body-to-body struggles…Karlie exacts a price for Amanda being competitive, tall/wide blonde very sturdy, robust in those scenes…redhead clearly struggling against Kloss’s six-foot physicality, getting used up a bit trying to hold her ground in pure big-girl pride.
 
R4: Kloss responds to her corner’s demands for a more dedicated raid on Amanda’s body, feeling some momentum going her way: Karlie forms upright, long-limbed position again, but moves from rhythmic jabs to more combinations, successfully forcing Righetti into hasty side-steps, her fists digging deep into Amanda’s ribs and gut. Karlie walks forward, lowering her shoulders, using those legs, getting some bounce into her steps…she’s walking the redhead down for the first time tonight, stroking her limber, solid whacks. Righetti wide-eyed, on alert, sourly suffering a bit – she’s hoppin’-out-a-range now, hounded by Karlie’s wide-angled left, right punches swatting to her flanks, starts emitting little groans of distress. Second minute: Karlie attempts to settle into that position on top, really using her long-armed poke to trap Rigs, lay siege to her body in little set-piece beatdowns – suddenly, Righetti leans in under one of Karlie’s straight-thru-the-middle jabs, lunges in to pull up a wide right hand from the side, connecting violently upside Karlie’s head! Karlie grunts, her prepared right sailing off to the side as her torso snaps forward, her knees suddenly shaky. The blonde steps out to her right, throbbin’ a nervous, jittery jab back – Righetti lowers her head, pushin’, shovin’ a right-hand pair ripping into Karlie’s ribs, bunching up her blonde hurt, guu-ooh.
 
Karlie paralyzed, draping her wide arms around Righetti’s shoulders to force clinch – Righetti takes over, putting together systematic work throughout second minute, leading via the jab, jab, jab, always ready to wedge in a ploppin’ right…Amanda gets through at times, neatly chop-choppin’ at Karlie’s jaw/chin, puttin’ a big blonde in tatters, punch by punch. Kloss not really recovering well: her eyes flat, posture stiffening, she’s getting POUNDED to her gut/ribs/abs, jerking her body into long-limbed, protracted clinches whenever she can. Righetti jostles, pushing her weight forward against unsteady blonde, puttin’ the hurt on Kloss’s shoulders/gut/armpits by ramming in punches under her elbows. Down the stretch, a sluggish Karlie still erupts into some late, swinging counters…Rigs takes a half-step, head-turn late, gets caught ugly under her left eye, baby-steppin’ in pain on the spot…Karlie’s there to capitalize, pinning down Rigs’s arms at turnbuckle, pushing her into ropes…sends a ripping left upward to Amanda’s lower jaw when their bodies collide… redhead tilts into the clinch a little limp-ish, her eyes blinking rapidly…bell! Karlie plays thief, stealing Righetti’s dominant round for a late draw on the cards, as both girls stagger to corners.
 
R5: Righetti with an early, hard push…she’s extending a spanking, left-fisted poke, landing the occasional little jerk knocking back a startled Karlie’s head…then she’s bending, covering up, defending against Kloss’s stiff counters, lunges in for more whoppin’ right hands pulled from the waist, holding Karlie off again with robust straight-jabs. Kloss resilient, shrewd: she’s getting driven backwards but loosens up, bending her torso/head better, feinting stop-‘n-go action, trying to break down Righetti’s rhythm…highlight slo-motion replay shows Kloss getting thru at one point in pretty shattering fashion, splitting Amanda’s mitts for an off-rhythm slap on the mouth/teeth – Righetti’s torso bends through in awkward fashion, her face contorting, but she’s still able to roll her right shoulder into a short, massive uppercut counter that does the same to Karlie’s jaw. Second minute – Righetti’s steady, brutal left poke punches Kloss into compliance…blonde no longer penetrating via straight-down, tall counters…instead of shutting out Amanda, Karlie’s counter-countered in hard fashion, slowly getting repressed into rope-side positions, laying under siege by Amanda’s jolting jabwork, falling off the redhead’s pace/aggression. Third minute: Righetti separates further, landing repeated powerful thuds on Karlie’s temple/chest/cheekbones – Kloss stiffens in exhaustion as a result…down the stretch, she’s really just hoistin’ her body forward, drapin’ her arms around smaller redhead’s shoulders while walking/pressing forward, waitin’ for the ref’s breaks just to avoid the punching. Righetti’s still patient, shuffling inside the grasp, choppin’ wood downstairs via short, brutal body hooks really going to the blonde’s core. At the bell, Kloss’s been turned into a disheveled beauty, showing various little cuts, bruises on her face and body, looking roughed up, delicate.
 
