UNIFIED BANTAMWEIGHT TITLE

Posted by simguy 12-31-05 (Thanks to Ginny for this repost)

Pressly lays belts out on the dais, lets Eliza get a good long look, smiling all the while: Jaime knows just where to slip in that knife. "I almost feel sorry for Eliza," Pressly croons in prefight. "Imagine having been great once, and now...now you're just hanging on by your fingernails. Watching Dushku try to maintain her image while I'm the champ? It's just painful. Her whole thing was being better than everyone else, then I came along and suddenly - she doesn't have a thing anymore. That really sucks. Sorry, E." Dushku calm, poised, but tense: nobody baits the Sherrif and backs it up the way Pressly can. "Look, I'm not going to say Jaime doesn't deserve everything she's gotten," Eliza says at the podium. "She's embarrassed a lot of good fighters this year, she's talked a lot of smack, and she's brought a lot of game, but you know what? Her success has made me hungry, and Jaime's never faced a really hungry Eliza Dushku. We'll see how she handles it." Eliza in red leather bikini; Jaime in red/white striped bikini. Small gloves, both vixens.

Rd 1: Jaime flashy early, dotting her jab, slashing the right hand, whipping a wide left hook across Eliza's front. Dushku dukes at her temples when she stoops forward, alternating to right at her cheek/left across her body when she leans back - Eliza showing a distinct Claire Danes look as she gives Pressly unprecedented upperbody movement. Champ carries the first two minutes with sizzle - not a lot of flush contact, but she's circling, clearly outworking Dushku when Eliza erupts. Slipping the Pressly right - Eliza's back with a clouting hook on the chops, chopping a short, straight right onto Jaime's mouth as Pressly's baby-steppin'. Hook upside the head and another short, pulverizing right hand banking hard off Jaime's chin and PRESSLY GOES DOWN! JP on her back, hands up over her head - Eliza smouldering with satisfaction as she struts past, not even looking down en route to neutral corner. Pressly up at the bell, blinking, shaking her head: closest she's come to being stopped in a loooong time.

Rd 2: The class of Jaime Pressly. Jaime gets leggy, outclassing Eliza below the waist - blonde circling brunette midring, feinting, harassing, needling in and out. Pressly loose-limbed, bringing the lead right hand up the middle, leading with hooks, ducking and twisting and leaping away from receipts. Dushku circling the wagons - dukes up, elbows in - Jaime's just too quick to take chances with. Pressly partially blocked, but she's boxing for control - making a point with a few stout belly jabs as Dushku can't afford to drop her mitts to stop the touches.

Rd 3: Second straight shutout JP - Eliza rooted to one spot, turning, bending at the waist to rotate her torso - Pressly circling like a Mongol raiding party, darting in and out at her leisure. Jaime stalking to her right, right under her chin, left swaying at her side, eyes cold. Jaime shifting to her left, piecing out the jab, anticipating Eliza's every movement with nifty little step-outs. Dushku defensively sound - Pressly not lighting her up - but judges just see Jaime jumping in gaudy lead hooks, sudden lead rights, snappy flurries amidships; they can't help but be amazed.

Rd 4: Eliza fading to the ropes - she can't compete in space, offers Jaime a tactical advantage in hopes of getting Pressly to square up. Works - Pressly accepting the invitation and attacking the dug-in Dushku, but Jaime pretty effective toe-to-toe. Blistering, flat-footed back and forth as girls take turns biting hooks off one another's temples and tummies - each keeping the right tight to cheek, bending at the waist and riding out the other's work. Down the stretch, Jaime's vicious hooking starting to break Eliza down just a smidge - Pressly really busting up Dushku's mouth late, torquing the shoulder through the punching motion, jerking Eliza's face hard to port. JP mops up some withering hooks in under Dushku's elbow: parted lips, wincing gasps from Dushku as she sponges, knees softening at the bell.

