Posted by Simguy on 2/24/2006, 6:35 am.

Before: Natalie haunted by the treatment she received at the fists of Jaime Pressly--dangerous date with Doig all about dealing with the Pressly threat should JP ever venture back down to 110. “We have to be able to handle renegade bantams who want to come down and cherry pick our titles,” Nat says territorially. “I’m talking about Doig, Pressly, I’m putting Hilarie Burton in that category--any of these division straddlers. My technique has to be flawless--I know that going in. Lexa Doig has beaten down girls as beefy as Elisha Cuthbert; Given the chance, she’ll chew me up. This is an incredible test, not just of my body, but of my mind and the entire BSE organization: everyone’s worked so hard with me to get me over the hump Lexa represents.” Nat in sturdy navy bandeau fighting togs, battle bun;  Lexa in black push up, yellow low-ride hipster trunks. Small gloves, both vixens.

During R1: Nat playing hit and run: Lexa stalking, pursuing behind firmly raised dukes. Portman will step in, duck, drag the right hand into G unyielding paunch, then scoot around brunette right flank, coming up behind her. Dig soaking up potshots without complaint, turning, resetting her sights--but she’s clearly getting bamboozled as a leggier, shiftier Nat Portman than usual shows a new look.

R2: Mirror image round--Portman in constant motion: bopping side to side at the ropes before spinning away; ducking in and dragging potshots to breadbasket en route to darting past as Lexa covers up to receive the body blow. Doig unfazed, but having trouble navigating: uptempo Portman nickels and dimes her foe for more points.

R3:  Lexa unpacks the jab, disrupting Natalie’s rhythm: Doig able to line up some fine right hands through the middle to shunt Portman ropeside, Midway through, Lexa squares away on the apron, wailing to the Portman breadbasket with both dukes underneath, elbows in: poor Natalie clinches up breathless, All Doig to the bell--shoving Nat off, punishing her flanks and shoulders as Portman rotates her torso, just trying to take the edge off. Lexa nostrils flaring, eyes flashing with satisfaction: much more of that and Natalie can’t expect to finish this fight.

R4: Doig aggressive in pursuit, jabbing to steer and manage Natalie, leaning into go-home right hands, mopping up hooks with whip-crack delivery. Portman grimacing, getting cut off and herded  to the ropes: looks bad midway through as Doig squares away and sets to churn but NATALIE WON”T HAVE IT! Portman emerging from the pocket like a badger defending her warren, buzzsaw punching up from her thighs, tearing away at the ribs and jugs of her foe. Doig backing up flustered, eats a right, eats a left and DOIG GOES DOWN! Lexa up quick, more startled than hurt, but it’s a feisty knockdown scored by a furious-punching Nat Portman! Natalie glaring as she stalks to her right--now she goes to the jab from the closed stance--lifting poke off her hip, sliding back out of range, coaxing Lexa forward, then tagging her quick right hands, pivoting sharply left as Doig covers up.

R5: Lexa grim-faced tight-lipped: she comes for Natalie at the ropes, intent on meting out big-girl justice in harsh reprisal for that pesky Portman knockdown. AND NATALIE WON’T HAVE IT! Portman bobbing, weaving, twisting her shoulders at the ropes, then she answers back with that badger-boxing mentality--cleaning up bewildering lefts and rights as Doig backs up in astonishment. Right hand chops brunette chin; hook bites brunette right eye; right chops chin and DOIG SCOOTS TO HER REAR END! Lexa furious with herself, punching canvas and quickly getting up--she surges off the ropes crimson-cheeked, thirsty for revenge, Portman slick as she slices back behind her up-jab, then leans into a pounding overhand right off the face, ducking down on follow through as Doig hurtles forward. Nat with nimble small-mitt dexterity takes a handful of the front of Lexa’s yellow trunks, pivoting and slinging the brunette beauty face-first into the ropes. LATHERING BEATDOWN! Natalie swarming her foe with clawing lefts and rights--not a lot on the punches, but sheer ferocity has Dig covering up grimacing, sitting in the ropes. Bell: Portman chesting up and shrieking into Lexa’s strained, blinking face, Sweaty black tendrils of hair in Dig’s eyes, in her mouth: she’s really getting pasted through 5.

