Posted by Simguy on 03/19/2005

Before: Alba comes in the favourite despite being ground down last time by Jewel. Young Jessica champing at the bit to reverse what has become something of an FCBA scandle - her whole career timetable put on hold while this Kilcher mess is sorted out.

"Jewel Kilcher had the luckiest night of her life last time out," says Alba, "lightning doesn't strike twice. I was winning every minute of that fight - everybody saw my superiority: Jewel Kilcher doesn't deserve to carry my bikini bottoms."

Kilcher aloof, cool - if she's hurt by the underdog status, she doesn't show it. "I'm not the best fighter in boxing," modest blonde affirms, "I'm just the girl who'll fight the best. Nothing's going to change about this fight: I won't let Jessica relax and at some point - she'll quit. Not saying I'll stop her - but I've seen into Jessica's soul and we both know she can't take the pounding I'm going to dish."

Jewel in navy bandeau bikini, slick ponytail - Alba with blonde locks, blue and white vertical-bar sport-cut top, electric blue swimtrunk bottoms. Jessica SEETHING during ring instructions - Jewel still, calm, tracking Alba with cold eyes.

R1-3: Jewel picks up where she left off on Jess - stalking, walking her girl down. Kilcher's right hand at her temple, left at her cheek - tight, tortoiseshell high guard impenetrable as she steps forward. Jewel issuing that stubby, shocking left jab from the guard - meanspirited poke bashing into Jessica, disrupting her, moving her around. Kilcher directing her power to Alba's body - edging in close to hack vicious right hands above the left hip or reefing shivering hooks off the right flank as Alba covers up. Jessica wheeling prettily around the ring, but it's running, not boxing: she's clearly gunshy, skittish and ineffective. Alba's lariat potshots mostly blocked upstairs, and she's even getting outjabbed due to lack of committment. All three rounds, Jewel Kilcher.

R4: Jewel cutting off the ring, hounding Alba to ropes and putting good, solid thump on young blonde this round. Bashing blows to arms and chest - shivering hooks off the flank - scorching rights dug into rib beneath the breastline. Alba open mouthed, drooping off the ropes - at least she's punching back in spots, looking for rangy uppercuts as she leans back into the strands. Midway through, Jewel turns her hook over upstairs and POUNDS Alba's head to the side - frazzled blonde tilts, doesn't go down, but issues her first desperate clinches as Kilcher bodies up to the bell.

R5: Shutout Kilcher (no typo there). Jewel has Jessica rolling downhill, stepping her down with that stubby, bashing jab, throwing muscular to the waist and ribs, hounding Alba to ropes. Jessica face-in-hands, supple against the strands, rolling her torso and moving her head - but Kilcher so focused on the body it doesn't matter. Jewel bumping against Alba's guard, getting in nice and close so she can ring hooks and right hands off her foes' torso. Thumping good time had by Jewel - she pours heaps of leather onto the willowy arms, chassis of her girl, sending Alba to her corner pouting, sullen, and whining to the ref.

R6: Alba finally sets her feet, moves her hands and fights back: Kilcher catching her first consistent sock can't come forward this round. Jessica slashing at Kilcher, stepping to the right, opening up angles - she'll arc the right hand over top, strap the left across Jewel's available tummy, palm-up while pivoting - pretty stuff. Midway through, Alba's finding daylight between Jewel's mitts via the uppercut, roping it in there lanky and falling off to either side, foiling Kilcher receipts. Sensational, bandy armed right cross/left hook/right uppercut scores on Jewel's startled face - Kilcher put wobbly butt, she's stunned, but simply covers up and toughs it out. Alba gritting her teeth, riding her guard into Jewel, then dipping and ripping those lanky left/right uppercuts to the body: she's got Jewel grunting, cramping up - probably should have been doing this from the first minute on.

