BBU presents St. Patrick's Day Showdown
Maura Higgins vs Nadia Forde
(Frankie's Foxes vs Garnet Gunners UK)
(2-0, 2 KO vs 10-3, 9 KO)
Results: BBU; Story: Vassago

BEFORE: It's time for another St. Patrick's Day showdown on Irish soil as even the COVID-19 pandemic can't stop this annual tradition from happening! Everyone's favorite redhead Una Healy couldn't make the grade this time - still reeling from last year's bare knuckle disaster - but her tormentor Nadia Forde is back with mean intentions again and vows to blow up the exciting prospect Maura Higgins tonight!

Former grid girl & model turned Love Island reality TV contestant Higgins wants to bypass the likes of Zoe Salmon or Laura Whitmore and go straight for the big fish! BBU TV's guest host Christine Bleakley believes Nadia is probably the best contender nobody has heard of but Maura offers a mysterious upside as long as she stays away from Frankie Cocozza's lap on a regular basis: "Leave that to Myleene Klass or something! That's always a career-downer and Maura is too smart for that! Well, she doesn't look too smart but BBU fans love her curves and hell, I think Nadia will be a little jealous for sure!"

Okay, so much for Christine's preview take as we join the action in a local pub somewhere in Dublin. A selected group of BBU Irish Pride fanclub has been invited to witness the showdown and we're ready to go! An extra small ring has been set up in the middle of the grounds with special BBU permission so expect a lot of phone booth slugging here tonight!

Maura Higgins wears a crimsom bikini set & black gloves with a green shamrock painted on them. Long dark brown hair with bangs tied in a high ponytail. Nadia Forde wears a green basque top, black hotpants & white gloves. Long dark brown hair tied in a sleek ponytail. The fight is scheduled for ten rounds in the bantamweight division.

Round 1:
Nadia roars into immediate jabbing assault and pins the slow-starting Maura onto the ropes where she keeps landing crisp head shots to the point the younger brunette dives low and tries to head-butt her in the chest for the lack of better options. Nadia reacts quickly and applies a swift headlock before bumping her foe onto the ropes again; she lets a nasty left hook rip and tears a small gash under Maura's left eye to bring back some bare knuckle flashbacks from 2020. Maura appears to be stunned by the wound and slumps into a punchbag dummy mode which only fuels Forde's attacks. The Leinster girl gets vocal as she lands more vicious shots into Higgins' face to leave her aching at the bell. Huh! That was top execution from the Garnets' contender and she vows to finish Maura off real quick, making some gestures at her fanbase around the ring.

Round 2:
Foxes' coach Nicola McLean urges Maura to respond in pure slugging fashion and the demand is well answered when the former grid girl bashes the Leinster woman across the face to trigger a spiteful exchange in the middle of the ring. Nadia keeps working around Maura's wound under the left eye but eats too much juice in response and wobbles to the side as Higgins steers her head-hunting attack on target and matches the fellow brunette's intensity. Both women trade brutal slugs in the proverbial phone booth until Maura slashes Nadia across the tummy and digs deep into the flesh which drops Forde onto the ropes. She catches Higgins with a stray elbow on the nose and makes her gurgle in pain before dropping an uppercut on the rack that only makes the Foxes' camp really upset at the bell.

Round 3:
Nadia seeks more head-hunting dominance but Maura uses her footwork to escape the initial heat. She tries to counter-punch Forde over the top but lacks enough power supply and precision and gets outboxed in the center of the ring with Nadia steaming along to add more lumps on Maura's face down the stretch. A quick clash of heads slows the Leinster woman down but Higgins is unable to cash in on her opportunity and gets thumped onto the ropes where Nadia piles more heat into her face; she slices the high-guard apart and rocks Higgins' head back & forth until the bell finally stops her charge.

Round 4:
Maura belts Nadia to the body early in the fourth after the older brunette bounces off the top of her shoulder and there's more midriff assault coming as Higgins finally finds her groove and pancakes Forde's abs during the opening minute. She backs her opponent onto the ropes and Nadia can't follow through with her head shots as Maura breaths down her face and works the body assault drill until she gets clinched into a stalemate. Nadia remains pinned to the turnbuckle and eats a slugging left/right combo before Higgins slams her on the jaw and continues to light up the charts with an uppercut maze that slumps the Leinster brunette into loud spasms come the bell.