R6: Nat’s done some punching, gotten some respect at no little risk to herself: now she goes back to boxing. Clockwise rotation; stiff jabs sometimes up off the hip, sometimes straight off the shoulder. Portman’s footwork either pivoting her to the left, or sliding her backwards from Doig, luring Lexa in--all the better to tart Doig up the intercept right hand. Doig eating poke, covering up and missing her chance to counter: Portman’s around the flank, opening up the canvas before brunette can get off.

R7: Gut check Natalie Portman. Doig still has plenty of pop, flyweight-quick hands and feet: Lexa tests the Portman chin once in each minute of this round. Right hands getting through--crosses and uppercuts--Doig landing with authority and stunning Natalie, Portman frowning, hurt--she does a great job of clinching when hurt, preventing thorough follow-up from Lexa. Natalie warned repeatedly for opportunistic trunk tugging, and bra-strap tugging: she’s using those small mitts to grab at her foe’s clothing, pulling Lexa off balance while pivoting around her, Portman gets out of dangerous round stung, but serviceable: trainer getting her undivided attention as he does not want to see Lexa landing like that in this fight.

R8: Nat Portman boxing: jabs and tart right hands finding the Dig left eye with cruel precision. Lexa stalking, trying to get close: she’s getting tagged and pre-empted, then let holding the bag as Portman scoots ‘round the flank rather than standing to trade. Nat also stooping to reach jabs into Lexa’s taut midriff: Doig’s body’s been there all night for Natalie’s eager fists. More trunk and top tugging from Natalie--anything she can do to keep the bigger girl off balance, Portman is trying, Ref doesn’t like it: Portman nodding a and bowing in deference with the warnings, but she’s not exactly ceasing and desisting. Tasty shoe shine to Doig’s gut at the bell: Lexa stooped forward behind her mitts, stoically sopping it up on her waist; Natalie hup-hup-hupping, really starting to look confident as she lets her hands go against her foe’s tanned body.

R9: Lexa sullen, left eye grouchy: she’s got the frazzled look of a beauty who’s been outmaneuvered, outfoxed, stung and frustrated all night. Natalie’s legs springy and fresh: look at her juking at the ropes, giving left-right looks to freeze the pursuit, then wheeling around either Doig shoulder. Potshotting right hands from Nat as she jumps in, hen swivels around and out the other side: Doig folding up to receive the shot, but that means she can’t answer. Jabs; pokey lead rights; saucy trunk tugging pivots: Natalie’s having fun at Lexa’s expense, unintentionally embarrassing the brunette at this point.

R10: Shutout Nat Portman. She’s got Lexa on a string, luring her forward, pivoting around her--everything’s happening at a Portman tempo, distance, and initiative. Doig stalking sullenly, left eye swelling shut--she’s being tempted into mounting rushes, only to have Nat fade back, front (left) foot dragging as jabs pop up stiff from the hip. Tart right hands either bust Doig in the mouth or force her to cover up: Nat quick ‘round her girl’s right shoulder on the pivot, left hand insolent at Lexa’s back. Doig awkwardly tugged forward by her waistband as Natalie’s left hand does what it wants with Lexa’s trunks: ref constantly waving his finger in Portman’s face as she bedevils her foe with these tactics. Bell: Doig disgusted--shaking her head in frustration: she doesn’t accept it, but it’s UD10 wide, Natalie Portman.

After: Natalie Portman fights the perfect small girl finesse fight to turn back Lexa Doig--but supplements the sizzle with more than a little steak in hot-punching fourth and fifth stanzas. “Absolutely, I knew I’d have to stand and slug at times in this fight,” a beaming Portman chirps in post fight. “If you put a girl on her rump--even if you haven’t really hurt her--you make her tentative, and that buys you the time you need to box her. When Doig forced me to fight, I risked everything to get the better of her: I could have been knocked out in those moments, but instead, I put the fear of God into her. That’s the risk you have to take to beat a girl like Lexa Doig at this weight.

Reposted by Archer 8/30/11.