KATIE McGRATH VS DOROTA RABCZEWSKA

BBU BOUT

Results: Lookout     Writing: Archer

Katie: 37 YO, 5’5 ½ (1.66 m), BBU: 12-2-0, 12 KO since 2016, Foxfire Atlantic Boxing

Dorota: 37 YO, 5’6 ½ (1.69 m) BBU: 20-6-0, 20 KO since 2015, Lioness Club

Before: Irish Katie gets into the ring with Polish Dorota. Dorota has a fine record overall, but she 1-3 in 2020 and clearly she wants to get 2021 off to a winning start. Had a much better 2020 going 3-0, but then was inactive for the last seven months.

“I am not going to into why that happened,” Katie says before the fight, “but it did and I want it behind me. This fight is designed to make sure the rust is off and I can start working towards a new shot at the BBU Bantam title. Dorota’s good as a challenger who will test me and make sure I am fighting as good as I ever did.”

“I lost a BBU Bantam title fight to Katie in 2019. Don’t think I have forgotten it. I would love to be albe to start my 2021 by avenging that defeat. I  justmight have Bantam Title plans too,” says Doda.

Soon enough the two are in the ring. Katte is in a dark green one piece swimsuit with black boots and gloves (green laces). Her dark hair is in a battle braid.  Dorota in dark red one piece with matching gloves and boots (black laces). Blonde hair in a battle braid. Ring instructions are crisp and to the point as they are briskly covered. Gloves are tapped. Fighters to their corners. Pause. DING! DING! Fight is on!

R1: Katie and Dorota maneuvering around each other exchanging quick punch bursts to the head and body. Doda then seems to focus on Katie’s chin with repeated swatting efforts, but Katie blocking or blunting most of these. Katie trying to hit back at Dorota to  the body. She scores with some solid hooks, but then Dorota manages to land a hard right of Katie’s jaw. Katie lurches to one side, but turns back fast enough to stuff countering hooks into Doda’s midsection. Dorota responds with some hard answering hooks to the body of her own. The two pump in the punches to ribs and abs as the round draws to intense close. Judges rule the round a DRAW.

R2: Dorota resumes her attack on Katie’s body. Katie answering the challenge and once again they are in close jerking in those short, punishing rights and lefts. Katie and Dorota both giving out involuntarily grunts as these punches’ impacts radiate through their bodies. Exchange staying even until Dorota goes a quick step-step and is able to bring a ringing right hand into the side of Katie’s head. Katie stumbling back and Doda advances firing in hooks to pound Katie’s s torso. Katie all hunched up and in retreat at the bell. Dorota pulls out a close round.

R3: Katie now striking at Dorota from long range with opening shots to the sides of Dorota’s head and face. Doda trying to fight back by circling and then lunging in. Dorota striking at Katie to the jaw and chin. Katie put back on her heels, but as Dorota closes in—Katie strikes back with a  clipping right to Doda’s chin. Doda knocked back. Katie follows up with shots to head and jaw. Dorota using jab to slow Katie down. Katie struck in the face and breasts. Katie’s attack falters, but she is able to block Dorota when she counterattacks. Katie doing a lot of hooking into Dorota’s belly and has her tip slightly forward at the bell. Close round but the judges award it to Katie.

R4: The new round begins with Katie again striking at Dorota to the body. Fast, stabbing rights and lefts to rake Doda’s ribs. Then deep, digging right and left hooks into Dorota’s stomach. Dorota hunched forward, trying counter with body shots of her own, but Katie is still on the attack. Now Katie shifts to striking at Dorota to the side of the head, jaw and chin. Dorota falling back trying to cover with the jab as Katie just drives her back. Looks like Katie is trying to get Dorota on the ropes. The Polish puncher manages to stay clear of the strands, but she gets worked over hard to the bell. Katie McGrath wins the round wide.

