Before: Comes down to this: upstart Foxfire rookie Mary Elizabeth Winstead vs 10 consecutive-fight winner and unified lightweight champ Erica Durance. "Handling Yvonne Strahovski has prepared me for Erica," Mary told reporters in days leadin up this showdown. "Yvonne's the only girl in the division with Erica's physical make-up, and I've done very well against her. I've got a lot of confidence going into Durance: I'm in shape, I'm ready - and we'll see what happens." Mary a little fidgety during ring instructions - Erica motionless, making ferocious eye contact as Winstead looks at the canvas. Mary in yellow bikini, black gloves; hair loose with bangs. Erica in crimson Smallville bikini with navy bottoms and crimson belt; red gloves; hair in puncher's ponytail with swept bangs. Girls touch gloves like sportswomen - no rancor despite the emotional rollercoaster of the wins and losses thus far.

During R1: Winstead channelling nervous energy into effective punching - she initiates midring, beating Erica to punches. Durance smote upon face/breasts in fight's opening exchange - she legs out, circles away to regroup. Winstead closing quickly, locating Erica with a chest-jab, then pouring in on her overhand rights/clawing lefts. Erica grimacing, jerking the short right uppercut into Winstead's chin before girls get tangled up for ref's break. That's the way of it - Erica trying to establish order with her legs - Mary hustling forward, upping tempo, getting on top with churning flurries. Stop and go action results as Mary's momentum carries her into Erica; works to Winstead's favour as fight takes on a stop-and-go, sloppy slugfest feel. Down the the stretch, paydirt for Winny: Erica stepping back takes a gambling right hand on the chin. Durance stunned, wobbly butt, sent sideways into ropes: she covers up, hunkers down as Mary rushes in, batting straight-arm lefts and rights against Erica's sturdy flanks, pounding D to a seat in the ropes! Foxfire bench leaping to its collective feet at the bell: Mary glowing, body humming electric with a wonderful trouncing of Erica in the first.

R2: Erica steely eyed - stepping to midring with right hand at her cheek, chin tucked, elbows in. Mary frisky - hopping into Erica with wide right roundhouse to body, then scraping left uppercut/left hook combo hopes. Durance calm - taking the body shot while jabbing Mary's face; slidestepping back as Mary's left hand techniques miss; sliding forward to knock a firm one-two against Mary's mouth. Durance ducks - drops right (back) foot well out to the side - weaves her way out of range - dukes collected under her chin. Mary turning to the attack, again runs into the jab, misses her flurry, eats a tidy one-two up the middle: Durance pounding out terms in fresh negotiations. Middle minute, touched up Mary stops rushing in: steps out for a deep breath, brings elbows together beneath her jugs, hands at either cheek to form V. Rest of the round more orderly; Mary stepping-to, jabbing out of the V and trying to incrementally take back the canvas she's lost. Erica keeping her jab on Mary's defensive front, then working the waistline either side of Mary's grouped elbows - stepping away when finished.

R3: Mary shows sturdy V: Erica immediately attacks the body - coming in off her jab up top to lash the waist right/left. Winstead grunting as Durance digs deep; Erica comes off tummy with abrupt, short-jerk left uppercuts, neatly splitting Winny's mitts. Mary chin-checked and body-rocked by minute mark - she steps back in V, grimacing in hurt. Erica comes forward - always popping jabs off Mary's guard, then stepping in righty to Mary's waist: Winstead driven to ropes in trouble. Erica squares away, beats Mary rhythmically, without mercy, throughout second minute: poor Winstead dipping forward onto to eat ripping left uppercuts; leaning back only to have her gut all torn up. Down the stretch, Erica on humming autopilot - weight on front (left) leg as she gets up in ripping patterns. Near the bell, she cripples Mary with a series of vicious, biting left hooks ticketed for Winstead liver, sitting Mary breathless and blubbering in ropes. Blazing 10-8 without the knockdown: Erica jogging back to her corner all ponytail-tossing, eyes flashing as she gets on top big-time through 3.

