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(Result:simguy/Words:simgrrl)
Before: Pressly comes in as a prohibitive favourite; but some question how much of that is simply her reputation compared to Benz? Or is it more a matter of 'name recognition' vs a little known older woman with a solid, if unspectacular acting resume? Well, we may know the answer in the next hour.
At 33 y/o and a veteran of almost 100 FCBA fights - with a near 63% success ratio - Pressly would seem to be stepping way down in class taking on a 38 y/o Julie Benz - who has yet to appear in a dozen FCBA sanctioned bouts. But appearances can sometimes be deceiving and this may be one of those times! Benz began as an ice skater, competing in the US Junior National Championships at age 28 before she turned to acting. Work on shows like "Married With Children", "Buffy, The Vampire Slayer" and "Angel" exposed her to world of celebrity fighting and she quickly parlayed her athletic background into regular fights on the set as well as in clubs and apartment penthouses on the Southern California circuit. Julie held victories over some big names before she even joined the FCBA: names like Sarah Michelle Gellar, Natasha Gregson Wagner, Helen Hunt ("As Good As It Gets"), Amy Acker, Eliza Dushku, Sarah Thompson, Laurel Holloman and Brigid Brannagh. One of Julie's most memorable fights was on the set of the TV series "Coupling" against Rena Sofer after her guest starring in an episode entitled 'Nipple Effect'. Apparently, both Ms. Benz and Ms. Sofer were intent on proving theirs were 'the best on the set' and they settled it the old fashioned way - with their fists(?!)
Pressly talking confidently coming into the fight, clearly aware she's got everything to lose and nothing to gain. "I'm not sure why my management made this fight, frankly. I'm already the top contender for the bantam title - nobody thinks J-Mac is a serious threat - so I can't figure out why I'm in with a girl who's not even in the top ten! But I just go where they tell me and fight whoever's there when I arrive."
Benz smiling listening to Pressly's 'poor, poor, me' lament. "If Jaime's not happy being ranked the number 2 contender I'd gladly trade places with her," she chuckles. "Getting from #11 to #1 is like walking through a minefield. There's a lot of tough, tough, women between me and her." Julie addresses some of the media speculation that she's 'too old' to contend any more by pointing out, "I'm the same age as J-Mac, and nobody's saying she's too old...at least, not to her face! I'm only a year older than Neve Campbell or Beckinsale and nobody's hinted they're anywhere close to being too old. Besides, I've had less fights than any of them so - as someone said a while back about another fighter - I've been 'lightly raced.' Oh, I'm not kidding myself that I've got a long career ahead of me, but in the next 2-3 years, with a few breaks, I could get into the title picture. After that, it's all up to me."
One other aspect of this fight nobody has mentioned so far: Benz is trained by Sharon Stone, the same woman who used to train Pressly and she has the advantage of working with Charlize Theron who was a longtime stablemate of Jaime's with the defunct KruZherZ. Whether they can tell her anything that will help remains to be seen, but it can't be discounted either.
Benz: Baby blue bra/panties; white thigh-hi stockings; blue trainers. Pressly: white bra/panties per web site; white shoes. Red gloves for both bantam battlin' beauties.
During R1 Pressly controlling the tempo early with her legs; coming straight in, punching; then backing straight out again.Pressly establishing her jab; putting Benz back on her heels. Benz comes on in the second minute; slide-stepping to turn Jaime; hooking in under her left elbow as she circles right, leaning outside the jab and tucking the left in under it. Closing minute, Pressly gets her combos working and regains the initiative; nimbly bouncing with to frustrate Benz who finds herself put back on defense. Benz defensively sound, but clearly she's wary of JP's sudden explosiveness. First round goes, narrowly, Pressly's way.
R2: Pressly again in control early; using her legs behind the jab; working inside/back outside/then inside again. Dipsy-doo keeping Benz thinking defense first wins the first two minutes of the round for Pressly; keeping her jab in Benz' face and flicking in the sudden right hand or flurrying combinations. Benz working behind a solid defensive staying unhurt and in the final minute she explodes up out of crouch to shock Pressly with an overhand right, putting her back on her heels. Now it's Pressly wary of Julie's explosiveness as Benz closes with a rush that doesn't quite win her the round - but she has Jaime's attention!
R3: Benz picks up right where she left off! Benz able to control Pressly early with a darting jab and some good footwork that lets her slip Jaime's jab and drop right hands over Pressly's left shoulder. Pressly sticking to her plan; making adjustments to again find her way right up the middle where she's able to scuff up Julie's jugs; bash her belly and dig into her ribs before sliding away before the receipt of returning fire. Third straight narrow margin round goes Pressly's way as Benz continues to warily watch and wait; thinking defense first.
R4: Oh-oh! Pressly's stitching in-out finally opens Benz up and she starts landing combinations. Halfway thru the round, Jaime finally puts it all together. Stiff jab, right cross, left hook combination puts Benz in a world of hurt! Battered to the ropes, Benz crouching, hooking off the ropes, trying gamely to fight her way out of trouble. Big left hook, over hand right do the damage; putting Benz on her back. Julie up ragged at seven; earmuffing with her butt in the ropes as Jaime Pressly brutally cleans her up along ropes for a long, long, forty seconds to the bell. Pressly back to her corner with gloves raised; Julie Benz trudging to her corner where Bell douses her with ice water; massages her shoulders and Sharon Stone kneels to calmly explain what she's gonna hafta do to turn things around. Julie, nodding earnestly as Bell rubs and kneads.
