5 June 2006 Cat Bell vs Cobie Smulders


Catherine Bell 3.jpgCobie Smulders 03.jpg

 

 

Maxim Lightweight Championship Tournament:

Rd. 1

 

Originally posted by Simguy on 6/5/2006 , 6:16 pm

 

Bell in white FHM bikini (hulking)

Smulders in maple leap configured bikini

 

WHERE FOUGHT: Chicago

 

QUOTE: “ I don’t want to be a first round victim,” Cat Bell told reporters in prefight. “The fact that Smulders is unknown gives me the willies. I just want to get her out of there and make it to the next round.”

 

SYNOPSIS: Taking a pager from Rachel Nichols’ book—Cobie approached the overwhelming task of fighting Cat bell with gusto splitting the first two rounds with the cautious veteran and giving Cat some speed issues to think about. Bell responded wi8th her usual assiduousness—drawing Cobie into clinches and pounding the younger woman’s waistline with robust, thrashing lefts and rights, even still—Cobie managed to split the third and fourth with Cat as well, showing a lively leg, textbook boxing skills and a healthy dose of devil-may-care courage in knotting the cards through 4.

 

After that, it was all Cat Bell, but it wasn’t as one-sided as it may seem.

 

Bell fought in a measured, unhurried pace—using her jab to manage Cobie’s angular speed, directing traffic in there, guiding Smulders into punches or clinches with deft ring generalship. Cat was very methodical—diligently working the ribcage when inside; holding and hitting on occasion; nailing Cobie coming in and disengaging. Where the experience gap shone was in GOOD Smulders rounds—particularly in the 6th and 10th—rounds Cobie was winning when thudding Bell counter punches put Smulders wobbly butt, stealing points from the youngster’s side of the ledger. Smulders proved her toughness—soaking up Bell shutouts in the 7th and 9th, and refusing to go down to several ringing blasts throughout the night, delivered with painstaking accuracy to her chin and

midsection. When the decision was announced, the women chatted and posed for pictures together: the finest example of sportswomanship of the entire tournament and a reminder of the old competitive harmony that once existed between Tank Enterprises and The Mountees.

 

BEST MOMENT, BELL: In danger of losing the 6th, bell jabbed off the backpedal, disrupting an overanxious Cobie coming in. Suddenly standing her ground, Cat leaned in with the left at her temple, hammering her right hand hot off the quivering abs of Cobie. With Smulders shook up to the body, Cat eased out onto her back (right) foot, neatly turning her torso into a clouting hook to chin, buckling Cobie’s legs and effectively stealing the round. It was the first back-to-back round for Cat, and therefore a turning point in what had been a competitive tussle to that point.

 

BEST MOMENT, SMULDERS: 4th round. Cobie had been rocked ion the third, and badly beaten as Cat consolidated t her body—but Smulders rallied in the 4th to deny Bell momentum, Early in the 4th—piercing jab through Cat’s high guard, Smulders pushed off the ball of her right foot to bounce a hard right hand off Cat’s raised gloves, then stroked Bell a vicious hook to her ribs in underneath the elbows.

 

Reposted by Archer 7/3/09.