Vera Brezhneva vs Erica Cerra
(BBU Independent vs Team Canada)
(9-2, 9 KO vs 4-4, 3 KO)
Results: BBU; Story: Vassago

BEFORE: BBU TV's Georgie Thompson reports that Vera Brezhneva was so upset about Dorota Rabczewska's bantamweight title victory that she simply had to go out there and book a proper contenders' fight even if that required a trip overseas to Rogers Arena in Vancouver to face former champion Erica Cerra. The proud Canucks under Team Canada banner still ponder their own options and have figured out that taking such a talented performer like Brezhneva on would boost Erica's chances to make another run at the BBU glory in the foreseeable future. Erica fell to Una Healy last August so those chances don't look that promising anymore but the Vancouver native believes she has to keep challenging these contenders one after another.

Vera Brezhneva wears a blue bikini top, yellow hotpants & blue gloves. Long blonde hair tied in a sleek ponytail. Erica Cerra wears a red sports bra, black hotpants & red gloves. Long dark brown hair tied in a curled ponytail. The fight is scheduled for ten rounds in the bantamweight division.

Round 1:
Vera tries to channel her well-known aggression early on but finds the Canadian's guard too stubborn and gets picked off over the top instead as Erica wastes no time in enforcing her will as well. She bangs a couple of quick hooks into the blonde's face and digs into her tummy to stagger the former title challenger onto her heels. Another hooking combo finds the jaw and reels Brezhneva backwards where she struggles to connect with her shots anymore and has to yield real estate as Cerra moves onto the front (left) leg to pummel her back onto the ropes with more methodical strikes up the middle. She traps the Ukrainian tourist in the corner and blasts her on the exposed ribcage to underline her promising performance!

Round 2:
More of the same in the second as Erica rolls back the former championship glory to punish Vera up the middle as she outslugs the fellow elite contender in a heads-up dispute. It's not often than Brezhneva gets outmuscled in such a slugging route but she bends to the side when Cerra connects with a oh-so-low blow on the waist line and then fails to react when the brunette scythes her with a drilling hook on the chin! Ugh! Vera tails off onto her heels with a loud whimper but has to make room for more pesky shots that snap her head back & forth as Cerra lights up the Rogers Arena with a feisty drive and traps her opponent on the ropes thereafter. Vera can only clinch the local favorite to find any respite but Erica still pounds her to the body and emerges as clear favorite now according to Georgie Thompson in the booth!

Round 3:
Vera is clearly losing her temper with every Erica shot that pierces her high guard early in the third. The Vancouver brunette rides the crowd support to lock the blonde tourist into a hooking trap in the center of the ring and Brezhneva simply can't outslug herself into a contending position as she leaks punches like skittles behind a barking effort from the Canadian stunner. Erica drops Vera onto her heels again and belts her from both flanks to punish the exposed ribcage before a looping hook on the temple SENDS THE SINGER DOWN ONTO HER SIDE!!! That was a ruthless display of brute force from the crowd favorite and even Vera's angry esteem doesn't change the fact she's getting her pretty butt kicked so far! She beats the count at eight however backpedals away from the brunette's pursuit for remainder of the round which only fuels Cerra's desire to tear her apart. Both women bump shoulders at the bell and give each other a lenghty stare but it's all Erica after three!

Round 4:
If anyone inside the Rogers Arena expected Vera to adjust her plans to weather the Canadian storm then the opening period of the next round simply couldn't have turned out any different! No chance the blonde tourist makes any changes to her aggressive approach and when she clashes heads with equally determined opponent it's go time for the singer... she whacks Erica on the boobs and drops into her midsection wholesale which triggers a ferocious close tangle that Cerra used to dominate so far on the night... but not anymore as Vera drills her on the liver area and secures a steady uppercut route to punish the rack... Erica didn't see that one coming and struggles to stretch her elbows with Brezhneva breathing down her boobs with nothing but high-octane leather... a quick hook on the jaw wobbles her onto the turnbuckle where she soaks up another head-hunting drill as Vera picks her off from both flanks to finally show that bantamweight title-challenging promise. And now it's Cerra who blows her fuse as she seeks shoulder-to-shoulder contact after the bell.

Round 5:
Both women engage in a furious jabbing rally from the opening bell in the fifth but Vera's switch downstairs tips the scales in her favor as she cripples the head-hunting brunette upon initial impact! She duly follows it up with another belting hook to spin the local starlet to the side, Erica tries to swing a response from the back foot but gets caught with a brutal hook on the jaw and tails off against the ropes where Brezhneva traps her underneath a body-busting barrage. Ugh! The crowd support doesn't lift Cerra above this Ukrainian leather storm anymore so the former BBU champ has to clinch the aggressive tourist but Vera still slips by to punish extra flesh and leave Erica gasping for air at the bell.

Round 6:
Erica's clearly slower on her feet now and doesn't carry enough power to outmuscle Vera in another swarmer's galore in the center of the ring. The blonde tourist takes the most out of these circumstances and whacks the brunette up the middle repeatedly but it's the switch downstairs that does the trick again and staggers the local favorite into more loud spasms. Erica tries to clinch her foe but gets bumped off and eats a nasty cross on the lips that develops the some swelling once the singer cranks it up during the second minute. She keeps rocking Cerra's head back & forth and blocks off the weak counter punches before belting the Canadian across the liver again to wrap her against the ropes where she delivers a bumper attack to slump her prey into a desperate earmuff struggle. Only the bells saves the Canucks' hopes here and Vera wants more of this as she taunts the aching actress a few seconds after the round concludes.

Round 7:
Erica's running on fumes here and basically stops Vera'a hooking approach with her face which drops her into more aching misery. She fails to mount a proper recovery in a close range exchange and remains stuck on her heels when the singer powers ahead with the harpoon drill to punish the bruised ribcage. Erica simply can't soak up these strikes anymore so SHE TAKES A KNEE but the writing is very much on the wall now and the Rogers Arena knows it too! Despite some loud support Cerra is a sitting duck when Brezhneva piles on more head shots that collapse the Canuck guard on the spot. Erica trips back onto the ropes but slumps underneath a blazing attack from both sides and Vera doesn't even care much where she hits the subdued rival... the beating is on and the ref has to show some mercy here! HE JUMPS IN to save Erica from more trouble and even Amanda Tapping doesn't contest this decision. TKO7 Vera Brezhneva in come-from-behind fashion!!!

AFTER: Not much love for the Ukrainian tourist who doubles down on Rachael Taylor's performance on the undercard and sends the entire Team Canada front office into apparent rebuild mode. Amanda Tapping will have to answer some very difficult questions in the next few days and one can wonder whether both Huffman & Cerra are indeed done as reliable BBU contenders?

Meanwhile Vera isn't that stupid to trigger any post-fight brawl on hostile territory but she wants Georgie Thompson to know she's not going anywhere despite the recent defeat to then-champion Helen Flanagan: "Grrr... I'll pretend that Doda isn't the current champion but I can see myself doing great things too! I was always the better talent than she'll ever be but what can you say? I softened Helen up just enough for her to claim the trophy! Heck, I can still punch these elite bimbos into submission. Erica is tough but not tough enough and they had to stop it or else she'd be humiliated like never before! The phone keeps ringin' and you can't deny a talent like ME a spot among the best. It's not over, bytches!"

Final result: Vera Brezhneva def. Erica Cerra TKO7.