Katheryn Winnick
(43, 5’4, 120 lbs, 31:16 FCBA, The Dollhouse)
Vs.
Florence Pugh
(25, 5’4, 120 lbs, 2:0 FCBA, League of Mighty Women)

Results: Lookout!; Story: Caspian & The Dollhouse

BEFORE:
Newcomer Pugh remains undefeated in both the FCBA and BBU, having accumulated a resume of impressive victories over the likes of Michelle Keegan and Lacey Chabert. That and the recent success of her new starring role in the Hollywood blockbuster movie, Black Widow, and it seems as though Pugh is set to ride the hype train all the way to the moon.

Rightly so, Katheryn Winnick is first to acknowledge the 25-year-old’s accomplishments during the pre-fight press conference:

"I'm looking forward to seeing what Florence can do tonight. She's a rising star both in Hollywood and in the FCBA and is still undefeated. She seems tough, tough enough to put up a fight against anyone at Flyweight and even fight at Bantam. Hopefully I can handle her and stop her little streak tonight. But I'm sure it's not going to be a cakewalk..."

Seated at the other end of the table, Florence is both respectful but sounding confident of her many talents. The rising starlet has everything going for her thus far, but Winnick might be the toughest challenge to grace her shores just yet.

"I'd like to thank Katheryn and her management for offering me this fight. It's a big opportunity for me for sure..Kat is going to be my biggest challenge in the ring so far, and winning tonight will be huge for me. And I AM going to win tonight. As good as Katheryn is, she's literally old enough to be my mother. I'm faster and stronger than her and my team has done an excellent job preparing me for her. I believe I'll remain undefeated after tonight. I guess we'll wait and see."

Blondes actually shake hands on stage and offer each other the best of luck, before heading through the backdoor on either side for their final preparations. Hours later, Katheryn is the first to walk down the ramp, the arena greeting her with hella loud cheers and a roar of her name for good luck. Bit of a mixed bag thus far for the Doll this year, with notable wins over Melissa Benoit overshadowed by a narrow loss against Natalie Portman the month before.

Perhaps most telling might be Winnick’s recent loss to Scarlett Johansson back in May, Scarlett being Florence’s co-star in the Black Widow movie. Nonetheless, the Doll emerges on stage with a big wave to the fans, walking towards the ring in white sports bra and long tights that are lined with black, hair in a bun and white and black gloves on either hand. Florence enters the arena moments later accompanied by her coach Gillian Anderson, and it’s clear she’s also garnered a loyal but small following recently, grinning wide as the fans start a low but steady chant of her name on her way to the ring. The English actress has been fighting at Flyweight thus far in her short career, but her significant bulk and power will make her a dangerous opponent for any bantam. For this contest, her gear is in stark contrast to Winnick’s white – Pugh is clad in a black sports bra with a white trim, black boxing trunks and black gloves to boot, her long blonde hair in a tight ponytail.

Referee calls the match to order and gets the nod from both fighters from their corners... HERE WE GO with ten rounds of Bantamweight action!

ROUND 1:
Katheryn plays it defensive and smart as usual, hanging back and letting her opponent make the early mistakes in order for her to capitalise in turn. Both blondes circle each other from afar in the first minute, the occasional jab sent in at the head but to be honest, not many of those connecting square either way. Florence being the younger fighter initiates with aggression, though not an all-out charge at Winnick by any means. It’s clear that the English actress has gone through multiple levels of training and from her few fights under her belt thus far, knows a thing or two about pacing oneself at the start. Still, Pugh is the one taking damage as Kat blocks her attacks and then swiftly returns with fast combos tagging her on the face or chin before Pugh can cover up. Winnick’s shown herself to be a dangerous counter-offensive fighter, and she barely takes any damage till the very third minute when Pugh employs some counter-punches of her own to end up with both big blondes grunting as leather is shoved into their lips and nostrils. Big round overall for the Doll, however, who walks away with a wide margin.

