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27 July 2018 Melissa Benoist vs Claire Holt

Page history last edited by caspian2 4 years, 3 months ago

 

Posted by Lookout! Boxing on Jul 28, 2018 at 10:48am

 

MELISSA BENOIST VS CLAIRE HOLT
Results: Lookout Writing: Archer
Melissa: 29 YO, 5’8 (1.73 m), 6-5-0, 6 KO since 2015, Pretty Little Punchers
Claire: 30 YO, 5’6 ½ (1.69 m), 20-12-0, 14 KO since 2012, Odds & Ends Fight Studio


Before: Melissa Benoist continuing to make her way as the PLP’s Bantam Prospect which brings her into this fight against Claire Holt who has over twice the fights Melissa been able to get.

“I have to be able to prove myself against fighters like Claire,” Melissa explains. “Beating Ashley Greene was part of that. Now I seeing how well I can do against Claire. I certainly intend to do my best to get a win.”

“Ashley is my stablemate so we have a good deal of information on Melissa,” says Claire. “I think we have that right approach now to beat her. I expect a good fight, but she’s not exactly the flamboyant type. I expect to outshine her and be the last one standing.”

“Really? Outshine me? We’ll see how that goes,” Melissa says with an annoyed look on her face.

Come fight night, Melissa is in an eyebrow raising shiny purple one piece with matching boots and gloves. Her hair is in a ponytail with a purple ribbon. Claire is in a blue and white string bikini with blue gloves and boots with white laces. Claire’s pair is in a single pigtail.

Claire eyes Melissa’s outfit: “I had no idea I would be boxing a chorus line dancer.”

“Please,” Melissa says., “I’m the lead dancer in this fight—as you will find out.”

“Sorry honey, only room for one star in this ring and won’t be you,” says Claire flatly.

Despite the exchange, the actual ring instructions are crisp and quickly done. Tap of the gloves and the fighters are back in their corners. The bell rings.

R1: Claire Holt strikes hard and fast at Melissa Benoist’s body as the action begins. Then she moves up to smite Melissa’s head back with more quick shots. Then as Melissa moves to protect her face, Claire is back to the body and really raking Melissa’s ribs with rights and lefts, Melissa struggling to keep up with the fast-strike Aussie blonde and finally manages to get in some effective jabbing to make Claire wary. Claire still able to rack up a wide win on the judges’ cards after the round ends. Claire all confident and smiling. Melissa looking flustered and dismayed.

R2: Claire right back at the fast-moving strikes, but Melissa and her jab are much better this round. Claire takes some hard ones to the chin and then gets her chest worked over by hard-driven straight rights and lefts. Claire looks surprised and irritated at the juggmugging and answers with pounding of Melissa’s puppies in retaliation. This then evolves into more conventional body punching of ribs and stomach. Claire still showing much attention to making Melissa’s ribcage feel the pain of her punching. Melissa finally pulling back and using jab to slow pursuit. Claire keeps pressing but Melissa’s defense holds. Claire wins the round, but Melissa able to make this one much closer.

R3: Now the fighters get into the close-in body punching right from the start. Melissa bracing her feet and pushing hard to sink in her hooks to the body. Claire sets her feet as well, but Melissa’s drumbeat punching keeps knocking Claire out of her set. Claire trying to get leverage, but Melissa continues to disrupt the effort. Finally Claire drops back, regroups and comes back in. More intense close-in action, but both fighters able to smack the jaw with surprise shots. Claire drifts back looking unsteady after Melissa’s right to her jaw, but times runs out before Melissa can build on it. Another close round, but this one goes to Melissa Benoist.

