The opening fight in this tournament pairs the former Siren Melissa against the inexperienced Natasha, who hasn’t fought since knocking out Amy Willerton a year ago, whereas Italian/American Melissa knocked out Alex Curran in her fight back in the summer, and knocked her out nice and early, the older girl one of the favourites for this tournament.

Melissa wears a tight blue t-shirt and white knickers for this fight, with Natasha wearing a yellow one-piece outfit

Round 1
Both girls are making a speedy start to the fight, each sending out some good shots early, with Melissa looking to be getting the better if the initial exchanges, her left glove smacking into Natasha’s face three times in quick succession, and she’s prodded the South African back into the ropes, hits her to the body, but takes a couple of decent shots in return, Natasha jolting Melissa with a stiff jab, and another, the Italian girl stepping back, whupping a lovely hook into Natasha’s body, looking like she’s hurt her girl, but she’s rightly still wary of her, and she seems happy with just winding down the clock in the first, leaning into Natasha, who can’t really land much on the more experience fighter.

Round 2
Natasha’s starting more aggressively, as she gets after Melissa now, and she has the Italian reeling after pinging her with a left hook to her mouth, Melissa typically responding though, and she hurts Natasha with three punches to the body, swats her across the face with a right hook, and prods her backwards into her own corner, where she gives the rookie some punishment, landing to her body and her head with crushing punches, Natasha defending as best she can, but the older girl’s picking her off, with Natasha looking like she’s beginning to wilt a little, then finally managing to clinch to stop the barrage, but she’s been hurt in there, and it shows as the girls are broken by the referee and reset, Melissa clubbing Natasha to her face, the South Africa ending the round with blood trickling from her nose and a lump growing on her left cheek, Melissa in control now.

Round 3
Natasha comes out in the same mood as she did in round 2, and gets to work on Melissa’s body, landing two heavy left hooks, making the Italian girl grunt and clinch, frustrating her. As they are broken Melissa lands a sharp left, right to Natasha’s face, and the South African staggers backwards, stunned by the speed of the punches, then she collects some more leather, as Melissa turns up the heat, her gloves a blur as she wipes Natasha’s head from side to side, landing eight, nine punches without reply, and Natasha goes down, head swimming, and a lump swelling under her right eye, to match the one on her left. On her feet at 7, still a little groggy, Natasha takes another good punch smack on that swollen cheek, and she’s on the ropes at the bell, her face again taking fast punches.

Round 4
In the opening seconds, Natasha’s good and mobile, and she darts into Melissa, but the Italian girl’s not bothered, and she’s landing the first punches of the fight, a right jab, then a left, and Natasha backs off, the girls watching each other carefully – again Natasha attacks, and this time she lands, nice left jabs on Melissa’s face there, but Melissa hits her in the body, good shots to her abdomen, enough to make Natasha clinch to recover. The girls are parted by the referee, and Melissa takes the fight to Natasha now, right jab homing in on her face, and this is good boxing from Melissa, the girl being quite assured, and Natasha again has to clinch as Melissa hits her to the ribs, and the punches she’s putting on Natasha’s body are causing her some distress – the South African girl grimacing as the referee parts them again. Natasha lands the first punches after the break this time, bopping Melissa’s face, but Melissa responds with a solid left hook to Natasha’s liver, then she rips another left hook into her face, follows it with another, and this is a bad end to the round for Natasha, back on the ropes, Melissa finding her with the right as well before the bell.

Round 5
Melissa’s in command now, and she gives Natasha’s poor bruised body a good working over, the South African girl not looking too glamourous now as the blood dribbles from her nostrils, and her brow creases in pain as the Italian hits her again. Now Melissa seems to think she’s got her girl softened up enough, and she whips her right hook into Natasha’s face, hurts her and makes her stagger, and there’s another, and a left, and another right! And that’s the end of the evening for Natasha as she lies flat out on her back, well beaten.

Result: Melissa Satta knocked out Natasha Barnard in round 5

That was a solid performance from Melissa, who sportingly checks on Natasha to make sure she’s not badly hurt, then leaves the arena