ROUND 2:
Florence, however, knows how to play this waiting game as well. Katheryn was perhaps banking on the fact that her youthful compatriot might be foolhardy and reckless. Not so, however. The first minute sees more fighting done from afar, technical stuff that can be defined as boxing at its finest: Katheryn lands combos to the arms, switching her stance occasionally to blast a straight hand into Pugh’s body. Pugh, on the other hand, also picking up with her technical skills, makes the Doll pay a whole lot more than the last round when she plunges a right hand firmly into Katheryn’s face when the Doll wasn’t looking, drawing a loud grunt and grimace from Winnick. Winnick’s a smart fighter, for sure, but what happens when she faces off against someone with equal intelligence? Close round overall, but Florence punishes her older opponent a little bit more to edge out a win.

ROUND 3:
Winnick’s strategy is to stay even further back. The Canadian actress is known for her patience AND power, and thus stays clear and tries to draw Florence into the killzone before she realises that it’s too late. Pugh’s been advised, clearly, to try and end the fight as soon as possible - makes sense due to Katheryn almost being double the blonde’s age, and in Pugh’s own words, old enough to be her mother. Some aggressive rushes from the English fighter as she slams steady combos into Kat’s frame, but the jabs and crosses are mostly taken on the guard and arms. Kat’s still grunting along, however, experiencing Pugh’s power in her prime as another low hook stuns her to the body, but doesn’t do enough to root her to the spot. Pugh launches yet another hook towards the head as a follow-up, but Kat is just too fresh, WEAVES easily to the side. BLAM! of a return hook snares Florence back on the chin, just barely, but enough to daze the younger girl backwards. Kat comes in steadily enough, keeping up the pressure with more direct combos that stun Pugh to her arms and body. Pugh is suddenly on the retreat but doesn’t have to go far when the bell rings to save her from potential embarrassment this round. Well, that didn’t go too well for the youngster’s ambitions! Wide round swings back to Katheryn Winnick, who grins and raises an arm on her way back to her corner.

ROUND 4:
Winnick’s moving in fast now to press her attack but gets scared off silly when Florence held her ground in the very first minute and planted a hook into the side of her head, which dazes the Doll badly. Winnick is still in the midst of testing the younger blonde’s resolve and capabilities, unfortunately got herself burnt back there when Pugh managed to squeeze in a couple of jabs to her face before the Doll finally got out of range. Pugh once more shows just how similar these two fighters are by not giving chase after Winnick, pressuring her backwards with more combos smack to the arms and not willing to leap in and try and finish her foe off until she knows exactly what she’s doing. Katheryn thusly given multiple opportunities to stun Florence back on the face, a right cross rattling inwards late in the round to almost shatter Pugh’s defences wide open when it snags the chin. Close round overall as both ladies continue to test each other out, in no hurry to rush things as the bell sounds to end the fourth.

ROUND 5:
Lots of technical mastery here as Winnick’s patience pays off again, outworking Florence with stiff counters that continue to land to the middle of her face, the occasional hook sent packing into the younger blonde’s body to make her think twice about calling her ‘old’ any longer. Winnick is exploiting Pugh’s lack of experience very early on in the round, tossing a feint towards her head before bashing another right hand clean into the side of her ribs for payback. Pugh suddenly looks like a lost lamb in the woods as she’s beaten backwards, her counter-swings easily dodged by Winnick, who responds simply with even more firepower, shocking Pugh to her arms, threatening to break her arms open at any minute. It’s Pugh who rallies forth in the final seconds, suddenly coming to a halt and then CHARGING, hoping to catch Winnick off-guard! The two blondes CLASH in the center of the ring in a mad dash of mutual swings and grunts, but Winnick keeps her head low and fists bashing the young girl’s body left and right, finally ending the melee with a snap uppercut to the chin, again forcing Pugh to retreat in tatters.

ROUND 6:
Looks like Kat Winnick’s got this fight all sorted out, now slowly amping up and applying the pressure, tightening the noose by walking Pugh down with combos, at the same time keeping her arms tight and swinging with all her might. Pugh looks wide-eyed, knows she’s in trouble, no amount of return firepower able to break the Doll’s guard and halt her advance. Florence is still trying her best, of course, bashing shots into Kat’s guard, hoping to score on the face or at least shock Winnick enough to give her pause. No dice, however, as Katheryn ROARS in right after absorbing one such hook with a raised arm, SLAPS her own fist off Pugh’s cheek, which half-rotates the younger girl on the spot as Florence goes sailing into the ropes! AND HERE COMES KAT!! Pugh getting pinned down with her back to the ropes, groaning, her face wilting by the second as Kat bashes those leather gloves off her flanks and tummy, before ROCKING her head skywards with a nasty uppercut to the chin! AND DOWN FLORENCE GOES! Sweet KNOCKDOWN attempt from Kat Winnick, whose patience finally pays off! The Doll is left breathing hard but she’s the one still standing, giving Florence a nod of approval before walking back to the neutral corner. Pugh, meanwhile, has been flattened onto her back, one arm still clutching at the middle rope, her face registering pure shock at this result. Thankfully, she appears to quickly shake off the initial paralysation, slowly pulling herself off her back and making the slow recovery back up by the count of 8. Winnick is seen smiling in her own corner at her fellow blonde’s resilience, and it looks like this fight is going the distance!

