Malika Menard (France) vs Doutzen Kroes (The Netherlands)
(Foxfire Atlantic Boxing vs Lookout! Atlantic Boxing)
(0-4 vs 3-6, 3 KO)
Results: Lookout!; Story: Vassago

BEFORE: Both these women enjoyed great success over in the BBU but the American boxing market proved much harder to conquer over the years. Two former BBU lightweight champions are sitting well below .500 and they might not get a better chance to significantly improve their FCBA records than the European Cup competition.

Malika keeps her composure during the press conference while Doutzen is the more animated of the two as she talks about her overall chances to win the tournament outright: "No offense but Malika doesn't have the raw power to beat a welter tweener like me! We split a pair back in 2016 and those were some hard battles alright but I've improved a lot since then and Malika couldn't get off the mark in FCBA. Dare I say she hasn't made that next step and will always remain an European talent but not a global star like ME!"

Malika Menard wears a blue bikini top, white panties & red gloves. Long dark brown hair tied in a curled ponytail. Doutzen Kroes wears an orange bikini set & blue gloves. Long blonde hair tied in a curled ponytail. The fight is scheduled for ten rounds in the lightweight division.

Round 1:
Heavy slugging between the two women immediately raises the noise around the National Stadium but Malika quickly finds the pace too hot for her liking as she gets bounced around by the lanky blonde who powers into her face from both flanks and eventually outworks the pageant winner to the point Menard has to bail out into mid-distance. However Doutzen makes sure the escape proves futile and bangs a nasty hook on the nose that bends the brunette to the side and leaves her vulnerable when the Dutch model cranks up the pursuit. She pounds Malika onto the ropes and blows by her high-guard to rock her head back & forth until she slumps the subdued rival on soft knees and looks set to put her away still inside the opening round! But she misfires with that intended haymaker and skims off the top of Malika's forehead which allows the brunette to clinch her into safety at the last moment. That was a close one for Malika who still appears a little shaken up after the bell.

Round 2:
Doutzen roars into a trigger-happy assault and Malika has to bide her time in mid-range while fending off the aerial heat. Thankfully for the French fans, she's the more agile of the two and the leggy blonde can't lock her down for another brutal assault while getting picked off with single punches instead. Frustrating but effective action from Malika who picks her spots and finds her mojo working the long jab while Kroes hunts for the haymaker finish and allows the younger opponent to float around while scoring these seemingly innocent punches all over shop. Doutzen refuses to change her approach and indicates she's hardly bothered by Menard's response but her taunting ordeal meets a stubborn plan and that's still a small win for Malika following that dismal opening round.

Round 3:
More of the same in the third, Doutzen tries to blow Malika away in slam dunk fashion but gets outworked from the inside and those pesky jabs stack up the Dutch model and leave Menard finding her confidence when she bursts into the blonde's body down the stretch. Doutzen is almost glued to the spot and fails to shake off the midsection heat before she gets bumped onto the ropes where the brunette keeps drilling her to the body to extend her advantage. Malika might be winless in FCBA competition but she's no slouch and pounding the blonde's jugs injects more support from the crowd while Kroes can't stretch her elbows and gets pancaked against the turnbuckle in wake of this swarming resistance. She thumps the brunette in the guts herself but slumps into spasms when her solar plexus gets pierced in response and Malika stuns her with a late uppercut flurry on the chin to suddenly forge ahead on the cards and neither Doutzen nor her manager Nicole Richie can stay calm during the break!

Round 4:
It gets from bad to worse for the Dutchwoman as she gets drilled on the body early in the fourth again and Malika bullies her onto the ropes where she outslugs the seemingly more powerful woman before tackling her on the jugs outright. Kroes just can't swing with full power while getting locked in the phone booth and skims off the brunette's forearms before eating a scything cross on the nose. She slumps forward and Menard blasts her on the ear; a step back and a brutal left hook NAILS the blonde on the nose and DROPS HER FOR THE COUNT!!! Uh-oh!! Shocking turn of events here half-way through the fourth as Doutzen is floored in the corner and has to embrace a standard eight count with Nicole Richie fuming in the Lookout! Atlantic corner. What was that? Here comes Malika! She sprints across the boards to keep Doutzen pinned in a dangerous spot and she swings severa crisp punches into her face before Kroes gets effectively saved by the bell - she turns her back to the looming French danger and gets punked in the kidneys but that's a proper pillar-to-post beating Malika handed out in this round and she weaves the referee's lecture off with a beaming smile on her face!

Round 5:
Doutzen would like to connect with that raw power again but she's forced to fight on Malika's terms now as the pageant winner dances around on her toes to land more of these single punches straight through the leaky high guard. It's almost like the brunette gets too cute trying to build a huge advantage on the cards instead of simply laying the puzzled Dutch foe flat out! She learns to regret her approach when Kroes rallies from the den to land a vicious left/right hook and beat Menard for an overhand cross that finds the nose and drops the younger woman onto her heels. Doutzen misses the follow up but outworks the other girl in close range again and bumps her onto the ropes later where she plugs her in the gut and clips the chin to perhaps even steal the round on merit!

Round 6:
Slugging order is resumed as both women clash in the center of the ring; Malika feels the urgency to step up with more jabbing blast but she bounces off the top of Douzten's head and gets harpooned with a nasty punch on the boobs, she reaches out again to find thin air and Kroes puts her into idle mode when she cracks a double combo on the temples before a chin-checker hoofs the guard aside. The blonde turns it from the hip and SMOKES Menard with a brutal hook on the mouth that sends the pageant winner CRASHING DOWN ON HER BACK!!! That was a mighty punch from the reigning BBU welterweight champion who struts back to high-five Nicole Richie while the merciless count suddenly puts Malika on the brink of defeat! The pround Frenchwoman tries to get up on her feet in truly hectic fashion but covers the face behind her gloves and stumbles back against the ropes before sliding down on her knees! Uh-oh!!! She's a no-go here, folks!!! KO6 Doutzen Kroes in come-from-behind fashion!!!

AFTER: Doutzen snatches victory from jaws of defeat and proves she's the supreme puncher but she had to dig really deep to make it happen! Malika fell to 0-5 in FCBA competition but she's truly not your random tomato can and one must wonder how she let this one go away! She folds into spasms while kneeling down in the corner and once can imagine her pride was hurt more than her body here tonight! She really had no business losing this fight after knocking Kroes down in the fourth!

Meanwhile the Lookout! Atlantic entourage is set to remain ringside to watch the upcoming bout where Doutzen's quarter-final opponent will be revealed: "I hope Nina Agdal puts Stella away! I've seen the Vegas odds. Nina is the numero uno there. Geez, what a travesty! But when I beat her up then guess who's your new #1 favorite? Yup, that would be ME!!!" (laughs).

Official Result: Doutzen Kroes def. Malika Menard KO6.