by Simguy on 03/04/2005

Before: Just as Alana was getting comfortable being the most breathtaking new face in boxing...along comes glorious blonde Tricia Helfer. Tension evident at the podium - similar to Brittany Daniel/Krista Allen, Ali Landry/Tori Wilson - girls using every non-verbal trick in the book to capture eyeballs, take attention away from the other. Girls sporting similar supple, slinging, lanky styles, both with power via the single shot whip if they can line the opponent up properly - perfect test for ingenue battlers.

Alana in lavender push up and panties, Tricia in metallic royal blue bikini - both girls adorned in long satin kimonos during ring instructions, gazing deeply, calmly into one another's eyes.

During R1: Girls with a similar loping, graceful gait - Tricia elbows in, hands palms down, slightly out to the side in a gull-wing posture as she circles right. De La Garza cutting off the ring, jabbing into Tricia's flat tummy, looking to step into clouting hooks, wrapping around with the overhand right as Tricia ducks inside the arc. Helfer loose on the outside, but covering up tightly when Alana's getting off - blonde hunkers down hands on cheeks, elbows in, presenting rigid clamshell D. Alana with the pretty habit of touching Helfer with a measuring left, then swinging the right sidearm thick to hip, or scuffing Helfer's guard the right to prep those cranking lanky hooks. Alana drawing warnings for hooking inside Tricia's pelvis, catching a lot of trunk - but there's no where else to go on lean blonde. De La Garza doing all the work, frequently dropping the right to her thigh as she edges in close and packing the left in tight behind Tricia's elbow, bending blonde chassis and moving Helfer to her left. Sporadic stuff - Alana doing all the work, getting off bandy-armed and loving it on Tricia in the first. Bell: Alana looking up through long eyelashes, scanning Tricia's face for signs of hurt.

R2: Alana encouraged during the break, telling her corner "She's tight." De La G stepping in close, dropping the right to her side, doubling up that lanky hook to Tricia's ribs, then dipping left to pull a sweeping right into Helfer's ear. Helfer bending forward, trying to make Alana miss over top - De La G counters with a gorgeous licking left uppercut, shocking Helfer to the face, splitting that tight guard. Queasy moment Helfer - Trish put wobbly butt, staggering around hurt - Alana hardhearted, loops a lariat right to the ear and gets blonde stumbling sideways to ropes. Hurting Trish goes on sale: Alana steps-to, prodding her right to set up lashing, cranking hooks, clawing and raking blonde ribs, ear and jug with batting, beefy spank. Alana alternating hatchet-chopping rights and palming, bracing rights to stabilize Helfer: most of the damage coming via that limber-limbed, strapping brunette hook. De La Garza working Helfer over bell to bell - welcoming blonde to the big time with two back to back shutouts. Again De La Garza inspects Trish during the break, Latina eyes smoldering: I hurt you to the body! Tricia forced to step around strong Alana en route to her corner.

R3: Helfer finding her rhythm, elbows in, arms, shoulders loose - she's stepping in with the jab, ducking instinctively, moving her head well for a tall girl. Both girls getting graceful, lanky hooks, pivoting left off the stroke, both keeping right hands high to block the receipts. Bodies tanning up nicely, ribs and tummies bearing the brunt of ripping, digging assaults - both girls proving more rugged than they look in heartfelt, two-way shellack. Judges like Alana - still a little busier, working harder - Helfer falling well behind early.

R4: Similar stuff - girls rangy, finding each other with jabs, then planting that front heel to get roping hooks on offending torsos and tummies. Girls hook-lashing each other raw - strapping stalemate midring as they gracefully pivot, each staying in punching range and looking for more. Down the stretch, Helfer doubles up the hook up top, blocked by Alana but startling her, moving her slightly - she never sees Tricia's crashing right hand to chin. ALANA'S WOBBLY BUTT! Alluring brunette desperately hurt, tasting Helfer's sinewy power for the first time - Trish moves in big girl. Helfer knuckling Alana's shoulders square at the ropes, then going to the body with galloping lefts and rights, tightening up stroke and getting plenty of lanky leverage down there. Poor Alana groaning, tilting forward - she just soaks it up hurt to the bell.

R5: Trish over to offense, stalking now, teeth gritted as Alana retreats gunshy. Girls trade punishing jabs to chin - always De La Garza backing down, stepping to her right all shiny-eyed. Trish mounting lanky rushes - overhand rights to ear followed by batting, rising lefts to midsection - tic-toc punching has De La Garza fading back, looking rushed and panicky as hefty blonde haymakers land like sandbags. Down the stretch, Helfer patiently cutting off the ring, suddenly leads a blunt right hand to the ear, puts a tidy hook on Alana's mouth and DE LA GARZA SCOOTS TO HER BUTT! Alana sitting up in astonishment, blinking prettily - Helfer scowling down as she stalks to the neutral corner. (Slow Mo replay during break: Jolting right hand brought Alana's feet parallel, buckled her knees - she's already off balance when the hook lands and drops her.)