ROUND 7:
Bad news for Florence if she can’t crack the code that is Kat Winnick, with Winnick herself still grinning wide as she comes in hard and fast in the very first minute to try and KO the younger fighter for good! Florence is still in defensive mode as she blocks and weaves like she’s been taught to back in training, somehow managing to slip past a big swing from Winnick towards her head in the nick of time. Katheryn’s doing her best to chase Pugh down but seems to be underestimating her counterpart’s resolve and agility in turn, with Pugh suddenly slamming a return one-two into her face as the counter-punishment begins to add up. Katheryn lets out another grunt as another jab is squeezed off the top of her head, just above the eye, before one of her hooks misses Pugh’s face by another inch. Florence has clearly been coached by some of the best and brightest in the business, especially given how realistic her fight scenes in Black Widow looked. Slowly, she begins to turn the tide, landing a tight glove across Kat’s face, which twists her head to the side with an exasperated grunt. Pugh ends up the one pushing the other blonde backwards, Katheryn suddenly looking nervous as she shakes the pain off her head and prepares for a counter-assault. This time, PUGH CHARGES IN, looking for bloodsport! Winnick lets out a yelp as her body lurches from a sudden uppercut that’s shot in between the arms, before a follow-up BAM!!! HUGE power hook to the jawline from Flornece connects and Katheryn is ROCKED! Glassy eyed and groggy, the Canadian simply COLLAPSES forward as Pugh moves out of the way, letting Winnick crash face-first to the mat with a loud thud, limbs spread awkwardly and gumshield tumbling out of her agape mouth. Damn! That wasn’t expected!! Not one bit, especially by the Dollhouse corner, who cover their faces in shock and awe. Poor Katheryn unresponsive, remains flat on the mat and unmoving as the referee starts the second count in just two rounds after herding a triumphant-looking Pugh back to the neutral corner where the newcomer raises her arms to the fans. Winnick’s fans are hoping for a miracle but the older blonde seems to be completely done here as she makes NO attempt to rise, remaining motionless throughout despite the referee’s attempt to give her every chance possible to do so with a slow and steady 10 count! 8….9….10! Nah…Winnick’s out of it! It’s over! Pugh wins in decisive fashion!

Official Decision: Florence Pugh defeats Katheryn Winnick via KO7!

AFTER:
Wow! An impressive display of power AND toughness from the young blonde, who seemed to be losing her way late in the fight and looking hurt only to persevere and come back strong, sending poor Winnick down to the mat with a few powerful shots that completely wrecked the veteran Doll.

Florence with a big grin, raising her arms again as she paces around the ring, celebrating yet another win and delivering on her promise to remain undefeated after taking on a veteran opponent tonight.

Meanwhile in the ring, Dollhouse medics rush in to revive their fallen fighter, with Pugh standing close by, looking down at her handywork with some concern as medics roll Winnick to her back.

The fans cheer as Florence kneels down to check on Katheryn when the medical team sits her up. The blonde is still quite foggy, looking exhausted and hurt, but seems to be slowly shaking off the cobwebs. Florence exchanges a few words with her fallen opponent before placing her hand on Katheryn’s shoulder in an act of sportsmanship, which the crowd definitely loves judging by the volume in the arena!

A very impressive win for this young rising star and we surely expect great results from her moving forwards after tonight’s performance. As for Katheryn, her performances continue to seesaw between wins and losses, but the 43 year old is not making it easy on herself by taking on difficult competition every time she steps into the ring. We can’t wait to see what’s next for both these tough ladies.