1 September 2002 Donna Douglas vs Dawn Wells


 

 

 

RETRO BOUT: CA. 1960s

 

Posted by Simguy on 9/1/200, 8:34 am.

 

 

Before: Rarely in annals of celebrity boxing have two competitors been so closely compared as Dawn Wells of “Gilligan’s Island” and Donna Douglas of “The Beverly Hillbillies”. “They never had a chance to be friends,” recalls Tina Louise in her memoirs, “Dawn and Donna were like two sides of the same coin and it was inevitable that they would be pitted against each other. For a nothing fight between two nothing starlets, I never saw Dawn so nervous as she was before meeting Donna on that first occasion.” Fought in a ring set up poolside on the set of “Hillbillies”—Wells wore a pink and white check print hipster bikini and pigtails, against a pale blue and white check hipster clad Douglas, also in pigtails—small gloves for both.

 

 

During R1: Both girls hopped to midring, hands at chest height, chins up, pushing out jabs and bouncing on nervy feet. Wells took the initiative, stepping in with a scooping right hand to the pit of Douglas’ stomach, standing up pretty into a steering left hook and forcing Donna to take the fight’s first backward steps. Dawn stayed with it—leading with an uncontested, plowing right hand in the belly, stroking a girlish, but effective hook to the chin and backing a staring Douglas to the ropes with authority. Donna would make a fight of it in the final minute—lowering her head and going at well’s ribcage with churning lefts and rights, but the brunette would not be discouraged. The two little sluggers chugged away forehead to forehead to the bell to cap an all action first round.

 

 

R2: Wells kept up her attack on Donna’s midriff—landing that lead right hand as Douglas posed, gloves at her chest, practically waiting for Dawn to help herself. The top-up hook also found a home, clubbing methodically around Donna’s right wrist, stroking blonde jaw clean and leaving Douglas strangely compliant, Unopposed, Wells went to work—systematic rights on the stomach, basic hooks to the jaw, backing blonde up around the ring and forcing her to the ropes, When Douglas backside hit the ropes—Wells would reach in on her girl’s biceps, pushing Donna back, then bursting to breadbasket with both fists, it was routine in these moments for Dawn to land 6 and 7 punches with Douglas stooping forward cramped, not answering back, just taking leather like a duty. At the bell, a sweat-shiny Dawn Wells pushed off her foe, happy to see signs of wear on Donna’s tightly stretched face.

 

 

R3: Douglas moved her hands this round and the girls fell more often into cheek to cheek, shoulder to shoulder scrounging for belly inside. Toe to toe, Donna held her own, but it was all heart and fury from the blonde. Wells seemed to have more options, more variety, Dawn would push and palm to set her girl up, or walk her around to rest after a furious exchange. Douglas wouldn’t punch until she stood nestled against her brunette, giving Dawn the chance to land the thumping right in the tummy and that steering hook—punches that began almost every sequence. It was Donna’s best round thus far, but Wells was beating the blonde even at Douglas’ own game, taking a solid lead into the middle rounds.

 

 

R4: Pumping right on the breadbasket, stroking hook: Douglas’ legs gave way and she stumbled backwards on her heels badly hurt for the first time in the fight. Wells pounced, stepping and shoving right hands to the chest and mouth of her foe to put Douglas ropeside, then piling on with a series of plunging attacks to the hips and waist of the blonde. This was greedy, hungry punching from Wells, driving Donna deep into the strands, pushing and shouldering for room and jamming away left/right to the body as the blonde wilted under pressure. Referee’s breaks offered Donna no respite—Wells waded back on in and kept up the spirited attack. Douglas fought back hard, teeth bared in the final minute, but she was unable to get leverage, fighting off her heels, just trying to get breathing room as Wells lathered away for her fourth consecutive round.

 

 

R5: Right in the belly, left on the jaw—Donna’s knees gave her way and she wandered sideways with a saddened expression: Wells’ punching was dismantling the blonde and both girls knew it. Dawn walked her girl down, had no trouble stepping-to and placing right hands to the midsection—Donna offered no jab and kept up a useless chest high guard that offered no protection to either her belly or chin. At the ropes, with Douglas clearly breaking down—Dawn Wells could work unopposed, relaxed as she shoved right hands methodically into the belly, pushed Donna upright whenever the blonde drooped forward, and occasionally turned on a tight left hook to the face. Douglas soaked up a bell to bell beating of consistent, thudding leather, taking a very good punch, but looking shellshocked at the bell. Wells went back to her corner beaming, wondering aloud what she had to do to get Donna out of there.

 

 

R6: The Wells leather parade continued. It was strange to see: Dawn just keeping up the workmanlike pace, walking Donna down, punching her at will, pressing her up against the ropes and mauling her. Occasional bursts of punches from Wells would double the blonde up and appear to be a potential fight winner, but Donna remained stoic, obviously hurting, but refusing to submit. Harder wok appeared to go unrewarded, with result that Wells more often than not settled into a comfortable bludgeoning pace, content to pack right hands into her girl’s waistline as the two stood on the same patch of canvas at the ropes for much of the round,. At the bell, Douglas’ eyes brimmed with tears and her legs quivering as she steadied herself at the strands.

 

 

R7: Donna finally beat Dawn to punches midring, pawing a double jab out of a crouch and pulling a nice clubbing overhand right onto Wells’ forehead as the brunette tried her scooping right hand lead. The opening had been available all night and Wells was shaken by the contact, but the stream had long since left Donna’s punches, sapped from her body and legs by round after round of Wells body work, By the middle minute, Dawn was punching with and winning the exchanges, her hook turning Donna’s head and making her queasy-kneed once more. By the final minute, Douglas couldn’t hold her ground, backing to the ropes, standing stooped over with that useless guard, taking punches body and chin as Wells stood up straight and delivered. Wells had to be tugged off the fading blonde as the ref intervened after the bell—Donna’s eyes were lifeless, mouth opened as she sagged helpless in the strands.

 

 

R8: Wells got into Donna with the rights to the body, that telegraphed hook, and the blonde had nothing left below the waist. Douglas stacked up tough in her corner, started to ship leather—the constant pushing and punching assault of Dawn Wells marauded up and down the blonde’s torso at will. Douglas was helpless, crossing her arms against the body, she sat on the turnbuckle, sobbing as Wells plundered the blonde with methodical glee. Dawn palmed her girl’s shoulders, trying to prop up the tilting torso, then pushed in body blows from both fists—chin up high, no fear retaliation, Dawn could turn at will into tight rights and lefts on the chin, bashing Douglas’ bruised face side to side, the blonde just sponged punches, blubbering, out on her feet, limp from punishment, but simply refusing to give Dawn Wells the satisfaction. At the bell—Wells skipped away with another cudgeling in her pocket—Donna swayed on the spot, head lolling, eyes unfocused, Weeping piteously on her stool, Donna Douglas would quit during the interval, unable to withstand any more of the one sided drubbing. It would go down as TKO8 via submission, Dawn Wells.

 

 

After: A glorious beating for Wells and a shocking conclusion to what most had assumed going in would be a hotly contested, nip and tuck. Douglas had been and would go on to be a decent fighter in her class, but this night was pivotal in pegging her as a trial horse a cut below the division’s best. The difference between the girls was truly slight, but Wells applied that margin each and every round to cumulative effect, breaking her girl’s will, then her body in systematic fashion. For Dawn Wells, a terrific result, separating her from a perceived rival and really enhancing her reputation as a hard working, tenacious foe in the ring.

 

 

Reposted by Archer 2/13/10.