R5: Benz back STRONG from the knockdown! Julie out quickly at the bell, catching Pressly coming in with a fade away counter. Benz battering Jaime to the ropes, working the body. Pressly overcommitting her counter, catches a Benz right flush on the jaw and BLONDE GIRL DOWN!! Benz getting all big girl on the taller Pressly; cleaning up along the ropes. Scene reminiscent of Pressly's beatdown of Benz the round before but now it's Julie battering Pressly's body and leaving her breathless and dumbfounded; slumping in the ropes at bell. Huge comeback for Benz who's right back in this fight!
Julie Benz vs. Jaime Pressly (Conc)
Posted by for simguy on 10/30/2010, 7:58 am, in reply to "PPV: Julie Benz vs. Jaime Pressly (Pt 1)"
R6: Cue comeback! Now it's Pressly battering Benz - darting in with lead right cross or lead hooks, rocking Julie throughout a long and painful round. Finally, Pressly gets a clean shot and BENZ GOES DOWN halfway through the round. From there, it's yet another vicious clean up operation for Jaime Pressly as she slams Benz back into the ropes; hooks her body and then comes over the top with a big right hand! Julie send skittering along the ropes, knees rubbery as Pressly pursues. Benz backed into her own corner, ducking; bobbing; weaving; twisting - not giving Pressly a clean look at her chin for the final thirty seconds..Big comeback round for Pressly puts her safely back in a comfortable lead.
R7: Benz all busted up; looking ragged. Jaime Pressly charging off her stool, battering Benz around the perimeter in a very one-sided, hard-hearted, beatdown that comes close to being one of epic proportion! Benz being hurt repeatedly, yet she's stubbornly refusing to bend a knee to her rival. Final ten seconds of the first minute, Benz begins bashing back; just letting Pressly know she's not going away. Again, after Pressly has her way for another minute and a half, Benz again rising up to beat Pressly back across the ring in the closing seconds. Round ends with Benz looming over Pressly who's crouching in her corner taking a shellacking!
R8: BENZ BANGS BACK! Benz picking up right where she left off the seventh. Pressly - who had perhaps gotten a little cocky - romping confidently out of her corner on the attack, giving Benz the slightest of openings into which she leaps with both feet! Julie countering off the ropes, hurting Jaime, then cleaning her girl up for the remainder of the round! Pressly all scuffed up and puffy faced - taking some hard touches from a defiant blonde warrior who refuses to go away. By now, Pressly should know better than to give Benz even a slight opportunity to get back into the fight once she had her foot on her throat but just maybe...it's not all about Pressly? Benz showing unexpected backbone and a hook that's been largely ignored by the press - to Pressly's dismay.
R9: Julie Benz completely outworking a listless Jaime Pressly; slamming her way to the inside; setting up shop and hook, hook, hooking away like an old Times Square hooker! Pressly growing all sullen and grumpy, still manages to leg out the final minute; retreating behind a pawing jab; conceding the round to Julie Benz who suddenly has clawed her way to within a whisker of the lead going into the final round. Amazing stuff from an aging little blonde tuffy!
R10: Midnight in the Garden of Evil! Benz knows she has to win the tenth to claim victory and she goes all in! Julie on her feet in her corner at the ten second warning buzzer, slapping her gloves together. Pressly getting a little push in the butt to help her off her stool. Benz circling left; picking up Pressly with her jab, right cocked at her cheek ready to strike. Pressly retreating in good order, not offering Benz any openings to exploit. It's a chess match as Pressly puts up a defensive wall that Benz can't penetrate. Final minute; Pressly still refusing to engage when Benz suddenly shifts lefty and slips under Jaime's wrongfooted jabbing left to slam a right into Pressly's taut abs. JAIME'S HURT! Pressly hanging on up high, letting Benz wail away at her toned body with both hands. BENZ IS HURT! Jaime with an uppercut catches Julie flush and now it's Benz hanging on for dear life! Pressly pushes off, making space and DOWN GOES BENZ! Julie caught in the closing seconds by another Pressly uppercut and it's all over! Julie had been overachieving most of the night but it finally caught up to her in the closing seconds as she gambled on victory and paid the price. Pressly finally able to close the show. KO10 Jamie Pressly
After: Girls meet midring; shake hands, Pressly pulls Benz into a bearhug; both women slapping the other's butt; nodding as they chat briefly before heading back to their locker rooms. A couple of good veteran fighters put in a fair night's work for their paycheck; no blustering; no showboating; just professional boxing the way God intended. While coming off second best tonight, Benz still looked good enough to solidify her reputation; confirming prefight opinion that she's not only smart and capable, but that she's able to offset class with technique - when necessary. All-in-all, Benz acquitting herself well against a prohibitive favourite and still not come off like some kind of big underdog. Fact of the matter: if a couple of things had gone the other way, Benz had herself positoned to pull off an upset tonight; not something many girls could do with a fighter of the quality of a Jaime Pressly!
"I thought starting the tenth," Benz says with a sigh of resignation, "that I had her right where I wanted her. I could see her wilting; figured if I just landed a big punch she was mine for the taking. But, sadly, that's why she's ranked #2. I just couldn't get that one big punch in that I needed. There's nothing 'good' about losing close, but I didn't get carried out in the second/third round like a lot of girls do against her. I made her fight me down to the wire and I think - I hope - I showed some of the doubters I'm capable of winning a fight against a top ten fighter. Of course, maybe that'll scare away a lot of the top women, but if so, so be it."
Jaime grinning as she steps to the microphone, her face showing the wear and tear of a tough ten rounds. "Hey, don't let anybody tell you Julie Benz isn't a quality fighter. She fought me smart and she fought me hard. I don't know where she ranks among the best bantams, but anyone thinks she's not in the top ten somewhere is just plain crazy! Now, I'm looking forward to getting my hands on the title again." |
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