CBAD: Boxing On The Beach from Bahamas
Kennedy Summers vs Elyse Knowles
(0-1 vs 0-1)
Results: Lookout!; Story: Vassago

BEFORE: The 2017 FCBA boxing season has witnessed the rise of new talent among the hitherto often overlooked modelling entourage and while these girls didn't make the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition, they offer a curious upside which should be put to the ultimate test here in the Bahamas tonight. Kennedy Summers might be dismissed as another Playmate Of The Year punchbag but one must be careful to throw Hugh Heffner's legacy under the bus just like that. Meanwhile Elyse Knowles was scouted by the VIXENs stable and allthough she couldn't handle Anllela Sagra on her debut, she remains committed to becoming the next great thing from Down Under and aims to repeat Miranda Kerr's rise to the divisional elite.

Kennedy Summers wears a white bikini set and red gloves. Long blonde hair tied in a braid. Elyse Knowles wears a golden bikini set and green gloves. Long blonde hair wrapped in a loose bun at the back of her head. The fight is scheduled for ten rounds in the lightweight division.

Round 1:
There's no clear size and reach difference between the two blondes so the early action fails to favor any of them as they scamper through the loose surface and throw several punches upstairs that ultimately bring little success. It's mind over matter stuff during the opener which indicates how raw the combatants are skill-wise but one can't accuse them of taking it easy early on. They lean onto each other so much they clash heads at one point but the referee allows them to keep throwing the juice since neither complains about the situation. Elyse does land the better strikes down the stretch and staggers the fellow blonde behind a high earmuff but lacks the proper haymaker and bounces off the stubborn defense come the final seconds. Kennedy shouts back at her "to try harder if she can" but she has shown very little on offense herself.

Round 2:
Kennedy becomes more aggressive and picks the Aussie off in close range straight up the middle; Elyse was a little slow to react or perhaps didn't anticipate her opponent kicking into higher gear. Whatever the reason, she gets wrapped in a proper jabbing frenzy and struggles to punch herself clear while getting stuck in the sand during Kennedy's up-tempo swinging. The Playmate barks in her efforts to dismantle the fellow blonde's guard but still misplaces most of her strikes and fails to take full advantage of Knowles' difficult position. Eventually the Aussie model clinches her foe to survive the onslaught but Summers still wrestles her back to the ropes and spikes her on the tummy in a quick change of targets. This doesn't solve the clinching struggle on the long haul and both women remain tangled along the ropes when the clock expires.

Round 3:
The aggressive approach gives Kennedy more success and confidence at the same time. Meanwhile Elyse just can't land that initial punch and is forced to fend off the playmate's jabbing heat during the opening minute. All Summers in close range as she reels the Aussie girl on her heels and finds the one-off uppercut to sink her even further on wobbly knees. Elyse tries to swing one from the back foot but only grazes the playmate's forearms and yields real estate when she gets nailed by a left/right combo on the temples. Kennedy is somewhat unfortunate she couldn't deliver that knockdown strike but she spends the remainder of the round chasing the Aussie model around the sand while still connecting with the piercing jab. Eventually Knowles sinks on the turnbuckle when she gets tired of the escape and Summers hits a nasty uppercut on the jaw right at the bell to finally underline her dominance.

Round 4:
Kennedy is up early for the fourth and jumps into another trigger-happy mood but Elyse manages to show some nifty footwork and escape the looming leather rush. The playmate struggles to make her chase count this time and barely connects with the hitherto effective jab which finally gives the Aussie a hooking space to work with. She swings several dangerous strikes and while she doesn't land them on target, Summers' progress is stalled for good and both women spend the second minute in a cagey duck and weave display. This doesn't really catch the support of the partisan Carribean crowd but it's hard to convince these relative newcomers into another aggressive drive and even Kennedy's previous success fails to ignite any offensive push. Knowles makes the most of that fact and wrestles the American into the turnbuckle but the boxing action is downright limited come the final stretch. After all, this isn't a clash between two elite contenders.

Round 5:
Kennedy's defense hasn't been tested much up to this point so it's perhaps refreshing to see the Aussie finally pulling the trigger early in the fifth. She brawls herself into a dominant position when she blocks off the playmate's head hunting drive and nails her on the nose with a nasty cross hook. Another quick swing finds the right temple and wobbles the American on the back foot. Summers fails to adjust her footing and wants to stun the fellow blonde with a wild hook herself but misses the target badly and eats another flying punch on the nose that makes her yelp in pain on the spot... and here comes Knowles bashing leather from both flanks and connecting with Kennedy's face in numbers. Ugh! The playmate's defense gets exposed here and she trips over her own feet to land on the ropes where she soaks up more head hunting juice from the recovering Aussie. Elyse gets a little vocal as she lands her shots but that's her most meaningful series of the entire fight and she glues the immobile rival to the ropes while picking her off through the terribly leaking high guard. A nasty gash appears under Kennedy's right eye come the bell and she covers her face behind both gloves while walking back to her stool.

Round 6:
It's time for Elyse to ride the confidence wave and she quickly knocks more leather into Kennedy's face while shutting the playmate down on offense wholesale. Kennedy tries to weave herself out of the striking range but gets stuck in the sand and shows zero mobility required to withstand the somewhat one-dimensional Aussie assault. The relentless nature of Knowles' attack eventually allows her to hurt Summers especially around the wounded eye. The American buries one into her rival's gut however eats another heavy punch across the nose and bellows out onto the ropes with eyes closed, she slumps on her knees and drops her gloves too low to fend off the incoming hooking approach - Knowles BLASTS her on the swollen eye and the nasal ridge in quick succession before driving one straight through the solar plexus.. Ugh! The last punch truly folds Summers in half and she DROPS ONTO HER KNEES while gasping her heart out. She just can't catch her breath anymore and succumbs to the count while still on all fours! KO6 Elyse Knowles!!!

AFTER: This fight wasn't about genuine punching power and one could argue that Kennedy actually showed the superior offense here but it was the defense - or lack thereof - that eventually tipped the scales in Elyse's favor. She withstood the playmate's attacks and broke her resilience with an aggressive delivery of her own. However both these girls have a long way to go if they want to threaten the elite contenders which has become quite a crowded group this season. One shouldn't call Elyse the second coming of Miranda Kerr just yet even though time is very much on her side. And there's nothing wrong with a 5'9" blonde Melbourne native filling out various undercards all around the world going forward. The beach boxing genre seems otherwise perfect to smooth out her developmental proccess - and the same logic applies to Summers as well. Watch out for these girls in the upcoming months!

Final result: Elyse Knowles def. Kennedy Summers KO6.