Round 5:
Nadia loses her temper when one of Maura's body shots slams below the waist-line but the ref turns a blind eye over this one and lets both Irish girls to duke it out regardless. Maura keeps working Nadia's ribcage over and drains more energy from the hitherto dominant opponent as the older brunette ends up sagging on the ropes when the body assault proves superior. Higgins scowls in her efforts to chop the Leinster brunette in half but gets clinched again and only recovers with a late hooking flurry but Nadia still leans on her and almost makes the gash under the left eye worse with a not-so-accidental headbutt in the closing seconds of the round. Ugh! That was naughty and Maura shoves Nadia off while calling her out in visible anger.

Round 6:
Nadia drives a hard left hook on the nose but misses the follow up and gets blasted with a left hook on the chest before Maura beats her for a nasty uppercut from the inside that catches both the rack and the chin. Nadia wobbles onto the ropes and can't deke away fast enough as Higgins SMOKES her with a right hand on the nose again... and Nadia's nose begins to leak blood instantly while fuelling Maura's attacks.. she traps the wounded foe on the turnbuckle and delivers a steaming jabbing blast that tags both brow ridges and threatens to extend the nasal damage as well. Forde disappears behind a tight earmuff but gets her mitts shoved into her face and slumps into loud spasms while Higgins goes for the kill only to run out of time... she gets pulled back by the rack but still leaves Nadia in all sorts of bother at the bell. Owner Abby Garnet rushes ringside to check up on the nasal damage and Nadia suddenly looks worse to wear here while Maura's manager Frankie Cocozza has even lost interest in Myleene Klass on his lap and wants his Irish protegee to: "Finish the dumb #### off!!!"

Round 7:
Maura rocks Nadia with more quick hooks upstairs and splits her mitts with relative ease while the Leinster woman is anything but recovered from the previous round. She might be elite-tough but Maura rides a confidence wave to bash her face into more lumps and it doesn't take thirty seconds before Forde's nostrils begin to leak blood again. Uh-oh!!! Higgins whacks her with more venom and beats into a standstill along the ropes... Nadia tries to turn away but only leaves the right temple exposed and Maura drills it with a quick effort before another uppercut blast catches the nose and SENDS FORDE DOWN ONTO HER KNEES!!! Ugh! Now it gets ugly as blood pours onto the canvas and the ref almost slips on one of the slick patches... Nadia caves into a turtle-like position before sitting down on her heels. She wipes more blood across her mouth but still makes a desperate effort to beat the count. She gets up at eight... and three quarters but looks all busted up and ignores the referee's question whether she wants to continue! There's a serious possibility she might have suffered a fractured nose so the St. Patrick's Day showdown is waved off!!! TKO7 Maura Higgins!!!

AFTER: Irish folk classic "Whiskey In The Jar" hits the pub speakers and Frankie Cocozza jumps into the ring to pour a glass of "Full's Irish Dew" over Maura's breasts rather than into her mouth which triggers the VIP afterparty festives in style! "We got a lot more of this so let's fookin' goooooo!". Uh-oh. Christine Bleakley belives the Foxes manager is not exactly sober here but what else is new? Maura jumps on top of him and gives him a lenghty kiss that would make Myleene Klass jealous on the spot but it's all about the Irish success here for the time being. Nadia Forde with her nose busted up in blood wants a glass of whiskey too... make that a whole bottle even as she looks visibly dejected but refuses to head back to the hospital for medical checks: "Gimme three shots and I'll be fine!" she is overheard as Christine Bleakley tries to talk to her before getting surrounded by some of Maura's fans. It's getting very crowded here in the Dublin pub and Frankie Cocozza buying everyone whiskey just isn't the desired BBU TV material... neither is Maura Higgins jumping on top of the bar and promising to do a topless dance which earns her the biggest ovation of the night! Whatever happens in Dublin, stays in Dublin so the cameras have stopped rolling... See ya all next year!!! #IrishPride

Official Result: Maura Higgins def. Nadia Forde TKO7.