| BEFORE: "You know," says Dreama with a grin, "When a girl gets signed to a stable, she doesn't figure it's going to take five years for her debut fight. But, it's been almost that long since I joined the FCBA. So, yeah, I'm pretty excited to be here and I plan to make a good first impression." "This is another girl I like," says Kristen with a nod. "She's smart and talented and funny and tenacious as all get out. So, just like Thirlby, this is going to be business. I'll take care of that, then go back to liking her." ROUND ONE: O'Dell: "Back at ringside and that's 'Dream No More', and this has been a big night for Metallica already..." McCarthy: "Well, it's better than SOME of the junk we hear around here, THAT'S for sure!" Cassie: "Tess, is there an opening for a music critic at one of the magazines your company owns?" Tess: "No!" Cassie: "It's just as well. I'm sure Mac's BOSS wouldn't allow her to moonlight for a magazine..." McCarthy: "HE. IS. NOT. MY. BOSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!" O'Dell (sighing): "Dreama into the ring and helped off with the robe. Nice gray two piece with pink edging and she's clearly been working hard to get ready for this one." McCarthy: "Well, she's HAD five years..." O'Dell: "And, that's 'Helter Skelter' by the Four Lads From Liverpool, and that can only mean the FCBA's biggest Beatles fan, 'The Five-Tool Player', Kristen Stewart, is on her way to ringside!" Cassie: "K-Stew had another long winning streak broken by Vanessa Hudgens at the end of last year. She's still at the top of the Front Street flyweight division, though, and is looking to work her way back into the title picture." O'Dell: "Kristen into the ring and helped off with the robe. She's wearing that familiar lime green bikini she likes, and the fans like it as well, as you can tell by that reaction. Ladies about ready to go. Time for some picks. Tess likes Kristen. Mac?" McCarthy: "Yet another typical Dancing Hooker opponent. NO FCBA wins. Stewart." O'Dell: "Cassie?" Cassie: "I agree with Tess!" O'Dell: "And, there's the bell. Stewart wants to go to that long jab early, and that's no surprise. Kristen a tall fly and she likes to use that height and length to her advantage. Walker, though, using her lack of same in the same way. She's got the head tucked. She's in a half crouch, and she wants to work past the jab." Cassie: "I like this fight plan for her. Walker isn't the kind of athletic fly who's going to bounce all over the place and jab and dance..." Tess: "Unlike SOMEone I know..." Cassie: "True. But, she doesn't want to be out on the end of Stewart's punches." O'Dell: "And, this is definitely a way to avoid that. Walker able to slip some of those jabs, catch others on her gloves, get to her spots and work the body. And, body work is apparently the plan for the blonde, at least early, because that's where she's concentrating her efforts, tummy and ribs." McCarthy: "And, that's exactly where to go against a rail like Stewart." O'Dell: "Final thirty seconds of a close first round. Neither fighter getting a lot done. Kristen landing some jabs, but not getting much done with the right. Dreama getting some body work in, but doing almost nothing upstairs. Ten seconds to go. More digging from Walker right to the bell. Close to Dreama." Tess: "And, not a bad way to start your first FCBA fight, by winning the opening round." ROUND TWO: O'Dell: "We start the second the same way we ended the first, with Dreama in that half crouch working forward and Stewart trying to keep her outside with that jab. And, while Kristen's able to slow the blonde down, she can't stop her from getting in tight, where, again, Dreama goes body in a big way." Tess: "Thing about this strategy of Walker's is, it counters Stewart's accuracy. You aren't going to have a lot of success avoiding her jab, but, Walker's blocking instead." O'Dell: "Good point, Tess. And, even with Dreama's head tucked and the gloves high, K-Stew STILL getting jabs home, able to split the gloves, work in the small amount of space she's getting, but, the blonde able to limit those touches enough to close and get some touches of her own to the ribs and midsection." McCarthy: "And, again, a skinny girl like Stewart doesn't like it to the body." O'Dell: "Coming down the stretch in another close round. Walker's corner has to be happy with what they've seen so far. She's executing the fight plan perfectly. Again, she's in close and working body as we head for the bell. Kristen banging back in kind. Nice short right hook from Stewart at the bell. Close. But, again, Walker." Cassie: "And, Dreama now up 20-18 after two." ROUND THREE: O'Dell: "Into the third and, again, it's Walker looking to work past Stewart's defenses and get in close. Dreama keeping that head low, maybe crouching even a bit lower in this stanza, making it very, very difficult for K-Stew to find the head with that accurate left jab, and, again, Dreama getting to her spot and working body." McCarthy: "Walker just might be giving