Unified Bantamweight Title

Posted by Simguy on 5/3/2003, 9:46 am.

Before: Neve getting her Britney payday out of this championship run, but taking a risk in the process. "Britney's legs scare me," admits the champ, "she can dance all night if she has to. I'm hoping the Britney Spears who showed up for Elisha Cuthbert fights me - I don't want to have to track her down." Spears feeling bullish - she's respectful, but forthright in prefight. "When was the last time anybody had to track me down?" Challenger asks, eyebrows raised. "People don't want to admit this, but I put hurt on fighters. Neve thinks she can just roll over me and it's a huge mistake. I'm going to get her respect early, then break her down. I like Neve and I think she's the most improved fighter in the FCBA, but I plan to treat her shabby in this fight. It's my job." Neve in cerulean blue bikini, Britney in retro pink crotchet bikini. Brit coming in purposefully big in this fight - looking to add a little beef to answer Neve's strength.

R1: Spears standing right in front of Neve, but crafty - giving ground, running Neve onto the jab, the left shoulder, the right uppercut, sidestepping around her. Campbell chin down, dukes up, walking Britney down, but she's getting tagged, pre-empted. Midway through, surprisingly stiff body work from Spears has Neve bogging down, stooping forward. Brit with a ripping hook across the abs, doubles it up into a left uppercut on the teeth and NEVE GOES DOWN! Campbell on her back, head lifted off the canvas - she's stunned by Brit's hamhanded approach early. Neve rubbing her gloves on the ref's shirt, digging in at the ropes - she refuses to be finished. Hammer and tongs slugfest as Spears squares away to go rather than playing it safe - Campbell scoring ringing blows off Brit's chin in close to avoid the shutout.

R2: Neve shakes it off, gets after Brit. Stalking pressure applied - Neve jabbing to chest to help cut the ring off, shooting the stubby straight right between the breasts, then turning over hooks to cheek. Spears backed to the ropes - Neve coming in low with her head, gets underneath and works the midriff with thumping gusto. Spears grimacing, clinching for breaks - she definitely doesn't want her butt in the ropes like this. Final minute a spirited free for all - girls planted in rooted stances, taking turns welting each other hooks and right hands at point blank range.

R3: Britney gets on her bicycle, showing Neve a completely different look. Spears dancing to her right, then left, showing Neve either shoulder, cuffing either ear as challenger sidesteps champ all around the ring. More than once, Brit lures Neve to ropes, gets around her with a cute spin move as Neve leans forward - Campbell stumbling face first into the ropes, looking a little awkward as Spears applies humbling class to the problem. Neve unhurt, but it's a Britney shutout.

R4: Britney steps to a spot, shoeshines Neve's gut, steps away in good order as brunette trudges forward, poses behind her guard and doesn't get off. Neve holstering the jab, just trying to walk Brit down and it's a mistake. Spears dictating, luring Campbell into traps, lathering her pretty combinations but always depositing something tough by way of hook to body or chopping right to chin. Midway through, Spears steps right, jumps in a lead right hand on the mouth, crowds in to shoulder-bump Neve, getting champ baby-stepping backwards. Quick follow up hook spins Neve's head and CAMPBELL'S DROPPED TO HER BACKSIDE! Neve shaking her head in disappointment, she's nodding vigorously as the ref checks her out and ON COMES SPEARS! Britney flat footed, supple as she moves in strong, fades back, catches Neve a quick counter hook, then bends in behind the slinging right. Spears leaning in and out, arms loose and swinging as she puts clanging punches together on Neve's drowsy face. Campbell busted up, staring at the bell - it's another Britney Spears shutout and the hurt is piling up.

R5: Britney showing real killer instinct, not letting up, getting immediately on top with her jab as she works to break her opponent down. Right hands finding their way through Neve's guard - champ not answering back - just tilting forward, dukes up, taking punches. Second minute, Spears is yanking grunts of pain from Campbell with shivering hooks to the belly, stepping right after depositing, but staying close off Neve's left shoulder. Spears able to get the quick-clipping right uppercut between the mitts, the digging hook to the body and as Campbell droops forward - Brit loops the left out and around to swing hard at the kidney. Neve angered by the back-shots, fires back in the final minute as bitter trading heats up. They slug on after the bell, chests heaving, eyes blazing as Spears takes another round from the champ.

