MELISSA BENOIST VS HAILEE STEINFELD

Results: Lookout Writing: Archer

Melissa: 29 YO, 5’8 (1.73 m) 4-4-0 (4 KO) since 2015, Pretty Little Punchers

Hailee: 21 YO, 5’7 (1.70 m) 1-5-0, 1 KO since 2016, The Fighting Academy



Before: “Melissa beat me back in January,” explains Hailee, “but I wasn’t about to let that stand, It’s taken me nearly a year, but we’re fighting again and I am determined to even the score between us.”

“Hey, if Melissa wants me again, I’m more than happy to give her opportunity,” says Melissa Benoist. “I think she would be better off finding someone she can actually beat, but, hey I could use a win my record. Hailee seems perfect for that.”

Hailee gives Melissa a murderous look: “You arrogant, bytch! I am SO going pay you back.”

“Watch your mouth, Steinfeld!” snaps an irritated Melissa. “Someone with only 1 win on her record should be careful who she disses.”

“You had to bring that up, didn’t you?” Hailee fumes.

“You’re the one who started this,” says Melissa, “but let me assure you I will be the one to finish it.”

“You’ll be finished all right,” retorts Hailee, “and I’ll be doing the finishing. Get ready to French kiss the canvas.”

“In your dreams,” Melissa fires back.

“Soon to become a reality,” Hailee smirks.

Melissa shakes her head in disgust: “You are SO going regret talking to me like this.”

“Not a chance,” Hailee retorts.

Melissa exits the platform in a huff, Hailee smiles and nods to the press before departing. The ill-will between the two is still present when they meet in the ring. Melissa is in a red bikini with white gloves and boots (red laces). Hailee is in a white bikini with green gloves and boots (white laces). Both have their hair pulled back in ponytails. Much glaring and pushing during the ring instructions. Referee speaks sternly to keep them in line, Gloves slam together rather than tap, but the instructions are over and the fighters are back in their corners clearly straining to have it each other, The bell rings…

R1: Hailee and Melissa charge to center ring and exchange vicious shots to the head. Both fighters reel away, but quickly seem to recover and blast away again. Hailee finding Melissa’s chin and make it bounce like a bobble-head, Melissa legs shimmying as she drops back. Hailee looks almost gleeful as she pursues, swinging for Melissa’s head. Melissa gets her gloves up to protect her head. Hailee frustrated, turns to attacking Melissa’s body, but then Melissa rallies and strikes back at Hailee’s head. Hailee now recoils and Melissa follows attacking to the body. Then Hailee rallies and catches Melissa’s chin again with solid uppercuts that staggers the blonde. Melissa throws up jab to block Hailee’s efforts to follow-up. Hailee circling, trying to find openings, but she is blocked by Melissa. Round is a close one, but the judges give it to Hailee.

R2: Melissa and Hailee again are quick out of their corners, but this time Melissa is just a bit quicker and she stuffs a powerful right hook into Hailee’s gut. Hailee gurgles and stumbles back all doubled over, Melissa bangs around the sides of Hailee’s head making her ponytail dance, but Hailee manages to break away and buys herself some breathing space. Melissa catches uo with Hailee and they battle away until Melissa manages to use a left-feint to bring a right cross into Hailee’s jaw. Hailee staggering, but keeps her feet. Melissa swarms in, Hailee all covered up manages to ride out the leather storm, but Melissa takes the round by a wide margin.

R3: Again the rapid movement by both fighters to get at one another. This time it is Hailee who is able to strike first and bang Melissa to the jaw with a lightning right. Melissa wobbles away and Hailee has to scramble to get back in front of her Hailee strikes hard to the belly, driving Melissa back all bent forward and then raising her aim to pound Melissa’s chest., Melissa trying to use her jab to drive Hailee back, but Hailee attacking with determination and its all Melissa can do to block most of the shots aimed at her head. Hailee doing a good job of keeping Melissa bottled up and wins the round by a comfortable margin.