everybody in the FCBA a road map on how to beat this kid..." O'Dell: "RIGHT HOOK, K-STEW! She landed that short right again and this time Walker's HURT! Dreama's legs did a shimmy and now she's covering up and being backed up as Stewart gets off lusty. Kristen looking to finish this thing right now. Walker, though, in a fighting retreat, jabbing back, not being routed..." Cassie: "Stewart starting to go downstairs now. She's going to dare the blonde to keep that guard up." O'Dell: "Kristen pins the older woman to the ropes and now goes back upstairs, banging away with both hands. Referee watching closely, but Walker doing enough in return. She's firing back whenever she gets the opportunity. Ten seconds remaining in the third. Good right hand Stewart, but there's the bell. Stewart wide." Tess: "And, it's a one-point fight, 29-28, Dreama." ROUND FOUR: O'Dell: "Stewart right to the left hand to start the fourth. Looking to work forward, but Walker banging right back, holding her canvas, clearly has the legs back. Kristen now sets up on the back foot and she wants to work at range again. And, Dreama's right back to working forward in that half crouch with the head tucked..." Cassie: "Color me impressed with Walker. Came in with a good fight plan. Executed it. Got hurt. Didn't panic. Now, right back to work." O'Dell: "Well, Dreama's not some teenager. She's 30 years old. And, it's not like she hasn't been around the FCBA. She was in a stable for some time. This is just the first time she's gotten in the ring, and she's clearly ready for it. I'm not sure I'd recommend quite so long an apprenticeship, mind..." McCarthy: "Just like the old days in the NFL, where they'd draft a rookie QB and let him sit behind a veteran for a few years to learn. Walker's learned." O'Dell: "And, she's making this fight plan work again. She's in tight, working body. Stewart, by the by, tolerating that pretty well. She's showing no ill effects, at least to this point. But, Dreama's scoring points if she's doing nothing else. We're rolling toward the bell, and there it is. For the third time in four rounds, close. And, again, it's Walker." Tess: "She's back up two, 39-37. And, I'm just as impressed as Cassie." ROUND FIVE: O'Dell: "Looks like the pattern is set now. It's Stewart at range, Walker working forward. Kristen having the better of things when she keeps Dreama outside, the blonde with the slight edge when she can close on the younger woman. Walker again in tight, working the body, banging away at Kristen's ribs..." Cassie: "RIGHT HOOK, STEWART!" O'Dell: "And, Walker nearly goes down! Kristen again found space for that short right hook and Dreama hurt again! Kristen letting go with a blizzard of punches as the blonde stumbles backward, but, somehow Walker stays on her feet! Stewart all in. She's determined to get this thing to the finish line right now..." Tess: "And, this time, Walker giving ground quickly. Doesn't have the legs to make a fight of it." O'Dell: "She's rope bound with forty-five seconds to go. Stewart giving it to her with both barrels. Dreama with the guard high, rolling with, again, countering when she can. Kristen digging somebody now, but Walker not going to drop that guard. She's determined to survive this round and she's going to do it. There's the bell. Stewart in shutout fashion." McCarthy: "But, Walker still up 48-47 at the half." ROUND SIX: O'Dell: "Kristen working forward to start the second half. Walker's legs looking a bit shaky and K-Stew knows it. She's ranging in with that educated left hand of hers, looking for every opportunity to drop in a hard right. Walker giving ground, countering in spots, not able to do a whole lot to slow Stewart down at the moment..." Cassie: "This is clinical stuff from K-Stew right now. There's a reason she's a top ten fly. She can beat you a lot of ways." O'Dell: "And, beating Walker's exactly what she's all about right now. Dreama trying to move laterally, working to stay off the ropes. Doesn't want to revisit that. Stewart squaring her up now, landing some hard right hands. Walker fires back with a nice combination and a BOOMING RIGHT HAND FROM KRISTEN!" McCarthy: "LUCKY PUNCH!" O'Dell: "DOWN GOES WALKER! Stewart a straight right and Dreama dropped to her back. Kristen quickly to a neutral corner. Count at three. Four. Five. Walker rolls to her belly. Six. Seven. Eight. Walker pushing up to hands and knees then sinking back to her belly! TEN! It's OVER! And your winner by KO6 is 'The Five-Tool Player', Kristen Stewart!" AFTER: O'Dell: "Let's go up to the ring and Tess Valmore!" Tess: "I have our winner, Kristen Stewart, and, Kristen, she caused some problems for you early..." Kristen (nodding): "She's a smart girl, like I said. She wanted to take some thing away from me. That just meant I had to solve problems. And, there's nothing I enjoy more than that." Tess: "What's next for you?" Kristen: "As always, that's up to management. I don't get involved in that stuff. I just come in here and take care of business." |