R6: Running didn't do De La Garza much good: she stands her ground and looks to outslug her tormentress this round. Flat footed, supple stances - girls greasing each other's chins long, sinewy rights, snapping back licking hooks underneath to taut breadbaskets. Both like to extend and generate power with legs and bodies, but both adept at tightening up stroke when crowded. Many exchanges start outside but drift inside - girls tousle-rubbing, long arms writhing and pulling, swiping tight hooks into flanks, across jugs, picking each other up slick little left uppercuts. Helfer steadily getting the better of it - when there's a breathy clinch or any retreat whatsoever, it's Alana who's giving in. Hard glares, heaving chests at the bell - both girls know Tricia's eaten up the stagger.

R7: More two-way licking, lashing attacks. Helfer maybe stronger - certainly acting like it: occasionally she'll wade in big-girl, stick her chin out over Alana's shoulder and hoist great lugging blows up into weary brunette gut, tender ribs, crowding De La G to ropes. Alana cute with the left shoulder, bumping for a little room, then swiping the tight hook - she's finding Helfer regular, just can't back her off. Good action round - girls leaning in and pushing at each other's arms, heads in close, lips set in hard-working lines with the effort of muscling each other around. Tricia making triumphant eye-contact at the bell as if to say: "I'm rolling you up!"

R8: Flat footed slobberknocker, girls lashing each other hooks, pivoting, setting down on choosy right crosses - just a great, strapping lanky-limbed donnybrook. Midway through, Alana getting tremendous spank off Tricia's body via the hook - Helfer bunching slightly, De La Garza doubling up with a tidy swiping hook across the chops and BLONDE GOES WOBBLY BUTT! Shock and dismay in Tricia's eyes - she's stepping in fence post holes, arms outstretched, mouth open. De La Garza steps in with a wide, rising straight arm left to bat Tricia's face into position for a PERFECT right cross - blonde spilling into ropes all ragdoll as brunette steps-to. Majestic sight: De La Garza squared away, roasting poor Tricia those stroking hooks up and down the right flank - Trish covered up earmuff, tilting forward shabby and hurt, gently wilting sideways into the ropes, presenting her right side and back as she soaks it up drowsy to the bell. Break: De La Garza chesting up on Helfer's right shoulder, breathing hot onto Helfer's cheek - ref has to tug aggressive brunette away by her arms.

R9: Alana pressing the pace - knows she's got Tricia hurt, on the verge. Willowy blonde swaying, misery evident in wounded eyes - she slinks to her right, favouring those rightside ribs. De La G with an oily lead right on the cheek swivels Helfer's head, then gets ALL of that statuesque chin a curling Trinidad hook - Helfer sprawling ropeside again with a dangerous case of head-loll. De La G squaring away, shadowing Trish as she slides to her left along the strands - brunette settling into a steady, stroking lather to break down whatever's left. Poor Helfer a mess, face bashed back off her gloves from Alana's reaming straight rights, right eye clobbered as Alana mops up those lariat hooks on top. Gorgeous headshots eyecatching but not producing the desired result - De La G switches focus late to blonde's gorgeous lanky frame. Alana knuckling drooping blonde upright and going ribs, tummy and tits with a galloping cadence - breathy sobs of anguish escaping Helfer's lips as she can't keep her composure. Steady lather batters Trish to the bell - Alana's chest HEAVING, Latina eyes blazing in a combination of hate and frustration: Rag-doll Helfer's still standing.

R10: Alana marching on the dregs - roping Trish a sweeping right to the ear, crowding to shoulder-butt her chest, hooking her tummy a licking stroke. Trish groaning, folding forward as she staggers backwards - she needs the ropes for support. AGAIN Alana muscles up, setting her feet wide, using straight rights or push-rights to prep Trish for striping hooks - De La Garza slicing away with her favourite punch. Second minute, ringsiders screaming as Alana slashes a series of oily rights and lefts to Tricia's punished face - Helfer's mouthpiece flying off her teeth as she droops...droops...AND STARTS SLUGGING BACK! Helfer mindless - bridge out, engineering a-shambles - SOMEHOW she finds the strength to plough into brunette ramshackle lefts and rights. Alana exhausted, punched out - she covers up, ducking into the arc, making Tricia's blows wrap around. Helfer altering trajectory, getting to Alana with walking uppercuts - punches curling past either blonde ear on follow through as brunette staggers the full length of ring. Tricia reaching in - exhausted wrestling with Alana's arms but finally muscling brunette into position - HELFER STARTS HER FINISHING RUN! Alana all used up, lights dimming as she sags into ropes, hands at temples. Helfer on autopilot, teeth bared as she slops away looping rights and lefts, lathering away to the bell. Break: Helfer still sweeping hurt onto defenceless Alana - ref has to pull 'em apart. Comes back one point duke...Tricia Helfer!

After: 5 rounds a piece - knockdown decisive as Helfer proves just a touch more sturdy than her lovely foe. Alana heartbroken, wiping at doe-eyed tears - she's just been upstaged in exactly the same way she edged Molly Sims to open her own career - all she remembers is cracking Tricia with some thrilling powershots. Helfer busted up and cringing as trainer probes her rightside ribs: Oh those De La Garza hooks! Girls shake hands, but quickly devolve into harsh words and accusations - De La Garza feeling cheated, unable to accept the razor thin margin.

"Hey, she fought me tough," says a gracious Helfer in victory. "Ms. Kozar's got to weigh the offers from Ashley Scott, Krista Allen and others, but I have no problem giving Alana another beating. To me, there's no controversy - I put Alana on her back while her best shots couldn't move me: we fight again, she's not getting up