R4: Claire makes a rush out of her corner at the bell and tries to blitz Melissa back into her corner. Melissa resisting hard, but then takes a powerful uppercut to the chin. Melissa thrown back into her own turnbuckle. Claire puts her head down and charges in. Melissa pinned against turnbuckle as Claire hammers her at the waistline. Melissa wraps her arms around Claire to force a break. Melissa looking shaken and unsteady as a fired-up Claire comes back at her. Claire trying to knock Melissa’s block off with a blockbuster right. Melissa manages to duck down and the punch bangs her ponytail and tears the purple bow apart. Melissa pops a short right uppercut into Claire’s chin to knock Claire back on her heels, then she slides away and gets back to mid ring. Claire quickly shakes off the chin shot and comes after Melissa with intensity, Melissa pushed back, but evades being driven into the ropes and uses her jab to slow up Claire’s offensive. Round ends in a wide win for Claire, but Melissa still standing and she marches back to her stool with defiance.

R5: Melissa strikes back by moving quickly out of her corner at the bell and managing to slip at overhand right hard into Claire’s forehead. A jagged cut opens and starts dripping crimson down Claire’s face. Claire falls back and jabs frantically to keep Melissa back, but Melissa is pounding away to the body and the next thing Melissa knows her butt is on the ropes! Claire covering her face in her gloves and trying to huddle as Melissa sends sheets of leather crashing into Claire’s shuddering body. Claire sliding along the ropes, but Melissa staying with her. Then Claire makes a break for it—she rams a shoulder into Melissa and tries to scramble passed her. Melissa knocked to one side, but then wraps her arms around Claire and shoves her back into the ropes! Referee doesn’t like this and breaks it up. Claire finally gets off the ropes, but as action resumes as she exchanges mid-distance punches with Melissa. Melissa working and scores to Claire’s chin late, Claire suddenly rubbery-legged but manages to keep standing as time runs out on the round. Melissa gets the round wide. Claire makes it back to her corner and collapses onto to her stool. Melissa goes back to her corner looking focused and determined.

R6: Claire out of her corner moving sluggishly and trying to be defensive. Melissa initially circles and fires in exploratory punches. Claire’s reactions are slow and confused. That’s all Melissa needs to see. Melissa just blasts her way through Claire’s gloves and into her nose. Claire’s head is jerked back and blood spurts from the nose. Then Melissa drives a crushing right to the temple and adds a left to the chin. Claire goes limp and collapses into Melissa’s arms. Melissa jumps back as Claire slides down the front of her purple one piece and ends up with her face on Melissa’s purple boot tops. Melissa steps back and lets Claire kiss the canvas while Melissa retreats to the neutral corner. Claire does stir, but only to look around blank-eyed as the referee’s count reaches:

“NINE!...TEN!... YOU ARE OUT!”

THE WINNER: MELISSA BENOIST DEFEATS CLAIRE HOLT KO6.

After: Troian Bellisario and Shay Mitchell climb into ring to celebrate Melissa’s. Meanwhile Claire is helped to her corner and examined by the medical staff. Melissa comes over to check on Claire and is relieved to hear she is all right. Melissa then shares a hug with Claire and goes back to rejoin Troi and Shay.

“She was a tough one—but that O & E for you,” Melissa says. “My outfit? Well, I show off some. Maybe not show as much as Claire did with that bikini, but it sure was an eyecatcher and I did win it, didn’t I?”

As for Claire Holt, she speaks to the press the next day: “There is not a lot to say. She was better than I was last night and so she won. I have learned not to dwell on my losses, but to look ahead to the next one and do better. Now if you excuse me, I need to put some ice on my nose. No, it’s not broken, but it hurts bloody bad and need that ice again. Thank you.”

Pretty even battle for much of the fight, but Melissa did enough damage to Claire in R5 that R6 was just the mopping up. Good win for the PLP bantam and no doubt her managers are glad to see this win in her column. No word on who might be next, but this is a win Melissa can build on if she is able to take advantage of her success. Meanwhile, this is undoubtedly a disappointment for Claire Holt, but we expect to see her back on the winning side of her record very shortly. In the meantime, this was a fight for bantam fans to look back on with pleasure. 

 

 

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