Posted by simguy on 10/31/2008

Before: "I've heard the comparisons to my fight with Lilo," Hayden admits in prefight, "but I don't buy them. Lindsay really commits herself to punching - she'll sell her soul to hurt you with a right hand; Kate's pretty much safety first. Not saying Bosworth can't make you look bad - can she ever! But I don't respect her pop the way I do Lohan's, and I WILL come forward on her. I don't think Kate can hurt me, and until she does, she's going to be under pretty intense pressure - all night long." Bosworth confident, but respectful at the podium. "Hayden's a power-packed little fireplug," Kate acknowledges, "and her pursuit is excellent. She's fierce, strong, determined and tough - a hell of a package. But every fight has angles to play, and I've got a few here. I'm much taller; faster; my footwork can dominate her. I may not hurt her as she says, but I may not have to either. We'll fight, and find out." Bosworth in midnight blue bikini; small white workout gloves. Hayden in navy swimsuit bottoms with a roll-down waist (inside is baby blue, so looks like a baby blue waistband), navy bikini top with baby blue strings; small white workout gloves.

During R1: Hayden aggressively at Kate - stubby jab; hard right hand to chest; whacking hook in flank. Bosworth hopping the perimeter, changing directions to shake pursuit: she's getting scuffed up as Panny goes right at her. Final minute - Bosworth stops backpedaling, stepping in with a wide, slapping right to jaw - wide slapping left, landing tic-toc. Pivot-left Kate - weight on that lead (left) foot as she lifts a stiff, open-hand left hook onto Hayden's jaw, cupping it (ref shouts warning). Hayden startled, on her heels: Kate slashes a right hand in and down, punching Panny across her mouth; left uppercut rigid off that front foot - pivot-left. Quick pounce back in as Hayden's turning, getting organized: lead right hand takes Panny between the eyes. Pivot-right sees Kate turn Hayden's left flank; left hook clouts Hayden's left eye from oblique angle. PANETTIERE GOES WOBBLY BUTT! Hayden astonished - blinking and befuddled: Kate's able to clean up another wide-swinging tic-toc right/left clapping combo to jaw, neatly stealing the round right out from under Hayden.

R2: Kate got respect last round, parlays it into fresh offensives now. Hayden really gunshy - still a little stung, still dazzled by Kate's darting quickness. Bosworth ticketing left jab for Hayden's mouth/either eye - scuffing and chipping at Panny while pivoting-left around poke. Kate drawing warnings for that vicious, open-palm left uppercut/hook off her front foot: VERY stiff punch, cupping Hayden's jaw, landing with plenty of heel as Kate straightens up into the blow. Kate pivoting neatly left after scoring with left hands: pretty. Ref shouting "Keep 'em closed Kate" whenever clapping open-hand blast is detected. Bos loose-limbed outside, feeling confident - she curves in at will, lashing at Panny limber rights and lefts when not stinging her straight punches up the middle. Hayden on her heels throughout, face taking a terrific scrubbing. Panny taking a good punch through 2 - but Kate's hurting her with volume and ferocity, upsetting Hayden's calculations early.

R3: Hayden staying low, weaving her way in: Panettiere determined to get to Kate's chest and do work. Problem is Bosworth's legs: slender blonde bouncing away from Hayden, drawing her in, preempting her, turning her, touching her up, then disengaging. SO frustrating as Hayden weaves close, sets...and eats a jab, or pinging right hand, or swatting hook, then has to find Kate all over again. Panettiere eventually able to cut off ring and slug to Kate's ribcage late: Bosworth quickly jumping in to tie up head-and-arm on Panny for ref's breaks, leaving Hayden to slap away ineffective right hands at hip or flank in the grasp.

R4: Boxer continues to dominate and maul puncher as Bosworth leads Panettiere a merry chase. Kate relaxed - not running: her weight's generally forward, punches flowing abruptly off her lead (left) foot as she chips away head-and-shoulders on Hayden. STIFF left uppercut/hooks still catching Panettiere way too clean: Hayden munching leather as Kate cuffs her, pivots-left to escape receipts. Hayden's persistence pays off late again - but she's already lost the round and taken tremendous punishment by the time she finds Kate's svelte ribcage.

R5: Hayden pressing again, proving up her warrior credentials in spades - but OH the punishment she's taking. Kate can't miss - angling her punches down as she leans onto front foot to deliver - then sweetly sliding back or pivoting-round her struggling foe. Clip-clip-clap combos constantly raking Hayden's face: those accurate fists; those small gloves. Accumulation again wobbling Hayden at points: Kate able to hurt Panny with speed subbing in for power; surprise taking the place of brute force. At the bell - Katie letting her hands go, shoeshining rights and lefts back and forth across Hayden's face as Panny's leaning forward in crossed-arm stance. Mission accomplished, Kate steps around Panny, passing by Hayden's right side, grinning HUGE as she struts all wiry to her corner up FIVE ROUNDS on a badly pasted lil' digger.

Break: odd scene in Foxfire corner. Trainer's trying to soothe Hayden, trying to be encouraging, when Sarah Carter moves in from ringside, standing at floor level, both gloating-at, and chastising Panettiere: "You're getting your butt kicked by a skinny little bytch, Hayden! You're embarrassing yourself - you're embarrassing US. Quit screwing around and FIGHT!" Hayden livid on her stool, blushing crimson as she gets a striping from Sarah even as she's taking a pasting in the ring!