R7: Jewel shakes it off, gets back on Alba with the persistence of Chinese water torture. That harsh, stubby stick in the chest, on the forehead. Belting right hands in the waist. Shivering hooks in the ribs behind the elbow. Tortoiseshell guard blocking everything upstairs, and Jewel's little dip forward making a lot of Alba strokes wrap around with minimal effect. At the ropes, the short, clubbing lefts and rights to the biceps, flanks, temples and waist. Kilcher just smearing Alba along the ropes, punching her hard to the body, bumping her with muscular shoulders, butting her with bullying forheads - poor Alba soaking it up all one-way. Brawny shutout Jewel Kilcher - Jessica looking drained, suffering as she takes it bell to bell.

R8: Jewel stalking, punishing Alba, always putting something on Jess, even if it's hips and arms - she's touching Alba. Jessica mouth breathing - she's in terrific shape, but Jewel's merciless pressure taking a toll on Jessica's mind, heart as much as her legs - she's wilting. Jess languishing in the ropes more than she needs to, tilting forward and soaking as Jewel steps-to, sets and rips her punches off the arms and body. Drubbing beatdown issued - Jewel ignoring Alba's slicing, spotty counter-work off the ropes - Kilcher just maintaining her position on Alba's chest and bludgeoning away. Drowsy shock on Jessica's face - she just can't believe Jewel's using her up through 8.

R9: Relentless pounding continues - Jewel robust, confident, strong, coming forward; Jessica shabby, grabby, wincing, in constant retreat. Alba loping to spots and getting off, but it's all head shots and Kilcher's well protected, leaning the tortoiseshell into the blows, getting close and hammering shapely blonde beef in return. Poor Jessica groaning, sagging into ropes, hands up around Jewel's ears or in a loose gaurd at Alba's face - Kilcher able to set and bounce her hardest punches off Jessica's shapely flanks, toned tummy, lithe ribcage.

R10: Alba open-mouthed, exhausted, wounded as she digs in at the ropes. Jewel squaring up strong, shoulder-cycling her jab, cycling it, then wrenching Jess to the waist a thick right hand. Brawny bump, smashing hook as Alba lolls forward - then back to that stubby left jab, prepping and popping. Give Alba credit - badly beaten tonight, she's still fighting back, pride surfacing late as the tenth heats up. Jess bending to either side and snapping limber leather off Jewel's body: Kilcher's waist has been there all night - Jess finally going there with hate. Uppercuts also effective - Jess able lean into the ropes and ease Jewel onto short, fish-hook left and rights on the chin - blonde shaking them off, but the startling impact enough to keep her from getting off. Jess supple, slipping and countering better than she has all night - she beats Jewel for points, but the final tally a foregone conclusion. UD10 WIDE Jewel Kilcher!

After: Alba in battered astonishment as scores are read: she's just lost 7 rounds to Jewel in a distance fight: that's an awful lot of 'lucky' punches. Kilcher clapping, nodding - she hasn't always gotten the benefit of the doubt from judges, but her consistent, heartless punishment of Jessica couldn't be denied tonight.

"Jessica Alba wasn't ready for me tonight," says a stern Jewel Kilcher in postfight, "mentally, I mean. She's a pampered starlet with a bunch of yes-men around her, cheering her on as she's doing situps or miles, but she was a scared little girl when we got to slugging. I brought out the punk in Jessica Alba AGAIN - let's see what her excuse will be this time."

Jewel's heavy hands and iron will a well known factor on offense, but her much-improved defence, coupled with Jessica's poor punch selection under pressure saw Kilcher come through relatively unscathed. Any parting shots at Tractorpull?

"You know what? I'm simply going to challenge them to put their money where their mouths are," Jewel shrugs. "I beat down the hottest honey in hollywood tonight. I did it fair, I did it tough - no frills. I didn't break a chair over her head, or stretch-pin her or humiliate her afterward, I just beat her up. Anyone else did that, Tractorpull would be fawning. I would like to be treated with a little respect - that's all. I think I've earned that much."