BBU Bantamweight Title
Dorota Rabczewska vs Shona McGarty
(Lioness Club vs Marti's Maulers)
(16-2, 16 KO vs 10-2, 10 KO)
Results: Lookout!; Story: Vassago

BEFORE: Polish Queen Bee Dorota Rabczewska is ready to defend her bantamweight crown but BBU legend Alesha Dixon actually steals the pre-fight headlines as she openly mocks the blonde's skillset and vows to burst her bubble sometime next month! Forget the hardware on the line, Dixon just wants everyone to know she's still the golden standard of the division! One doesn't need to say much to really upset Rabczewska though and BBU TV's Denise van Outen wonders whether the public handbags between the two singers actually help tonight challenger's cause? Shona McGarty enjoys the support of Doda's former stablemate Emma Bunton already and the Dixon spoiler only distracts the reigning champion from the big picture as well. That's the noise coming from the Maulers group where head trainer Kara Tointon predicts a genuine upset: "Doda & Dixon sounds like a loser theme! They could go and wrestle in jello and leave the big trophy to our very own Shona! Just wait and see!"

Dorota Rabczewska wears a white bikini top, red hotpants & black gloves. Long blonde hair tied in a curled ponytail. Shona McGarty wears a red bikini set & silver gloves. Long black hair tied in a sleek ponytail. The fight is scheduled for ten rounds in the bantamweight division.

Round 1:
Doda's in all attack mode trying to upstage the challenger as quickly as possible but Shona stays clear of the close range tangle and allows the blonde to work the drill without much success. The singer tracks her foe down well but lacks the crisp punch to open some holes and Shona does a great job in the footwork department making the champion look way too desperate in the process. She ain't gonna win the judges' vote on that one but the counter-punching blast is always as good option to ponder versus someone so aggressive like Rabczewska. In fact the Polish bee begins to lose her temper come the final minute and issues a verbal warning alas Shona laughs it off and winks back to coach Tointon at the bell.

Round 2:
Doda charges at the brunette with more jabbing power but gets caught out with a nasty hook on the nose as Shona suddenly drops the stay back attitude and clobbers into the blonde's chest instead. She rattles the singer enough to dominate the unexpected close range tussle before switching her attack around the liver area which drops Dorota into loud spasms! Huh! Shona digs deep down there to shove the singer on her heels before a quick overhand finds the jaw and sends the blonde flying onto the ropes moments later! Doda gets stuck on her heels and fails to escape the follow up blast that picks her off up the middle and leaves her scowling in discomfort come the final stretch. McGarty avoids the stalemate by dropping more bombs which snap the blonde ponytail around right until the bell finally halts the attack!

Round 3:
Rabczewska remains clearly rattled by that mauling she received in the previous round and Shona stays on top of the jabbing blast picking the champion from both flanks during the opening minute. She tries to bully the blonde into the turnbuckle where she can further increase the punishment but Doda shows some nifty footwork to escape the sheer force even though that allows the challenger to spread her wings even more in the process. Dorota isn't used to fighting off the back foot but Shona digs into her face time after time and beats the champion for pace as well as precision which drops the singer into earmuff defense once she runs out of steam and gets drilled to the body late on.

Round 4:
More problems for the champion who eats a nasty hook on the jaw and gets wrapped into a phone booth blast that lifts her boobs as McGarty channels some JMD power along the way. The brunette keeps blowing past the ailing guard and simply hacks Dorota into a standstill while pulverizing the cleavage. Doda has shown tremendous resistance for majority of her career but she still gets badly exposed tonight with Shona getting vocal as she keeps pounding away at the rack and spins the aching foe back to the ropes. The Queen Bee sinks on her knees and just can't escape a brutal hook on the lips that tears 'em into a bloody mess and Shona cleans out shop thereafter by adding more midsection juice just to underline her dominance. Rabczewska clinches her late but looks as vulnerable as ever at the bell and Shona barges her in the boobs one more time to send the Maulers camp into wild joy!

