Mimi Perkins vs Jade Thirlwall
(The Bondi Babes vs Frankie's Foxes)
(4-2, 4 KO vs 6-6, 6 KO)
Results: BBU; Story: Vassago

BEFORE: South Shields' very own Jade Thirlwall is upset she doesn't belong in the BBU flyweight elite conversation and it's tough to explain why the Little Mix starlet is stuck with a .500 overall record despite flashing her skills on the other side of the Atlantic over the years. BBU TV's Charlie Webster claims Perrie Edwards and Jesy Nelson are the resident Little Mix punchbags and Jade simply fought an extremely tough schedule instead of building her stock with some lesser names in the process.

Is Mimi Perkins a lesser name? Well, she might be the lesser of the Perkins sisters compared to sibling Leah but they both signed a long-term contract with The Bondi Babes back in February so suddenly the Gateshead audience begins to wonder if Jade isn't used as a platform to get the Aussie babe an elite launch herself?

Mimi Perkins wears a dark blue bikini set & silver gloves. Long dark brown hair in loose waves. Jade Thirlwall wears a military camouflage bikini set & red gloves. Long dark brown hair tied in a high ponytail. The fight is scheduled for ten rounds in the flyweight division.

Round 1:
Wild ovation for Jade who connects with the early punches but the Aussie tourist fires back over the top and lands the best punch of the lot as she scythes the singer across the lips and jumps into a head-hunting blast that silences the Gateshead crowd! Huh! Mimi means early business and outworks the local favorite in ruthless fashion bashing her from both flanks until she shoves Thirlwall onto the ropes. Jade tries to respond from behind the guard but fails to carry through with enough power and eats a hooking bomb on the nose instead. She wobbles to the side and has Perkins crashing into her exposed ribcage before another hooking connection splits the high-guard and spins the high ponytail back & forth. Uh-oh! Jade slumps on her knees come the final minute as she's unable to live with the model's pace while Mimi adds to her advantage by belting the subdued foe in the stomach late in the going.

Round 2:
More slugging menace from Mimi who keeps beating Jade for pace and glues her mitts into her face in high-octane fashion. Jade tries to spin out of her range but trips back and gets clocked on the chest as Perkins gets more versatile and drives the shockingly subdued singer onto the ropes again. She tries to blast her in the boobs but gets dragged into a clinching stalemate as desperate Jade even headlocks her to gain more respite. No love from the ref and Mimi gets spun onto the boards and loses her temper alltogether. Her rant falls in deaf ears though while Thirlwall establishes some jabbing success and claws her way back into contention once she escapes the trap on the ropes. Mimi taunts her in angry fashion but struggles to hold the line in mid-distance exchanges during the final minute.

Round 3:
Jade roars back into contention and slams a left/right cross on the model's nose however Mimi refuses to back off and plugs more harpoons into the singer's midriff as both girls engage in a furious flyweight bash in the center of the ring. Mimi lands a nasty double on each temple and cuts Jade up with a looping hook under the left eye but eats a brutal uppercut blast herself and soon begins to stop the singer's attacks with her face which is always a bad idea! Thirlwall cranks up the phone booth stance and lands the better shots down the stretch as she gives Perkins a noticeable lump under the left eye before blasting her on the ear again. Mimi wobbles to her heels and soaks up a late gut-checking rally as Jade cleans up shop to win the round in convincing fashion.

Round 4:
Another slugging attack neutralizes Mimi on the spot as she soaks up too many of these point-blank range hits while slicing thin air in response. Jade has upped the agility and begins to bang unanswered leather to reel the younger brunette onto the ropes and even the Bondis manager Kylie Minogue can do little about shear wrath that Mimi is forced to stop with her pretty face! Uh-oh! Jade bulldozes the brave Aussie onto the ropes where she hauls in a crippling harpoon series on the ribcage and moves up from there to test the strenght of Mimi's chin! The model withstands the rough ordeal but disappears behind a desperate earmuff and has Thirlwall busting her in the chops in relentless fashion come the final stretch.

Round 5:
Mimi tries to gather her thoughts in mid-distance but Jade is too quick on her feet to let those efforts pass... she loops a left/right combo into the model's face and forces Perkins to accept the slugging exchange come the second minute. Mimi lands a couple of good hooks on the temples but then wobbles into a brutal uppercut on the jaw and drops her gloves just as Jade flies in with the follow up... BIG HAYMKER ON THE JAW sends the Aussie brunette flying onto the ropes and Mimi bounces off them to face plant onto the boards!!! Get in there!!! Jade leaps in the air in delight and poor Mimi descends into painful shrieks as she tries to recover from this brutal experience. She only gets up on all fours at seven and sits down on her heels once she realizes she won't beat the count... NINE... TEN... YER OUT!!! KO5 Jade Thirlwall in highlights reel fashion!!!

AFTER: Mimi gets back onto her feet and tries not to stare at the joyful opponent who salutes the crowd and parades around the ring punching herself across the chest as well. The Aussie tourist sold herself well but she really needed to make the most out of Jade's early struggles but instead she got bombed the heck out with a KO of the Month candidate: "I'll get you next time!", she screams at Jade who responds with a classic "Be my guest, pet!" line.

It remains to be seen if Jade can truly recover her stock to enter the flyweight title picture again however Charlie Webster believes it's only a matter of time before the South Shields stunner becomes the talk of the town. There's simply too much upside for Jade to be stuck among the gatekeepers and she's too big of a fan favorite not to enjoy the favorable matchmaking if only her manager Frankie Cocozza bothered to go all in with his efforts as well.

Official Result: Jade Thirlwall def. Mimi Perkins KO5.