Diana:
(21, 5’5, 11:4 BBU, SIRENs)

Renee:
(19, 5’6, BBU Debut, Free Agent) 

BEFORE:
Renee Herbert is a spritely young woman making her debut today in the Sirens gym and bar, as a small crowd gathers in downtown Edinburgh for a single exhibition match. She's an Aussie Instagram starlet, one of those new-age celebrities who have found her own pathway to success. In fact, from the way she's pursing her lips at her opponent in the pre-fight interview, she clearly thinks she's better.

“Diana who? My team say she's some sort of model but honestly, I've never heard of her. She's got some wins in the ring, but clearly doesn't deserve to be called an influencer like me. Tonight, I'm gonna crowd out her space in here as well to show that I’m her superior in every way.” Blonde exuding confidence as she smirks at the audience, whilst watching Diana's reaction at the other side of the table. 

“She's clearly new to this,” Diana smirking back, with her arms crossed over her chest. “I've been itching to get back in the ring, and Renee's gonna make for excellent target practice. All I’ll say is ‘Bring it on!’”

Girls go nose-to-nose and it's your classic blonde versus brunette match up at the podium. They're roughly the same height, as they glare into each other's eyes, dressed in matching sports bras and tight bikini briefs. Diana in a jet-black outfit with white gloves on, whereas Renee’s wearing red top and bottoms, donning black gloves. 

Later in the ring, the referee waves his arms and HERE we go with ten rounds of Bantamweight action! 

ROUND 1:
Rookie Herbert tries to land some good punches from the get-go but Diana doesn't seem too troubled as the blows land on her arms in the opening seconds. First rounds somehow always go to the new blood entering the ring for the first time, with the over eagerness coursing through their veins. But Diana has been there before, knows how to counter innocent aggression with a seasoned defense. The jabs that do land on her face are lacking in power, eliciting some sharp grunts but none compared to the ones from Herbert's when Korkunova slams a hard hook into the side of her face late in the round, rocking the newbie where it hurts. Suddenly, Renee is left second guessing herself whilst on the retreat, this boxing thing getting real real quick as the leather begins scarring her pretty face. Diana smiling sweetly as she steals this first round no problem. 

ROUND 2:
That doesn't seem to faze Renee much, though, as she tries using her speed this time to continue her assault. Diana receiving more trouble early on, as her body gets peppered with strikes in the first half, with Herbert looking to overwhelm her. Diana thinking that she got away easy in the previous round, now finding herself having to deal with an uptick in blonde aggression, which is unusual given how most rookies would begin to wither and fade after being handed a defeat. Not so for Renee Herbert, whose energetic youth makes her hungry for payback. She scores repeatedly off the other girl’s lean body, pounding a series of left and rights inwards and forcing Korkunova to cover up. Diana however swinging back with those same blasting hooks as before, and the Aussie blonde hasn’t quite learnt how to deal with her power just yet. Renee lets out a loud grunt when another right hook almost takes her head off in the final minute, with Diana pressing the turn in fortunes, hammering away with that right hand until she’s regained the same amount of ground that she found herself losing earlier. Overall, a draw for both corners this round, though we must say the rookie is giving Diana a good run for her money!

ROUND 3:
Finally, Herbert starts to slow down and show signs of wear-and-tear. She doesn’t so much as explode out of corner, but still enjoys a good sprint forward. Diana ready for her however, now fully aware that the newbie has trouble dealing with power shots that land on her guard. No surprise that the Siren chooses to use those very same weapons in her arsenal. Renee ROCKED to the middle of her forearms by early bombs of that very nature, with Korkunova betting that the stunned effect will be enough to prevent the blonde from firing back in the short-term, and she’s right. Renee getting into more trouble and staying on the retreat, loud gasps from her lips each time Diana aims a straight hand down low and impacting the tummy instead. One thing Herbert lacks is multi-tasking skills: she can’t punch back and defend at the same time just yet - it’s something that all rookies have to learn eventually. But this inexperience costs her the round, especially in the last minute when Diana manages to push her back into the ropes and enact more punishment to the body.

ROUND 4:
Diana confident now in sticking to her strategy, in what may simply spell out an early night for the Aussie rookie if this pace keeps up. The Siren storming forward again looking to brawl, but Renee switching focus to defences side, and whaddaya know, she’s mighty quick on her feet as she evades Diana’s lunging hooks and power crosses with ease. Diana growling with frustration as her shots refuse to land, only to get her cheek bunched up when Renee decides to exploit in the second half with a long jab or two. Good lord - when she decides to focus, she goes all out! Herbert banging away, as many shots as she can possibly fire away, designed to overwhelm the brunette and put her down. Diana with no choice but to retreat, covering up her head, but it’s her tummy’s turn to receive a ton of abuse. Last few seconds and Renee shoots in another last left-right-left combo into the belly button, drawing a pained grunt from Korkunova and an even more painful look from the Siren. But even then, it might be wishful thinking for the rookie to put her down so easily or so early.

ROUND 5:
But that’s it for the Siren’s patience as she comes back with a vengeance in the first minute. Renee has the same idea to charge in, at least early on, before she’s ROCKED once more to the middle of her arms, and then another left-right combo stuns her to the side of her body. Diana learning early on then you have to shock this Aussie girl right to the kisser early, if not she’ll gain the confidence to switch back to her offensive mode. Renee’s brain jolted into blocking the incoming blows instead, and as a result, it doesn’t manage to save her as Diana rushes in hard and fast, socking her clean across the face. The hook sends Herbert reeling to one side, before another right hand crashes into her cheek and sends off CRASHING down to the canvas! 

Diana Korkunova with one hell of a KNOCKDOWN right there! She throws up her hands in victory, with Renee left squirming but alive down on the ground! One wouldn’t blame the blonde from getting back up by this point, but she’s still pushing herself in there and trying to convince herself that this fight ain’t over. There’s a glint of respect in Diana’s eyes as Renee manages to recover by the count of 8, but with two minutes left on the clock, it’s plenty of time to put her away again.

Renee’s face still a mixture of shock and exhaustion as she barely gets in a nod when the referee asks her if she’s ready to continue. Bell rings and HERE comes Diana’s onslaught! The Siren taking the rookie girl to task with straight hands to the body and head, alternating and trapping Herbert on the ropes as the blonde tries to block everything all at once. Slowly the swings get heavier and more powerful, with Diana aiming for the head after burying another left and a right into the side of tummy. A right uppercut up into the chin does the trick: stacks the poor girl upwards, and STILL Renee remains standing, the only thing left supporting her up right now is her back to the ropes! Diana pulling hand back for coup de grâce, but referee has no choice but to JUMP in and end this slaughter! It’s over!

Official Decision: Diana Korkunova defeats Renee Herbert via TKO5! 

AFTER:
Was the conclusion of this fight ever in doubt? Diana Korkunova doesn’t appear to think so with that sweet smile on her face masking her true prowess (and even some ruthlessness) demonstrated tonight in the ring. She put the newcomer away in convincing fashion tonight, but others already complaining that she needs to step up her competition if she’s planning on challenging for the title eventually. 

“She put up a good fight,” she says later of Renee’s performance. “She showed plenty of aggression early, which surprised me. With some training, she can get very dangerous in the future.” 

Renee of course recovering by the ropes, her ego battered and bruised, body even worse so, but still being encouraged by that explosive debut performance here tonight, as Diana said. 

Let’s hope these two meet again in the future!