Post by Lookout! Boxing on Mar 31, 2017 at 11:39am

Yvonne Strahovski vs. Adrianne Palicki

(Words: Front Street / Results: Lookout!)

BEFORE:

Another classic matchup of elite lights, this one a rematch from October, 2014. Between them, they've held the title six times. Strahovski, of course, is dead center in the pound-for-pound discussion, and Palicki's among the hardest hitters in any division. And, both, as you might imagine, show plenty of confidence leading up to this one.

"I made a mistake," says Adrianne with a shake of the head. "I had her in that title fight, and I made a mistake. I got too careful and she came back on me. Not tonight. Tonight, when I get her, I finish her."

"Like I said two-plus years ago," says Yvonne, "She's about as dangerous as it gets with her length and one-shot power. But. I beat her once. I'll beat her again."

ROUND ONE:

Just like the last time, ranged warfare to start things, and no surprise, as both fighters are long and both box very well. Palicki gets in rhythm early, getting the long left on and following with hard right hands, but Yvonne makes a sneaky little adjustment, using a slide step to foul Adrianne's sights and get the geometry working in her own favor. From that point on, Yvonne doesn't just get the better of things, she dominates the round. Palicki's short, she's late, she's off, in general, she's missing, while Strahovski quickly gets the range and calls in as many guns as she can find. She doesn't hurt the sturdy Adrianne, but she gets plenty of leather home, scoring lots of points and generally frustrating the long, lovely Palicki for two and a half of the first three minutes. At the bell, it's Vonnie wide to earn the 10-9 lead.

ROUND TWO:

BOOM! Did someone mention how dangerous Palicki is? Penthouse to outhouse for Yvonne, all within the first 15 seconds of round two. Straho goes right back to that little slide step, but, this time, Adrianne has an answer, squaring with her own footwork, landing a nifty left jab and then dropping the proverbial hammer, that big, booming right. And DOWN GOES...wait...Yvonne stays up! No idea how, because, for a moment, it looked like power was cut to everything, but, somehow, the athletic Aussie recovers and remains on her feet. Now, whether or not that's a good thing is a matter for debate, because, by avoiding hitting the canvas, a gobsmacked Yvonne sets herself up to GET hit, repeatedly and with great violence. Palicki's all OVER Straho for the next two minutes and 45 seconds, pounding her relentlessly. Several times, it looks like it's all going to be too much, but, somehow, Yvonne stays on her feet and keeps the referee at bay. She is, however, listing badly by the bell and looking to be in much deeper trouble than a 19-19 score after two would indicate.

ROUND THREE:

There are few FCBA phrases scarier than "Palicki looking to finish", but, that's exactly the phrase to describe the beginning of round three. Not good news for Vonnie. Not good news at all. S.S. Strahovski still listing. Fires still being fought. Water still coming in at various spots. All that while Adrianne continues to train the big guns on the wobbling Aussie. It's desperate stuff, right from the opening seconds. Yvonne's taking a pounding, and the referee is keeping a close eye on the proceedings. Still, somehow, Straho's able to stay afloat. Just enough of the damage is controlled. Just enough of the heavy shell is avoided. Just enough. Just. Because, this is a one-sided round, no question of that, and the only good news for Yvonne is that, while she ends it against the ropes and taking heavy fire, she also ends it on her feet, albeit down 29-28.

ROUND FOUR:

Another scary phrase is "Vintage Strahovski". See, that's not good news for anybody, except Yvonne Strahovski. And, "Vintage Strahovski" is what we get in round four. Because, somehow, despite still recovering from a two-round beating, Yvonne manages to work her way back into the fight. It starts with a defensive first half of the round. Vonnie's not moving as well as she normally does, but she's moving well enough. And, with a high guard and some slick angling, she's able to bog down Palicki's offensive before completely stopping it. Then, in the second half, she gets more active. She's still working mainly in the counter, but she's putting together punches and keeping things close. The final piece to the puzzle is an absolutely brilliant rally in the last thirty seconds that puts Adrianne on her heels. Add it all up and, at the bell, Vonnie's grabbed the thing close, stealing it in the final furlong to even the fight at 38.

