Natalia Vodianova vs Yasmin Verheijen
(BBU Independent vs Lioness Club)
(0-1 vs 4-2, 4 KO)
Results: BBU; Story: Vassago

BEFORE: Natalia Vodianova made her BBU debut last month where Esti Ginzburg toppled her in a fierce battle between two rookies. This outcome prompted a quick response from Lioness Club's Yasmin Verheijen who thinks she can down the Russian model herself to fuel her recovery. The Dutch pageant winner looked set to enter the lightweight elite following an epic punchout of Stella Maxwell before Sophie Turner stalled her progress however Denise van Outen wisely points out that both of Verheijen's defeats came in beach boxing rules and she's yet to be conquered when fighting on the hard boards. Plus she owns a significant age gap advantage over the Russian as well.

On the other hand you can say that Vodianova was somewhat unlucky on her debut, she's displayed some wicked skills vs Ginzburg and wasn't shy to channel some dirty tricks which appears to be norm for the Eastern block girls if you look back at Vera Brezhneva's performances down at bantam. Regardless of Yasmin's pre-fight odds, she shouldn't underestimate the Russian model especially that Natalia looks forward to a proper revenge mission and actually refuses to touch gloves with the brunette before the opening bell.

Natalia Vodianova wears a silver bikini set with yellow trim and yellow gloves. Long dar blonde hair tied in a sleek ponytail. Yasmin Verheijen wears a pink bikini set and white gloves. Long dark brown hair tied in a sleek ponytail. The fight is scheduled for ten rounds in the lightweight division.

Round 1:
Natalia's up for some quick jabbing that forces the pageant into a deep cover and these are heavy punches splitting the Dutch guard during the opening minute like the blonde doesn't plan for this fight to go very far. Yasmin's footwork has never been elite but she gets exposed here under the vicious Russian barrage that has Natalia blasting her from both sides and sending into desperate circles down the stretch. The age difference was supposed to help Verheijen's cause but not at this stage of the fight so Vodianova lands more crisp punches upstairs to trap her rival on the ropes and cash in with more juice in the final seconds. She yells out in delight at the bell while the Barnet audience remains muted in response.

Round 2:
Lioness coach Mel B. has more reasons to be worried about here as Natalia outworks the brunette in a heated close range tussle and smacks her with a wild cross on the nose. Ugh! Yasmin sinks on wobbly knees but ducks underneath a classic put away shot and clinches the older woman into safety. The ref needs extra effort to keep her off the blonde's waist and Natalia loses her temper and whacks her on the kidneys to force the seperation. She gets lectured by the man with the bow-tie amid wild jeers from the audience but quickly restores her advantage when she lands a nasty hook on the lips and doubles down with a cross on the nose. Verheijen slides back to the ropes where she manages to survive the jabbing onslaught as Vodianova loses her accuracy but the Russian bombing keeps the Dutch beauty all covered up and quite frankly outgunned for the remainder of the round.

Round 3:
This is bad for the hosts, Yasmin has failed to impose her presence thus far and Natalia keeps coming back at her like she's on a true revenge mission here in North London tonight. Wait, that's what Denise van Outen said before the opening bell, right? The Russian pursuit is on and Yasmin bides her time in mid-range where she delivers meaningless single-hand response but finally looks more agile on her feet that affects the blonde's accuracy even further. Vodianova struggles to connect with the nasty combos anymore and settles for a single-hand drill that benefits the artistic impression but doesn't really punish the brunette physically. The back & forth mid-distance dispute isn't exactly a great recovery plan for the Lioness faithful but it keeps Mel B. a little less bemused at the bell.

Round 4:
Natalia goes back to the head-hunting drill that's supposed to leave Yasmin exposed but a vicious overhand finds her lips and wobbles backwards as the Dutch pageant romps clear to clip the jugs and send the blonde reeling onto the ropes. Ugh! Natalia didn't see that coming and gets tangled up in a proper close range bash that results in her lips swelling badly once Yasmin finds her groove. And that's a fine groove indeed that fuels the crowd's reactions. Verheijen goes all-in and splits the Russian's mitts repeatedly come the second minute and the older woman reverts back to blatant clinching when she fails to brawl herself out of trouble. She still eats more punishing hooks on the mouth though and gets stuffed into spasms when Verheijen whacks her across the chest right at the bell.

Round 5:
Yasmin's improved work rate allows her to match the Russian's intensity and both women square off in the center of the ring in such a violent fashion that it's only a matter of time before someone checks out of the punishing ordeal according to Denise van Outen. Natalia slips through with some promising hooks on the temples but misfires on the follow up and eats another overhand route that tears a patch over her left eye and sends her sideways when the brunette connects with her jugs. Ugh! The blonde refuses to back off and leaps with a crunching hook aimed at the temple again but misses it and eats an uppercut stunner from the turn as Verheijen yells out when she delivers it straight on target. Bullseye!!! Natalia wobbles back with her loudest whimper yet and drops the guard so low she can't raise it back in time so Yasmine SMOKES her with a brutal left cross on the nose... DOWN GOES VODIANOVA!!! The proud model simply couldn't embrace that power punch and needs an eight count before she recovers. Alas it's all Verheijen thereafter as she knocks her back to the ropes and hauls in more crisp punches upstairs that leave more bruises on the otherwise pretty face. Ugh! Natalia slumps in the corner while she's being reduced into a punchbag and the ref has to drag the Dutch girl off her prey at the bell with the Russian barking her pain out and trying to inject some oxygen into her lungs.

Round 6:
Natalia needs more time to recover from that poor round but Yasmin blitzes her straight up the middle and makes the older woman look really... ugh.. old now. She splits the Russian's mitts repeatedly and adds to the bruises with the Ginzburg fight also adding to Natalia's reduced punching resistance. She gets wrapped in a close range barrage that drops her butt-in-ropes before the one minute mark; Yasmin gets vocal as she delivers the punishment and just lays it into the neutralized foe... Huh! This is more like it from the sultry brunette and she rattles Vodianova all over shop before the guard collapses in wake of the heat and allows Verheijen to BLAST her on the chin a couple of times too many... NATALIA DROPS DEAD IN THE CORNER and she simply rests her head against the ropes while the count slowly passes her by... Uh-oh!!! That looks like a goner and she slumps face-forward at seven which leads into immediate call from the ref that disappears amid a rampant ovation from the Barnet audience. KO6 Yasmin Verheijen!!!

AFTER: The Dutch girl really needed that win to restore her elite plans but she was slow out of the gate and Natalia nearly caught her out with some impressive offensive skills. However the Russian couldn't deliver a crucial knockdown to break the brunette's spirits and paid a heavy price once the younger talent found her rhythm on offense. Denise van Outen praises the ultra-aggressive approach from both girls as this is always a fan-favorite and apparently Lioness Club associate Joanna Krupa has followed this fight back in Miami since she's issued a challenge on twitter literally five minutes after Yasmin landed that knockout punch:

"Well done, Yaz! But I can wipe the floor with that bytch myself! Just let me at her!" #PolishGirlsDoItBetter"

Denise van Outen thinks it would be ill-advised to see Natalia back in the ring so quickly again after another crushing loss but the time isn't exactly on her side here and Joanna's cocky attitude might well work against her. However another Polish/Russian clash would channel the recent Baltic Trophy grudge script down at bantam and that's a sell out in the making BBU can't force to slip under their radar. Game on?

Final result: Yasmin Verheijen def. Natalia Vodianova KO6.