BBU International from Melbourne
Rhiannon Fish vs Miri Hanai
(Lioness Club vs Front Street Japan)
(12-12, 9 KO vs 2-1, 2 KO)
Results: BBU; Story: Vassago

BEFORE: It's still spring in Australia as Rhiannon Fish makes a rare trip back to her native country now that she's based in USA full-time. The Hallmark movies career takes center stage but there's always room for some proper boxing and the word is Rhiannon has booked a home & away (sic!) double ticket against Japanese opponents in the upcoming weeks. First up is Miri Hanai who arrives in Melbourne few months removed from interstable victory over fellow veteran Sayaka Isoyama. The buxom gravure model vows to keep the hot streak going and doesn't rule out making a challenge at the JMD title as well but we're set for standard rules here in the Green & Gold's official gym where Sarah Cumming provides the play-by-play commentary.

Rhiannon Fish wears a violet one-piece swimsuit & black gloves. Long dark brown hair tied in a curled ponytail. Miri Hanai wears a black bikini set & red gloves. Long dark brown hair in loose waves. The fight is scheduled for ten rounds in the flyweight division.

Round 1:
Rhiannon has all the local support for this one but it's the Japanese tourist who makes a fast start and crashes into the taller girl's body with pure aggression. She knocks it into Rhiannon's boobs and flicks a hard uppercut on the jaw to stun the former 'Home & Away' actress before a booming left hook nails her on the brow ridge and drops onto visibly soft knees. Uh-oh! That's not what the partisan crowd wanted to see but Miri is all over the local favorite here as she bashes her onto the ropes where she continues to slam more unanswered leather into the exposed midriff. Fish can't pick up this swarming heat at all and bellows out behind a tight earmuff while Hanai scores more easy shots on target and has the Melbourne crowd dead silent after three minutes!

Round 2:
Another quick start from Miri who wants to resume the slugging pounce but Rhiannon slips away from the initial charge and outworks the smaller brunette with effective counter-punching thereafter. Miri bounces off the cleavage several times but eats a hard overhand response and grinds into a halt in the center of the ring when the Aussie brunette slams one ruthless hook into her nose too many. The Japanese corner remains calm but Miri's challenge runs into a stubborn counter-punching wall as Rhiannon gets on with her recovery and lands multiple clean shots into the gravure model's face come the final minute. She doesn't quite rattle Hanai off her comfort zone but has the crowd cheering her name at the bell again.

Round 3:
The petite tourist keeps coming at the local favorite and lands several body shots before working the uppercut path to stun Fish onto her heels... that's the plan anyway but the Aussie woman escapes trouble by blasting a right hand on the nose and swinging into Miri's face with great authority come the second minute. The back & forth tangle continues in the center of the ring until a left cross cuts Hanai's below the left eye and she finally thinks better off it. She backs off into mid-range which actually makes coach Kei Mizutani visibly upset but there's no coming back as Rhiannon clobbers the reeling foe onto the ropes where she drills through her high-guard to slump the tourist into loud spasms come the bell.

Round 4:
Rhiannon continues with her recovery and she's able to use her longer reach into great effect early in the fourth. She nails Miri on the wounded spot and knocks her head back & forth until the gravure model shows signs of vulnerability as she tries to clinch the actress into safety. However Fish shakes her off with a not-so-stray elbow in the chest and swings another right hand on the nose that drops Hanai onto soft knees. Ugh! Suddenly she almost trips over her own feet and doesn't have time to react when Rhiannon flies in with a left/right double on the mouth that spins her onto the ropes. She tries to deke away from the oncoming rush but isn't fast enough there and eats a booming left hook on the nose that DROPS HER ONTO HER KNEES deep into the final minute. The crowd errupts in joy while Miri bravely battles back to her feet at eight. Clock comes to her rescue moments later but she shakes her head in anger during the break as coach Mizutani scrambles to figure out a back-up plan.

Round 5:
Miri flies out of the gate to cover for the knockdown deficit but meets a crossing double on the nose and gets stuffed in the center of the ring again which allows Rhiannon to bash her around with almost no reply and the action takes a full one-sided turn shortly afterwards. Fish clobbers the ailing tourist onto the ropes and rips a right hook into her solar plexus that opens the hole up high... a swift uppercut double follows and HANAI CRASHES DOWN ON HER BACKSIDE looking all shaken up here. The crowd errupts with more joy and Miri slumps to her side with eyes closed making no genuine effort to beat the count this time. It's all over! KO5 Rhiannon Fish!!!

AFTER: Good win for the Hallmark regular and Rhiannon vows to double down on this result when she heads over to Japan to face another of the Asian flyweights in few weeks time. No details who that lucky girl will be as Ayako Hamada admits Samia Ghadie of all people will have match-making priority for the Main Event. Some commotion in the Green & Gold booth as Sarah Cumming doesn't believe Samia is a better fighter than Rhiannon at all but this is where marketing value comes into play and there's no denying the 'Coronation Street' actress is a bigger name in that department.

The coverage concludes with the news that Delta Goodrem has decided to un-retire and will return to boxing action sooner rather than later. Stay tuned for more updates later this week.

Official Result: Rhiannon Fish def. Miri Hanai KO5.