ROUND FIVE:

Palicki pressing the issue now. She knows crews of the S.S. Strahovski can't have controlled all the damage quite yet, but that they're getting there. And, that means now's the time for a big effort to finish this thing, because, you see, Adrianne isn't about to make the same mistake she made last time. She isn't going to let Strahovski off the hoo...BOOM! A beautiful right hand counter from the Aussie blonde and ADRIANNE IS STEPPIN' IN FENCE POST HOLES! And, now Strahovski trains all her own big guns on the wobbling Palicki and lets go salvo after salvo and DOWN GOES ADRIANNE! Palicki dropped to her knees by a short, accurate flurry of heavy leather. Straho to a neutral corner, hopeful. Hopes dashed! Palicki up at seven. Referee thinks on it as he gives her the mandatory, but he waives Vonnie forward. Now, it's Straho determined to finish. She's letting Palicki have it, backing her to the ropes, working her over, but Adrianne's long, strong legs pass the test. At the bell, she's standing. But, Yvonne's put her in a hole, 48-46.

ROUND SIX:

Strahovski probing Adrianne's defenses early. Wants to see how far to push things. Likes what she's seeing. Gets after the taller woman, looking to finish. Not going to let Palicki off the hoo...BOOM! A tremendous overhand right from Palicki and DOWN GOES YVONNE! Out of nowhere, the Chin Checker has checked the chin of the girl who might just be the best pound-for-pound fighter in the FCBA! Adrianne to a neutral corner. Waiting. Watching. Yvonne on her back. Out of it. All but finished. Slowly, she rolls to her belly. Pushes to hands and knees. And. BEATS THE COUNT. Or, does she? Ref actually puts up the tenth finger, but decides Yvonne was on her feet before he did so. Question is, will it matter. He gives the blonde the mandatory...and waives Palicki forward. Adrianne in destroy mode. Not bothering with "seek" because she doesn't have to. Yvonne right in front of her, hanging on as the brunette lets her have it with everything in the arsenal. Straho wobbling, near collapse, finally into the ropes, and they're the only things holding her up. Final seconds tick by like hours for the Strahovski faithful...but Yvonne gets to the bell. We're even at 56, but the Aussie appears to be nearly wrecked.

ROUND SEVEN:

Back and forth fight has swung again. Just three minutes ago, it was Yvonne looking for the finish. Now, it's Adrianne, and the tall brunette is determined to get it. She's all in on the blonde, stinging her repeatedly with heavy leather. Straho giving ground, legs still looking wobbly. She's on her back foot, not generating much offense. This time, it's clear she's not getting off the hoo...BOOM! Somehow, Yvonne manages to set her feet and land a lighting right hand and Palicki is HURT! Problem is, there's almost nothing left in the Aussie's tank. Yvonne draws on all the reserves she has, throws everything into the fight and DROPS PALICKI WITH A BIG FLURRY! Adrianne to hands and knees again as Vonnie waits in a neutral corner. Count reaches nine. Palicki to her feet...TOO LATE! Referee waives it off! Sceej corner quickly protesting, insisting Palicki was up in time, but, ref holds firm and IT'S OVER! And, your winner by KO7 in see-saw fashion is Yvonne Strahovski!

AFTER:

Straho's face swollen. She's exhausted and scuffed. But, she's still smiling. "What a fight," she says with a shake of the head. "She's got a reputation of being one of the biggest hitters in the FCBA and it's well deserved. She hit me with a couple of shots that were as hard as anything I've ever felt in any ring anywhere. I had to dig deep. No doubt about that. But, I found what I needed to get the job done. And, now, it's time to get MY titles back. You heard that right. MY. TITLES."