R6: TORRID slugging - Hayden swarming Kate, punching much more wildly, gambling more heavily. Bosworth stepping back in good order, fitting Hayden for ripping left uppercuts (closed fist) of front (left) foot; sleek check-hooks off the back (right) foot - hunting Hayden's chin. Panettiere absorbing fearful licks, but finally bludgeoning Kate's chest and head - clobbering Bosworth off balance. Kate grimacing, baring her teeth: she's digging in, clipping Hayden vicious, slender-limbed rips, but Panny's willing herself forward, taking whatever she has to. Bit by bit, Hayden's will prevails: Kate flat footed, rattled by the constant blunt bashing against her noggin, shoulders, ribs. Round finishes up with Bosworth's back on ropes for first time - Hayden squaring away, digging at torso with feverish pump-action lefts and rights to bell. Ref forced to pull Hayden off as she jams insurance leather into Katie's slumping torso.

R7: Hayden POURING it to Kate; Kate POURING it right back. Bosworth no longer able to leg out of range; she's not even trying - trading with Hayden in savage toe-to-toe until Panettiere can drive forward. Gorgeous stuff: tall, slender girl ripping uppercuts, swiping rights and lefts in the horizontal plane as shorter girl bobs-and-slugs. Hayden making Kate miss over the top a little more often now: Bosworth losing accuracy as she fights more desperately to keep Panny off. Both women chin-checked, momentarily rocked; both firming, answering back to prevent the other from romping. Down the stretch, Kate's fighting off ropes again, mouthbreathing as Hayden POUNDS ribcage with ringing, batting lefts and rights, then bashes away up top. Bell: Hayden still seething - mindlessly chugging at her lanky tormentress as Kate covers up face-in-gloves, sits in ropes until ref rescues her.

R8: Hayden's eyes blazing, little nostrils flaring: she's rushing at Kate, lusting after rib and chin with a furious, non-stop barrage of slugging blows. Bosworth falling apart in chunks midring - face-in-gloves most of the time as she leans forward, trying to smother Hayden. Kate gasping, trying to tie up: Hayden squirming, muscling her way out of clinches, then SLAMMING her fists into the openings. Kate stumbling around - desperate to stay off the ropes, but tilting forward's just getting her terribly worked over. Midway through, Hayden shouting as she gets off to the body: short, plowing right hand across the sternum; quick-twitch left across the sternum - Hayden twisting all compact into punches. Katie groaning, eases herself to her right knee, hugging throbbing body in agony. Hayden bellowing down, then pushed away as ref barks count. In neutral corner, Hayden's bouncing on her toes, exhaling through pursed lips; Sarah on the floor shouting up: "Stay ON her! Don't you dare let her get away!" Hayden turning angrily on Sarah: "SHUT UP! I KNOW HOW TO FIGHT!" After Kate's wilting 8, Hayden proves it - grinding her forehead into Kate's clavicle while pumping away to midsection. Bosworth drooping - lips pursed in a punchy little pout, eyelashes fluttering: she's starting to give way on all fronts.

R9: Kate a shabby parody of the sleek, high-performance blonde who began the fight: she's hurt, banged up, glassy-eyed and gunshy as Hayden charges in. Give Kate credit - she times Hayden a right hand as Panny's blitzing up the middle; nothing on the tired poke - Hayden walks right through it to smash a blunt overhand right to Kate's cheek. Bosworth's head lolling dangerously, slender legs trembling as she steps around, trying to find Hayden's chin. Bosworth's hands stacked at her tummy - she's just twisting into rising lefts or rights, lashing weakly at her stocky tormentress; no longer able to threaten Hayden. Panettiere viciously about her girl - baring teeth as she crouches and drives in right hands across sternum; popping hips-right as she torques healthy left hooks to greyhound ribs. It's all too much: Kate's head bobbling, lips pursed - she's being tragically bludgeoned - beaten senseless to body and head in a ragged counter-clockwise stagger. No one punch does it - Hayden just seething, unleashing a brawny little torrent of clubbing abuse - finally battering Kate to her knees. Bos a tragic sight fighting her way up - the tumbling forward to sprawl belly-down and roll onto her back. She's still thrashing about, trying to kick her legs over to her right for another attempt...but it's no go! KO9 in roaring come-back fashion, Hayden Panettiere.

After: Kate scraped up, helped to her stool: lithe stylist simply beaten down by a more willful, stronger little blonde on the night. Hayden beaming - getting hugs: even Sarah's in the ring, smiling now, congratulating Hayden in boxing's weirdest love/hate relationship. "I was wrong," a sheepish Hayden Panettiere admits in postfight, "Kate DID hurt me - plenty of times. I was so discouraged early - she was embarrassing me, luring me and baiting me - it's a very frustrating style to face. But deep down I knew I was stronger - I just had to stay on her, keep moving forward - even when I got rocked - ESPECIALLY when I got rocked. It's a fact that when you take another girl's best shot, it's almost like you've landed a haymaker on her morale, and I know Katie lost her nerve when she couldn't put me down with some of those punches!"