Posted by Simguy on Wednesday, 05-Jan-2000 08:30:14

Thanks to FightFan for this repost,

Before: Ryan stepping up, looking to trash aging superstar Ireland with superior strength, pressure - but Kathy not buying it. "Jeri's got a long way to go," says Kathy, "I'm no stepping stone - she's getting hurt tonight." Ryan in white sportsbra, white and blue bikini bottoms, Kathy in black push up, pink bikini bottoms.

During R1: Ryan out early with stinging Rijker right hands below the breastline on Kathy, Ireland responding with lateral movement and the stick. Late in the round, Kathy a little lazy with the left jab, and Jeri comes over top of it with a jolting counter right, spinning Ireland sideways, and toppling her awkwardly against the ropes. Booming finishing flurry as Ryan slugs the left wide into Kathy's trunks, slugs the right wide into Kathy's kidney's as Ireland soaks it up at the bell.

R2: Jeri looking confident, gets after Kathy again, wading in hands low, striding into the right hand lead to the body, coming back with the left hook. Ireland's arms bashed out of the way as Ryan hungrily advances. Kathy unable to dance entire rounds these days, picks her spots to get up on her toes, trying to open up angles on the blonde.

R3: Ireland times Jeri's right hand and leans into a sidearm right of her own, smacking the taste out of Jeri's mouth to open the round. Ryan stepping in fence post holes, and Ireland taking charge for the first time in the bout, swinging away with lefts and rights, leaning back to make Jeri miss, then driving right back in with straight one-twos. Ryan beaten around the ring this round as Ireland up tempos.

R4: Kathy with her hands at her waist, shimmying around Ryan, lifting the jab off her hip, and twisting into a biting straight right. Midway through the round, Jeri ducks under the right, comes back with a booming left hook on the chin: Ireland seems stunned, going limp, then teetering straight back to crash to her backside as Jeri misses a vicious right. Ireland up 8, and the slugfest is on: Ryan reaching with the right, POUNDS right hands straight into Ireland's bruised ribs, Ireland gritting her teeth, swats away with rising wide lefts and rights AND JERI GETS HURT! Jeri suddenly glassy eyed, stumbles backward as Ireland steps with her. Round ends as Kathy chases Jeri to the ropes with swinging lefts and rights, battering Ryan's mouthguard off her teeth.

R5: Jeri looks the worse for wear, and Kathy steps to the left, stuffing the long jab into the blonde's face. Ryan having a problem with supermodel distance: Jeri covers up as Kathy gets off, then relaxes thinking Ireland's out of range, when another jab will find the blonde's mouth. Ryan getting surprised, and midway through the round, Kathy begins dialing in with monster right hands, slinging the punch to land on the side of Jeri's jaw or ear. Ryan stumbling, hurting badly from the midway point, but it gets worse. Down the stretch, Ireland tears Jeri apart, battering her to the ropes with whippy left and rights uppercuts. Jeri's face spanked back and forth as her body wilts - Ireland landing a vicious elbow on the teeth at the bell to leave Ryan swooning.

R6: Ryan loses her form, but looks good doing in, palming her left on Ireland's shoulder, and slugging short right hands on the mouth, she drives Kathy to the turnbuckle for an awful beating. With Ireland grimacing, hands crossed over her belly, Jeri head buts the brunette hard on the bone of the upperchest, drawing a cry of protest and a STERN finger waggle from the ref. Jeri wades back in after the warning, but Kathy is enraged, lifting clipping lefts and rights in rolling combinations to buffet Ryan's jugs and chin then spin out of the corner. Jeri stumbles forward, shaking her head, finding she's trapped, but slow to turn around as Kathy kisses a gorgeous right cross onto the jaw from the side. Ryan topples into the turnbuckles, and Kathy goes to town, shredding the blonde to the bell. Ryan badly busted up, both eyes swelling, staggers to the wrong corner at the break.

R7: Kathy Ireland puts together one of the best rounds of her career, bombing Jeri Ryan back to the stone age in the process. Sliding to the side, Ireland lifts that backhand jab into Jeri's mouth, luring the blonde forward into bolo right uppercuts, or sidearm clouts on the jaw. Ryan taking it like a trooper, but by the midway point, she's wobbly-butt, and getting jolting as Ireland has her on the end of her punches. A straight right hand stuffs into the side of Ryan's jaw, and she takes an awkward seat, blinking up at the ref as he counts. Jeri gets to her feet, stumbling, eyes swollen shut, and Kathy wades in, cuffing the poor blonde all around the ring with slinging wide lefts and rights. Ryan soaking up tremendous damage, doesn't seem to have her bearings, wandering away from Kathy, getting hit from the side or behind, lolling on the ropes. In the final minute, Jeri is beaten to her hands and knees as Ireland shouts in triumph. Ryan survives, but oh, the beating.

R8: Shutout Ireland as she goes back to the stick. Ryan stumbling forward, mouth open, eyes closed, hands at her lips as Ireland picks her apart. Jeri just an automaton at this point, face battered beyond recognition by Ireland's whip action blows.

R9: Jeri sucks it up as Kathy takes the round off, and Ryan able to fight off the model's chest to land sobering wide rights and lefts to the ribs. Ireland letting Jeri get off, palming up on the blonde's shoulders to shove her back every once in a while, but Ryan with good pressure bell to bell.

R10: Jeri just doesn't have anything left - plodding numbly after her foe, as Ireland steps back, swats 2 or 3 punches in combinations, then pivots to open up the angle on her battered opponent. Kathy really stepping into those straight rights, dropping them over Jeri's shoulder to pop loudly on the blonde's jaw, or stepping back to lift Jeri's head up with the right uppercut. By the bell, Jeri is a wreck, just struggling to go the distance. Unanimous decision Kathy Ireland

After: Humiliation added to the mix, as Ryan, stunned and unaware is led around the ring by the waist by victorious Ireland, displayed to the audience in the model's traditional walk of shame. Kathy lumped up, but smiling, waving, guiding Jeri in a stumbling circle with one arm around the girl's hips. It wasn't in the contract, and Jeri is outraged days later when it sinks in how she was taken advantage of. Ireland put the boots to Ryan in this unexpected early fight of the year candidate, showing that the great ones can still get up for the occasion