Odette Yustman vs Zendaya Coleman
(Lioness Club of America vs Holloway Boxing)
(46-29-1, 39 KO vs 6-9, 6 KO)
Results: Lookout!; Story: Vassago

BEFORE: Lioness veteran Odette Yustman needs a victory after another ho-hum campaign this season but Zendaya Coleman is a dangerous prospect with a much better upside than her record indicates. DAZN experts claim the Oakland native would be better off avoiding some of these lanky models who own superior range and make things really difficult for the Holloway Boxing product to break out in style.

On paper Odette is a clear upgrade over Kelsey Merritt whom Zendaya struggled to overcome last time out however those sparring sessions with Abs of Steel from Colombia have to cash in on the big stage sooner or later, right?

Odette Yustman wears a red crop top, black hotpants & silver gloves. Long dark brown hair tied in a sleek ponytail. Zendaya Coleman wears a pink crop top with white trim, matching hotpants & white gloves. Long dark brown hair tied in a braid. The fight is scheduled for ten rounds in the lightweight division.

Round 1:
Zendaya doesn't give the older brunette much time to react as she jumps into a hectic jabbing route and forces Odette to swing back from behind the guard with little slugging desire. The younger actress quickly gains the upper-hand through shear volume of her punches and stuffs several crisp shots into Yustman's face sending her into a chaotic retreat. Odette's trademark bendy defense has worn out over the years and she has to go place when paired against a Next Gen hotshot; Zendaya gashes her from both flanks and drops her onto the ropes where she blows into the midriff to cause more damage. Odette has to clinch the youngster but still eats more licks around the ribcage and cuts a very dejected figure at the bell.

Rounds 2 & 3:
Odette tries to upset Zendaya's rhythm and forces a phone booth struggle while dropping a couple of noteworthy harpoons into her body but only profits from an accidental clash of heads down the stretch to wobble the Oakland woman onto her heels. A quick right/left combo allows Yustman to stun Coleman into quiet spasms but the younger woman channels those fresh legs to escape the heat thereafter. Odette struggles to make the pounce work and relies on looping attack while making Zendaya look raw overall. Similar action in the third, Odette gets the phone booth jump and nails Zendaya to the body which allows her to neutralize the response but she lacks required power supply to break Coleman's resilience. Zendaya lands a couple of uppercuts to stick her foot in the door again but the action descends into a chaotic back & forth exchange with Yustman unable to find the intended haymaker in the end.

Round 4:
Zendaya is back on top after a booming right cross beats Odette to the punch and spins her away from the close range target. The younger actress jumps into a jabbing haze and pummels the fellow Californian around the area before dropping another bomb on the chin that sinks Yustman on the turnbuckle. All Zendaya there as she works her mitts like pistons to punish the exposed midriff and slumps the older woman into loud spasms before another scything cross tears a small gash under the left eye. Uh-oh!! Odette barely avoids going down here and has to clinch the youngster again only for Zendaya to hammer more leather into her ribcage and quite frankly Yustman looks hurt at the bell big time.

Round 5:
Odette fails to match Zendaya's footwork and gets used as target practice in the opening minute. One might argue this is entering sacrificial lamb territory the way Coleman bangs away in fury to destroy the fellow brunette's high-guard... she lands one left/right combo on the chin too many and has a free shot to drill the subdued rival on the ear moments later... DOWN GOES YUSTMAN!!! The former champion drops onto all fours and makes a very painful recovery, barely getting onto her feet at eight. Ugh! Zendaya thinks she has this won but still gets another chance to punish the ailing Lioness. She storms at Odette with more head-hunting juice and pounds her onto the ropes where she rocks her head back & forth before another belting shot on the navel folds Yustman into painful spasms. AND THE REF STEPS IN as he spares the veteran more trouble!!! TKO5 Zendaya Coleman!!!

AFTER: All signs point to Odette losing her contender status in the last few months but she might still embrace a gatekeeping career going forward. Meanwhile Zendaya has all the tools neccessary to become a "thing" even though stablemate Anllela Sagra has build a bigger resume in FCBA so far. She needs more regular work to improve her status though and perhaps this is where promotions like Fight Night Live could offer her a free exposure come 2022?

Official Result: Zendaya Coleman def. Odette Yustman TKO5.