Round 5:
Dorota is so upset she literally tells coach Mel B. to shut it and storms into a desperate hooking heave that is destined to fail until she actually catches the EastEnders girl on the jaw and rocks her with a quick combo on each temple a split second later! Huh! Shona tries to swing right back but the slugging exchange fits into the blonde's tactics as she tears the brunette's lips and now both girls are visibly swollen around that area while the leather blast maintains its course. Ugh! Shona begins to gurgle a little louder when she gets smacked on the nose before a Doda hook on the boobs finally sends her into retreat mode shortly afterwards. The champion comes out on top of that test but she lacks the follow up and has the actress biding her time in mid-range alas that's more than enough for the Lioness camp to believe their fighter can still turn it around following a difficult spell.

Round 6:
Oh yes, Doda has that evil look in her eye again but Shona resumes the jug muggin' action and drills the singer to the body while ducking underneath the aerial swings. She almost clatters into the blonde's chest with her head before dropping a bomb on the liver area that bends the girl sideways. Ugh! Doda tries to push off from her heels but McGarty scythes her across the rack one more time and adds a crushing uppercut on the jaw moments later that SENDS THE CHAMPION CRASHING ONTO HER BUMS!! Oi, Doda! Shona leaps in the air as she towers over the aching foe for a while afterwards yet the Lioness pride is saved when the blonde beats the slowish count at seven. She yells out something in her native language but Shona wants to finish her off like NOW and charges with more pesky shots that crash into the singer's rack as well as her midsection. Doda almost goes limp on the spot but manages to lock the clinching stalemate while an angry brunette keeps piercing her ribcage and leaves her aching loud in the corner.

Round 7:
Emma Bunton thinks Doda is done here and Kara Tointon sides with her so Shona just rollls out the hooking juice in order to finish the ailing champion off. But Rabczewska blocks it off and tears extra flesh scything the brunette across the lips before a quick uppercut on the jaw sends McGarty reeling. We're back to the phone booth slugfest but Shona just can't enforce her power anymore and drops on her heels when the champ connects with her boobs instead. Rabczewska leans on her opponent and almost tries to render her topless with a spirited jug attack before she drills the exposed liver area and sinks the brunette into spasms. She then bullies the challenger onto the ropes where she keeps drilling the tummy until she forces a painful cry from Shona who disappears behind a tight earmuff but only hangs on until the bell with Doda shouting at her in pure wrath.

Round 8:
Both women show enough durability to keep plugging away at each other but the physical damage begins to take over once Doda tears into the brunette's lips again and wobbles her on the heels; Shona tries to swing back but catches thin air and has no chance to avoid getting smoked on the nose with a vicious cross. Rabczewska follows through with a chin-checker and just tees off upstairs while McGarty crumbles on her heels and fails to escape the championship heat. Ugh! Doda gets vocal as she lands one shot after another and wraps her foe in a bubble of wrath that snaps the younger girl's head back & forth until she wobbles into one uppercut too many. Doda drops the hammer when she NAILS the challenger on the jaw for the x-teenth time and Shona goes 'Oh, gawd' while losing her balance... AND SHE GOES DOWN ON HER BACKSIDE literally wilting under the blonde's striking pressure. Oi, Shona! She rolls onto her left side but just can't beat the count fast enough and she's physically spend here after an otherwise mighty performance. Boom! KO8 and STILL the bantamweight champion Dorota 'Doda' Rabczewska!!!

AFTER: The arrogant Queen Bee collapses on her knees once the ref calls the fight off and she's too worn out to even celebrate here as this was probably her toughest outing since the Baltic scrap versus Vera Brezhneva in December 2017. Lioness coach Mel B. admits that even Helen Flanagan wasn't as tough as the EastEnders' challenger who deserves all the credit for almost coming away with the upset of the night performance. Emma Bunton & Kara Tointon look stunned in the Maulers corner but Doda stays clear of additional drama and walks slowly to her corner instead of bragging about her success. She's still undefeated against opponents not named Una Healy alas she'll require some patchwork on her lips tonight: "Man, she punches a lot harder than some of the bigger girls I've faced! I almost feel sorry for Helen George now!"

Meanwhile the fallen challenger receives a standing ovation for her performance but is still close to breaking into tears when she has to accept the tough verdict. Kara Tointon vows to keep Shona right up there among the bantamweight elite but the brunette's future looks more than safe following tonight's battle of attrition. She had Doda on the proverbial ropes for a long time and must consider herself unlucky given how she allowed the title to slip out of her hands in the end!

Final result: Ch Dorota Rabczewska def. Shona McGarty KO8.