R4: Once more the two young and eager fighters can’t wait to get out of their corners to start punching. Even exchange initially as Melissa and Hailee trade shots to the head and body. Melissa trying to force her way in close, Hailee accepts battle and they now are toe to toe as they are driving heavy punches to breasts and belly. Melissa does most of the pushing, but Hailee able to stall her efforts and then finds Melissa’s chin with some late uppercuts. Melissa’s knees give a shake as the chin shots smack home and she pulls back a few steps. Hailee upping the pressure with tight straight rights and lefts into Melissa’s breasts, but then dropping her aim to hook Melissa to the belly. Melissa falling back, still jabbing back with vigor. Melissa slowing Hailee as the defensive jab impact her chest and ribcage, but Hailee maintaining enough pressure to pull out a close win this round. Melissa and Hailee exchanged glares after the bell and looked ready to start swinging again, but the referee broke it up.

R5: The action did not slack in the new round, but this time Melissa Benoist was moving around Hailee Steinfeld and doing a good job of keeping Hailee off balance, then bringing home a cracking right or left to the head. Hailee seemed to grow frustrated and she started lunging at the elusive Melissa, but this only enabled the brunette to tag her to the jaw and chin. Hailee started to slow down as the accumulation of head shots filled her head with spinning stars. Melissa went at the stomach as few times just to distract Hailee and when it did pull down her guard, she looped overhand rights and lefts to bust up Hailee’s face. Round sends with Hailee’s face all lumped up and oozing crimson. Melissa surveys the damage and smiles. No surprise that the round goes wide to Melissa Benoist.

R6: Hailee’s bruised face cleaned up by the efficient Fighting Academy corner crew but she is slow for the first time as she comes off her stool. Hailee looking tentative as Melissa closes in on her. Melissa wasting no time pumps shots straight into Hailee’s belly sending her up on her tiptoes as she bends forward with a groan. Then Melissa brings uppercuts busting through Hailee’s gloves to pound her face. Hailee stumbling back, her gloves up, but falteringly guided. Melissa easily breaks through to smack left/right combos to both sides of Hailee’s jaw. Hailee’s knees suddenly give way and she topples towards Melissa. Melissa hops back as Hailee crashes to the canvas in a heap with her chin on the canvas and her butt in the air for a moment, then she falls to her side. Melissa quickly back to the neutral corner as the referee moves in and begins to count. Hailee tries to push herself up, but can’t do it. She ends up curled up in the misery of defeat as the count rolls passed her.

“NINE!...TEN…YOU ARE OUTTTT!!!”

THE WINNER: MELISSA BENOIST DEFEATS HAILEE STEINFELD KO6.

AFTER: Melissa not known for her post-fight antics, but Hailee Steinfeld seems to have been a little too successful in stirring up the blonde’s pre-fight ire. Melissa has her gloves removed then rudely shoves her way in to haul a conscious, but dazed Hailee to her feet.

“You’re going to think twice before you trash talk me again,” Melissa declares getting an armlock on Hailee’s right arm to force her to start moving.

“You had it coming,” Hailee mutters defiantly, but Melissa tightens the armlock and they continue on as Hailee wisely falls silent.

Back in Hailee’s corner, Melissa has come up with a new idea: “I want those green boot—start unlacing or I’ll pry them off.”

Hailee looks wide-eyed. She plainly wasn’t expecting this, but the steely look in Melissa’s eyes has her unlacing as fast she can. She hands the boots over to Melissa who holds them up.

“I beat the boots off Hailee Steinfeld! Let everyone remember that—especially you Hailee!”

Hailee is now red-faced with anger, but she remains seated as she glares up at the triumphant blonde: “I will pay you back for this Melissa. I swear I will!”

“You do that. I’ll have a regular boot collection by the time we’re done,” Melissa sneers and saunters back to her corner waving the boots to her cheering fans.

Result of the fight probably not a shock given Hailee and Melissa’s records, but it was close for some time. Melissa able to score with those R5 head shots and these seem to have tipped the fight in her direction. R6 was just the mopping up. Still, Hailee did show some promise and with management behind her she may yet turn her record around. Meanwhile Melissa Benoist gets to enjoy a win (and perhaps her trophy taking notoriety). It should be interesting to see where her PLP management takes her next.