R4: MARY WON'T HAVE IT! Winstead rallying off her stool, shakes off boatloads of punishment to once again close, engage and out-punch Erica midring. Durance confused as Mary's churning, scrubbing, devil-may-care punching temporarily overwhelms her. Erica legs away, scowling - moving to her right while jotting out the smokescreen jab. Mary crouching in V front, then hooking out of it, then coming over the top righty: Winny gambling, but fighting her way close with hard punching. Inside Erica's jab - Durance keeps hands up, crouching into the arc of Winstead's strokes: Mary frequently wrapping around Erica's head or shoulders as a result. Mary going to left uppercut to brush Erica back: several useful blows land to Durance's world-class rack and beautiful face. Erica in constant retreat: many thought Mary couldn't swarm Erica effectively; Winstead proving doubters wrong through 4.

R5,6: Erica grimly determined off her stool - begins the slow, steady work of taking away Mary's privileges in this fight. Durance' jab the sharper, stiffer poke between the two: she drills it up the middle, forcing Mary to stay tucked into her V. That done, Erica's digging in sticky right/lefts either side of Mary's collected elbows - then hanging around on lead (left) leg to place repeat left hooks in Mary's exposed liver/rib region. With Winny grunting and cringing forward from body work - Erica pries at her with short, jerking left uppercuts, splitting the mitts on Mary, tidying up her chin. Winstead competitive in spirit, but answering only in spots and rarely coming forward when she does so. Erica enjoying long moments of dominance along ropes, raking Mary, walking her down along the aprons, punishing her in increments. Hard working mid rounds to Erica; Mary falling into a taker's rhythm, starting to look gnawed upon through 6.

R7: Erica working robustly to midsection - Mary's knees buckle - she topples to her left as Erica straightens up, launches a series of hooks to body and head as Winstead unravels. Winstead stumbling in a clockwise reel - finally punched to her knees under Durance's long, lashing hooks: Erica pounds mitts together, jogs to neutral corner as Mary gasps open mouthed on her haunches. Winny up at 8, digging in at apron: Durance upon her quickly. Erica squaring away, going to work: back to the midsection and ribs, hobbling Mary with a terrible, sustained snatching attack. With Winny doubled over - Erica patiently works either flank/hip with either hand in repeat fashion - resting the off-hand atop Mary's bowed head. This is one girl processing another - Erica supreme in her stance, body and limbs humming, ponytail ticking in time to the slugging. Bell: Mary's blinking back tears, hugging her body; Erica looks her over for signs of quit, shaking her head en route to HMK corner at Mary's refusal to bend the knee.

R8,9: Mary tragically beaten now - Erica's been so thorough to the body, you can see Winstead wincing, cringing with almost every step. Winny plucky, refusing to quietly: every once in a while she'll stand her ground, dip her shoulder, get close and work hup-hup-hup underneath with Erica. Durance actually inviting these mouth-on-shoulder engagements - now just trying to use Mary up, encouraging Mary to spend energy slugging. Always and everywhere, it's Erica stepping forward after exchanges: Mary's contesting canvas bravely, but simply coming apart at the seams through 9.

R10: Foxfire beauty waving off her trainer, determined to finish this fight: she's ragged off her stool, nearly toppling sideways into ropes as she steps wrong upon standing up. Durance hard-eyed: dukes up, she wades into Mary, going back to those ripping, repeat hooks up and down Winstead's right flank. Mary crouching forward, grimly taking the work, then buckling - she nearly goes to her knees - straightening up and staggering away to ropes for support. Erica walking her girl down: job of work now to finish Mary at the ropes. Winstead sliding to her right - usually configured in a tight V to receive Erica's sheeting wallops - but occasionally opening up to slop hooks and right hands back at her tormentress. Incredibly - Durance frequently buffetted into covering up and stepping back: Winstead crippled, sagging into ropes, but proving a little badger in answering Erica's attacks. All Durance bell to bell: defiant, gutty Mary making champ work for every moment. Bell: Erica immediately hugging battered Mary in a show of respect: Winstead tremble-bodied, gives up the series 4 fights to 3.

After: Tempestuous beauties showing class once it's all over: fighters standing in the ring, chatting with each other and their counterparts, sharing battle-stories. Sarah Carter off at the perimeter, eyeing the proceedings - most everyone else milling and schmoozing. HBO awards a purpose-built trophy to Heather Kozar for taking down Foxfire: HMK fighters unanimously giving credit to their competitors in individual interviews afterwards.

After Mary/Erica

Posted by Foxfire Boxing on 11/27/2008, 12:33 pm,