R6: Righetti belligerent: leading behind gung-ho jabwork, she’s feinting attacks to skull, but lands ‘em to Karlie’s solar-plexus /tummy – pushy, always-be-touchin’ work soon bullies Kloss into leggy retreats, backs her up in ropeside stances. Amanda looking comfy early – she’s out-punching Kloss’s straight-down jabs via her own rhythmic left poke, doing sound damage with pummeling right hands knocking into Karlie’s guard, body. Kloss under wraps, but slowly starts to beat back in slick, if messy fashion – only using her reach advantage has really been working for her tonight as redhead has kept the blonde’s right hand out of the game almost entirely so far, so Karlie employs that drapin’-arms strategy again, really forcing herself into clinches, little holdings, shoulder bumps, all trying to make Righetti use up more energy/strength in tight, exhausting body-to-body struggles…ref’s letting her get away with it, usually breakin’ girls apart late. Karlie’s messing up Amanda’s rhythm and her forward push successfully…girls get locked into meat-grinding, buttock-shuddering action.
 
Second minute: pumping her lanky, long-reaching arms, Karlie’s finally hurting Righetti again…her wide, whip-lashing left ‘n right work into Amanda’s sides/ribs has redhead’s aggression sputtering to a halt. Kloss bendy, fast: she’s lowering her upper body, rising into thick uppercuts to jaw/mouth – Righetti’s often in earmuff, riding it out on her strong legs, working back shorter hooks through the inside middle. Third minute: Righetti’s counter work more precise, dangerous, disturbing Karlie’s strong position/rhythm via some stomping hooks to tits/solarplexus – Karlie’s hurt, circling back into larger range. From the outside, Kloss’s most effective, reachin’ and hurtin’ Rigs via her lanky, whipping left when redhead’s still negotiating forward, not letting Amanda get into her preferred punching range without trade-off harm. Righetti’s shut out, bobbin’, weavin’ on the spot, looking for openings…she’s spooked by Karlie’s poke, lunging in for swift little attacks, but not committing into the necessary risk. Kloss pleased with having outside control until the bell, the occasional jab pinning Righetti on her way in…blonde’s still down on the cards, but recovering well after a weak fifth round, not allowing Amanda to romp away into a one-sided affair.
 
R7: Righetti jerks that heavy jab in towards Karlie’s head, her solid poke pickin’ up nicely on Kloss’s mouth/teeth – redhead assertive, resolute in her drive to back up Karlie big-girl, shutting off the ring for lanky blonde. Kloss gets overwhelmed: tall, elegant blonde mostly on her back-foot, prancing on her toes in rangy circles, feeling the numbing sledgehammer attacks relentlessly rippin’ into her tummy. Slowly, Righetti’s got her blonde bludgeoned into a turnbuckle position, cooped up for damage – Amanda’s spreading out, using wide, rhythmic whacks lashing into Karlie’s flanks/ribs, up top Kloss’s throbbin’ counters are usually not quick enough for Rigs’ default guard. Righetti’s left stabilizes Kloss’ body, keeps her in a firm position, tenderizing blonde guard via jab for rippin’ right hands that slowly knock back Karlie’s head in frightening, mitt-splitting fashion. Another chop-chop left deeeeep into ribs bunches up Kloss hurt, the blonde’s body twitching back from the punch, looking increasingly sickly – Righetti just rams in her right hand over Karlie’s left arm, blasting right into her unprotected face. KARLIE’S SLUMPING! Blonde’s body jerked into turnbuckle by the impact, then loosening entirely – she’s stumbling for a few steps, then tumbles down onto all fours…she’s a hot mess, her chest heaving in deep breaths. Karlie Kloss beats the friggin’ count! Blonde rising: she’s taking her time, sittin’ back on her haunches, taking it in firm, little steps, lifting herself up, she’s blinkin’, shakin’ her head, jumpin’ on the spot, looking a bit tender but there’s still fire in her eyes and a bounce in her legs…Karlie beats a heart-stopping count, right at eight!
 