R5: Dorota answers that 4th Round beating by coming out quickly for R5 and giving Katie a big, driving right hand in the right eye. Katie recoils and is then rocked by a left to the jaw. Katie floundering back as Doda cracks a ;eft/right combo off the Irish fighter’s chin. Katie covering up and just trying to organize her defenses. Now Dorota is pouring the punches into Katie’s belly and driving her into the ropes. Katie fighting back with the jab, but then takes a right/left to the jaw and she then covers up. Katie huddles on the ropes as Dorota fires away at her body. Breasts, ribs and stomach all get a thorough beating from Dorota leather. Bell finally ends the round. Katie looking ashen faced and glassy eyed as she leaves the ropes. Dorota looking understandably pleased. She’s won this round wide.

R6: Dorota returning to the offensive as the 6th Round commences. Katie is moving cautiously and that seems to encourage the blonde to come in punching. Katie smacked again in the face and that right eye (already surrounded by a angry red, swollen circle) takes another hit. Katie also hit to the nose which draws blood. However Katie then responds with slashing right across Dorota’s mouth and then a clipping left to the chin. Dorota’s lower lip now split and bleeding. The two fighters drop back a pace, circle and then plunge back at each other. Banging rights and lefts to the jaw swivel heads of both blonde and brunette, but then they come back with hooks to the body. Now they settle into another bitter battle of the body punches. Both trying to bring as much power as possible into these blows and gurgling groans can be heard from both Doda and Katie.  They are both tilted forward, foreheads nearly touching and still battering away. Then Dorota gets enough into a series of belly hooks to knock Katie back on her heels. Katie gasping for air, but manage to keep punching to stall Dorota’s follow ups. The hard fought round ends and the judges give the close win to Dorota Rabzewska.

R7: Action resumes with Dorota again on the attack, but this time Katie seems better prepared. As Dorota comes in she is driven back by long range blows to the side of the head. Katie then advances with in-and-out attacks to the blonde’s body. Dorota looking uncertain how to respond to this change in tactics. Katie uses uncertainty to counterattack. Katie first unloads sharp flurry of hooks to the ribs to attract Doda’s attention, but then brings crashing right/left combo to Dorota’s jaw. Dorota comes to a dazed halt and now Katie rips home right and left uppercuts to Doda’s chin. DOWN GOES DOROTA! Blonde stumbles back from the impact of the uppercuts and then goes down hard on her butt. Katie moves quickly to the neutral corner as the referee moves in to count. Dorota in a sitting position, shaking her head in a desperate attempt to clear it and then realizing what the referee is doing, she forces herself to her feet. Referee gives her a quick check and then waves in Katie. Dorota tries to get her mitts up to face off with Katie, but she’s not quick enough. More fast, hard hitting hooks to the midsection tilt Doda forward and sends her skittering back towards the ropes. Dorota realizes she is about to be pinned, tries to escape along the strands but Katie is upon her. Katie smashes uppercuts to the chin and then swivels Dorota’s head again and again with right/.lefts to the jaw. Dorota getting ragdolled, but her legs won’t give way! AND THE REFEREE JUMPS IN! Official thrusts himself between Katie and Dorota. Kate steps back as Doda sags into the referee’s arms. This fight is OVER!

THE WINNER KATE MICGRATH DEFEATS DOROTA RABCZEWSKA TKO7!

After: “That was a tough fight,” Katie admits when she later speaks to the press. “Doda really worked me over in the 5th and the 6th wasn’t much better. Fortunately, I was able to rally in the 7th and got to her with that knockdown. Then it was just a matter of finishing her off. I am feeling really good about 2021 after this win. The Bantamweight Division better watch out: Katie McGrath is coming for you!”

“Bitterly disappointing,” Dorota says after the fight, “I was beating her down and I thought it was only a matter of until I could finish her off. That turned out to be a big mistake. She came back in the 7th, rang my bell early and was a wreck after that. I don’t remember much about the final seconds of that fight. I guess that shows the referee was right to stop it. Still, it hurts to come so close to winning, but then losing it. But will be back. I’m not ready to give up on my BBU career. Not at all!”

Intense battle of former BBU Bantamweight Champions seemed to turn on Katie McGrath’s rapid recover from the beating Dorota Rabczewska gave her in R4 &5. While that was a disheartening surprise for Dorota R., it was a very encouraging for Ms. McGrath. It looks like the FAB fighter just might get that Bantam title shot sometime in the coming year. The fans will just have to wait and see. Even as Lioness Club supporters hope Dorota will get on the winning track soon.