KATIE CASSIDY VS LAURA VANDERVOORT
Results: Lookout Writing: Archer
Katie: 31 YO, 5’7 (1.70 m), 12-14-0, KO7 since 2009, Empire Boxing
Laura: 33 YO, 5’7 (1.70 m), 33-34-2, 23 KO since 2007, Foxfire Boxing



Before: Two blonde veterans eager to get a good win on their records meet in this clash. Surprisingly this will mark the first meeting of the two. They eye each other with suspicion during the pre-fight publicity meet.

Katie Cassidy takes the podium first: “This is an important fight for me. If I can beat someone with Laura V’s reputation then I will start getting the quality fights I think I deserve. I was 1-1 in 2017 and want to be a whole lot more active than that in 2018. This is where that starts.”

Katie gives Laura a fierce look and stalks to her seat. Laura wrinkles her nose, but otherwise ignores the Empire blonde. She goes to the podium.

“Katie isn’t the only one around here who thinks she should have had a busier 2017. I have even heard rumors in certain unreliable publications that I am ready to be put out to pasture by Foxfire. At 33? Really? Believe me I have let Marvin Fox and Jennifer Garner know that I expect them to help me get the number of fights I deserve this year. We’ll see how that works out. Meanwhile, I will concentrate on winning THIS fight. In as fight with another blonde—THIS blonde is the one who’ll be standing.”

Laura then gives Katie a smirking look. Katie clenches her fists and glares back, but resists the impulse to start the fight here and now. Laura smiles at the reaction and strolls away.

The night of the fight finds Laura in a black vinyl one piece with a short jacket with LAURA V across the back in gold letters. She whips it off before entering the ring. She has black boots and gloves. Her blonde hair is in a punching ponytail. Katie Cassidy is in an orange bikini with matching gloves and boots. Hair is pulled back into a battle braid. Ring instructions tense, but without incidence. Fighters are soon back in their corners and the bell sounds.

R1: Veteran blondes are out with smooth grace and get down looking for the best way to put leather into their opponent. Much circling, quick firing, and then retreating. Plenty of movement as Laura and Katie feel each other out in the early going. Katie finds an opening a scores with a flurry a shots off Katie’s skull. Katie ducking down behind her glove and trying to counter to Laura’s chest. Katie shifts to the stomach and Katie responds in kind. Hooks flying into taut midsections as neither fighter willing to give ground. Katie adds an extra touch with hooks into Laura’s chest. Laura does some overhand rights and lefts that strike Katie in the forehead, knocking her back a bit to regroup. Katie coming back and there is a further exchange of body punching down to the bell. Judges give it to Laura by a narrow margin.

R2: Katie striking first as the new round begins. She moves quickly to strike at Laura’s midsection and tries to keep up the pressure. Laura struggling, trying to use her jab, but Katie is trying to keep her wrapped up. Laura finally clinches to gain some space, but Katie maintains the pressure. Laura finally starts moving, forcing some distance, and this does allow her mount a counterattack. Katie now the one being hard pressed by a body punching onslaught, but Katie manages to bring Laura to a stunned halt by a snapping left hook to the jaw with a follow up right to the opposite jaw. Katie goes for the chin, but Laura backpedals away. Katie struggling to break through Laura’s jab, but can’t seem to penetrate with sufficient success. Bell sounds. Another close round, but this one goes to Katie Cassidy.

R3: Laura trying to battle back this round with a direct charge at Katie to open the action, Katie doesn’t seem too surprised and is prepared with hard jabs to the head. Laura rocked back on her heels as Katie now advances with hard swinging lefts and rights to the head. Laura still in retreat and trying to shield her head. Katie seems Laura’s torso open and goes at it hard. Laura now hunched up and not countering very effectively, Katie roaming around the outside keeping Laura under pressure. Laura riding out the storm but she looks frustrated at the bell that her attempted counterattack foundered. Katie looking quite pleased as she wins this round wide.

R4: Katie moves out with confidence this round as Laura approaches with caution, Katie starts to move in to apply some fresh pressure, but suddenly out shoots a lightning straight right from Laura that catches Katie on the point of the chin. Katie’s head snaps back and her whole body reacts like she’s just been given an electric jolt. Laura swarms in trying to get at Katie’s chin with a finisher, but Katie seems react on pure instinct, She goes face in gloves to protect her head and shuffles back on shaky legs. Laura looking almost desperate as she heaves punches at the buttoned down defenses of Katie, but cannot land what she wants. Laura then seems to calm herself down and she works diligently to work Katie back to the ropes. Katie not resisting very much and takes a seat on the ropes. Laura works away at Katie. She concentrates her fire on Katie’s side ribs pounding them over and over to the bell. Katie staggers away looking stiff and very sore. Laura’s frowning. She won the round in a shutout, but Kate Cassidy still stubbornly standing.

R5: Empire corner crew works hard to get Katie out for this round and she does come off her stool with more of a firm step than some would have expected. Laura not reckless, but moving with determination, Katie trying to use jab to buy herself some more recovery time and keep Laura at bay. Laura circles her wounded prey and strikes again and again at those side ribs. Katie clearly reacting to the white-hit pain shooting out these ribs. Laura moves around front to attack Laura’s ribcage head on. Katie struggling to block this, drops her guard down and in that moment—Laura Vandervoort strikes. Out shoots that straight right that connects to the point of Katie’s chin, but this time she smashes a left to the chin in follow-up. Katie shuddering, knees buckling, gloves flailing as she lurches back with a blank look in her eyes. Laura unleashes a right uppercut to the chin AND DOWN GOES KATIE. Katie crashing down onto her back and lies there groaning, gloves holding the sides of her head as she rocks it back and forth. Laura off to the neutral corner. Referee movies in. Katie apparently hears the count and tries to push herself up, but she can’t get her body to obey. She reaches a sitting position but cannot get any further.

“EIGHT!...NINE!...TEN!...YER OUT!”

THE WINNER: LAURA VANDERVOORT DEFEATS KATIE CASSIDY KO5

After: “That was just the sort of start I needed,” a happy and smiling Laura V tells the press. “Katie did give me some problems, but I worked them out and won. Now I am ready to get REALLY serious with my next opponent. I can’t wait—and it’s not even summer yet!”

Katie Cassidy’s disappointment in the loss is clear in her voice when she speaks to the press the next day: “I think I blew it with that 4th round. Laura was not as hurt as I thought she was and she nailed me. I don’t actually remember much of that round. I am surprised I was able to stay standing, but I was not the same after that round. Then she finished me in the 5th. You have to out defeats behind you and will, but one like this hurts, that is the truth!”

Pretty honest statement from Katie Cassidy as there seems little doubt in retrospect that she lost that fight in R4 even ig the actual finish was in R5. Nice comeback work from Laura Vandervort. Her next fight should tell if she has turned a corner or not. Meanwhile Katie Cassidy is fortunate to have management which should improve her prospects to recover from this setback.