Second minute: Kloss sluggish, robotic, but doing what she can to ease the pressure…she’s pulling Rigs into clinches, stalling for time, using her weight, height – Amanda’s punishing her ribs/flanks via brutal hooks to the mid-section, pressing forward, but Karlie’s got her earmuff stance steady, firm, she’s fighting tall, actually pumping back some straight jabs…impressive defense work by Kloss who’s just flirted with a knockout. Righetti gets bogged down in Kloss’s messy strategy again, perhaps a bit frustrated, too impatient – she’s still backing up Kloss ropesides, but struggles against Karlie’s raw physicality, not really exerting finishing pressure. Girls scufflin’, joltin’ their bodies against each other…Karlie lowering her head, rests it on ‘Manda’s shoulders, stompin’, squeezin’ her weight along….ref not doing a particular good job of keeping girls apart, still breaking ‘em late...and Big Rigs ain’t getting her punches back rolling. Third minute: girls still a-bumpin’, tusslin’…at one point on the inside, Karlie clips Amanda an oddly-angled, shrugggggingly invisible little uppercut to left side of jawbone as girls fall together…Righetti’s body suddenly relaxes inside the grasp from a delayed reaction, her torso folding stiffly against Karlie’s wide shoulders. Kloss’s wide-eyed, feeling Righetti slackening against her body…she’s pushin’, pushin’ Amanda to ropes, hoistin’ two, three chop-chop left hooks to Rigs’ tummy/ribs. Amanda turns her left shoulder towards Karlie, right side leaning into ropes…she’s groaning in pain! Redhead punches back alibi jabs up top just to push Kloss away from her, but Karlie crouches, leans in, blasting a shoulder-powered right hand over Righetti’s guard, connecting boom upside Amanda’s left forehead! Righetti’s ROCKED on impact, her torso taking a little jerk backwards into ropes…she’s no longer punchin’ back, but remains hands-up – Karlie takes a step close, starts jack-hammering Righetti short, left-handed hooks to the freakin’ SKULL…she’s just PASTIN’ AWAY HOOKS to Amanda’s face! Righetti’s head’s making little lolls from the sock, her loosened body still propped up by top rope in her back, her strong legs holding out…the ref jumps in from the side, pushes off Karlie, stabilizing a rickety Righetti in his arms…Amanda’s mumblin’ furious words of protest, shovin’ against the ref, no, no, no, as blonde turns away struttin’ her stuff, her hands held high for a TKO7 in upset of the year fashion, Karlie Kloss!
 
After: Righetti punched groggy, her steps staggering but arguing with the ref, alleging too early stoppage….only later, in her post-fight interview, she’s more conciliatory, “Look, I don’t blame the ref, I don’t. If I knock a girl down and allow her to come back, that’s just my fault, really.” Christmas surprise ends Amanda’s 2016 – her best, most dominant year in a while – on an ugly note against a young, new-generation threat. “I pounded her out…like a Kloss”, Karlie smirks, her bubbly exuberance masking the various bruises, cuts she’s suffered tonight…the shocking, come-from-behind-finish her biggest victory yet and a possible introduction to the division’s elite. Rematch rumours buzz around the arena on the evening, but Karlie ain’t committing just yet….”Not ruling it out, folks, but as for tonight, I’ll only say that the girl was friggin’ done, she was out on her feet, punched into helplessness by my fists. End of story.”