R6: Neve ain't just handing the belts over. She gets back to jabbing with Spears, closing the gap behind the stick and getting her short right hand over. Britney taking on the jaw, covering up, laying in with Neve to crowd - brunette able to stuff Britney's beltline with leather as the girls snuggle rugged. Spears banged to the ropes, tries to clinch, but Neve doing a great job of fighting through it, heaping on the punishment to Britney's jugs, ribcage and waist. Final moments, Britney bent forward nearly doubles - Neve straightens to crank hooks against Spears' kidneys. Britney's turn to arch her back painfully at the bell, giving Neve a hurt look.

R7. Oh. They. Bang. Away! Brutal mouth on shoulder struggle for dominance, girls just hustling punches into one another's straining tummies, picking each other up tuff with uppercuts to chin inside. If there's a difference, it's Britney's sly step to the right, letting Neve fall forward, pulling her off balance - it's giving the challenger extra connects while champ gets her feet back. Withering give and take finally breaks late as Brit comes off the body, beats Neve to hooks to chin and CAMPBELL SITS DOWN! Neve in a fog - she's not shaking this one off immediately, swaying hurt at the ropes as the ref takes a close look. After 8 - Britney wades in, jabbing to tummy, stepping out, showing the hook, COMING WITH THE RIGHT HAND and Neve is ROCKED! Campbell drifting at the ropes, hands low - Britney steps in and GUTS HER with thumping right/lefts on the trunk line. Neve groans forward, exposing her back and Britney swats away at the offered kidney, just a-cranking hooks with the right tight to her cheek. NEVE SINKS TO HER KNEES! Champ blubbery with pain - Britney going to the lower back without remorse, leaves Campbell cringing at the bell.

R8: Neve down 4 times in this fight - she needs to gamble and comes out accordingly. Britney in charge - fading, stepping out, walking Neve into purposeful counters with either hand - she knows the champ has to come forward now. Midway through, Spears lights it up with a little roll to the right away from Neve's right, coming back with the slick right uppercut as Neve falls in and CAMPBELL'S HURT! Britney sidesteps with a hand pretty at Neve's back - champ staggering forward, wobbly butt/off balance. Spears not pressing her advantage, content to pocket the powershot and run - Neve stalking and looking the aggressor late as Spears fails to capitalize.

R9: Neve clawing her way back. Guard up, she fronts on Britney, stamping out straight rights and lefts with a hammer-drop delivery, steadily backing Spears to ropes. Neve getting big - pressing Spears into the strands with the left shoulder, jostling her, then pumping to gut as Britney tries to wrap up around Campbell's head. Bruising fare - Neve taking it out of Spears' bronze midriff as Brit hangs on at the bell.

R10: Britney leaves no doubt. Dancing early, hands down, she bops right, lifts a sudden lead right off her thigh to Neve's chin, wobbles Campbell's butt and puts her on her heels. Brit with the quick-clipping left, pivots left, swings a right wide to the belly - Neve doubling up, not answering back. Spears able to get around Campbell's left shoulder, punching from almost behind Campbell with wide right hands - belly, the face, clubbed from the awkward angle as Neve droops forward. Campbell staggery to the ropes rights herself and is savaged - Britney unleashing combinations to shred her foe as Neve slides to her left into the corner. Britney heaping it on - brazen right hands bashing against the chest, slamming Neve's head to the side - busy reefing hooks plying the rightside ribs and nibbling at kidney whenever Campbell droops too far forward. Scrumptious beating doled out - Neve finishing up shabby on her home turnbuckle as Britney puts 'em together at the bell. 10th goes as 10-8 without a knockdown, Spears walks away with title belts via UD10, wide.

After: You'd have to go way back to see Neve absorb this kind of beating - maybe she's never taken punishment like this in a single dime. Campbell in stupor in her corner, eyes swelling shut, body throbbing - she's down 4 times and hurt repeatedly as Britney unleashes the finest power punching of her career. You'd also have to go way back to see Britney this effective - maybe to the Nia Peeples bout. "I thought about Nia," beams the new champ, "Neve had that kind of reputation, a lot of people thought I was biting off more than I could chew, but I was in charge all night." What about the resurgence of the kidney shots that Liu, Peeples and many others have complained about? Britney frowns, "she was leaning forward a lot, I mean - I was trying to get in underneath her, but my shots kept slipping up off her hip. That's all in the game, y'know? It's not like I plan in camp to work a girl's kidneys." Tell that to Neve - exchamp stiff with hurt, not likely to forget what was done to her tonight. Hey, anybody else notice BSE girls slapping the crap out of Samdog girls tonight? Titles wrenched away, knockouts, knockdowns - just harsh treatment all across the board.