Rd 5: Eliza wincing up off her stool, creaky to the ropes - she digs in apparently hurt and Jaime takes the bait. Dushku working the pocket ala Danes - leaning well back into the ropes (right under her chin, left across bod), bending forward to put her shoulder into Jaime's hips. Dushku making Pressly miss and making her pay - brunette clawing her hook across blonde ribs; bending left to pull the right hand tight to jaw; bending right to tuck hooks into Jaime's flat tummy. Pressly mouthbreathing, even double-clutching at one point as a Dushku body shot pre-empts Jaime's right hand.

Rd 6: BLISTERING two-way action - Pressly willing to stand and go with Eliza more and more as both women open up, both get tagged more than they had been. Both love the hook - to the head, to the liver, to the ribs - but both trying to drop chop rights up the middle, or twist and clout rights across offending mouths. Both sinuous, bending into their shots, moving their torsos, but Eliza more accurate - her fists gouge at Jaime's solar plexus with eerie precision, visibly wilting the blonde near the bell. Jaime rattled as she turns away at the bell, looking pale, flustered: Eliza takes the opportunity to clap a chunk of hard blonde buttock in celebration of a hard fought sixth.

Rd 7: Shutout Eliza Dushku. Eliza taking the fight to Jaime now, backing her up with body-clout, then fighting off her chest at the ropes - Pressly disheveled, covering up earmuff and pouting as Dushku rips away beneath the elbows. Gooooood body blows, Eliza D: Pressly gasping, paralyzed as Eliza digs in - brunette twisting side to side to tuck her fists into taut blonde beef. First clinches off the fight issued late as breathless Jaime ties up - Dushku stamping to stand her ground, pressing JP against the ropes for the break.

Rd 8: Jaime scowling, furious - plenty of snap on her punches left, but Eliza making delicious reads, always turning a shoulder or dipping down to take the edge off. Dushku just a-BUSTIN' Jaime to the body - short, ripping right uppercuts to sternum; constant lathering, swiping hooks. Pressly sponging, suffering, sitting in the ropes late - Eliza able to chug away to jug with impunity, hup-hup-hupping away with a thudding burst at the bell to bring the crowd to it's feet. Champ doesn't like it - shoving Eliza after the bell - Dushku shoves back as ref jumps in quick.

Rd 9: Dushku pressing forward, Jaime fades, slices a breathtaking pull-counter right hand over Dushku's jab and turns the fight around in a heartbeat. Dushku desparately hurt, crouching forward: Jaime arches her back, kisses chin a licking left uppercut and SPILLS ELIZA TO HER FACE! E shakily to all fours: Jaime puts her left foot into Dushku's hip and shoves her to her left side, rolling stunned brunette to her back and earning a stern warning. Dushku rallies up off her back, but she's damaged goods: she digs in legit hurt at the ropes and HERE COMES PRESSLY! Pressly supple-punching - reaching a pawing right to set up TORQUING hooks atop the head, against the temple. Sweeping rights to the body as Jaime dips to her left. Left/right uppercuts, shredding Eliza's guard as brunette droops forward. Jug mugged heartlessly, vindictively - Pressly getting every one of those punches back and then some as she pounds Eliza's rack flat. Dushku busting up, cut in the mouth, staring, but proud, curvy legs won't fold: she sponges the bracing of a lifetime, trembling against the ropes at the bell. Pressly chest heaving, lips twitching back off her teeth: blonde spent herself up trying to get Eliza out of there and both girls know it.

Rd 10: Dushku wretched, but serviceable - double-dotting her jab tummy and head, rotating to her left as Pressly hangs back on her right foot. Jaime gassed, but still swiping left hooks, trying to get Eliza to move in recklessly and catch a check-hook on the jaw. Dushku not buying - working smart behind her jab, ducking in with looping overhand rights that carom off Jaime's forehead. Hooks in Jaime's right flank aren't doing her a bit of good: blonde cringing, mincing away from the shots - Eliza's imposed her will in the tenth. Dushku walking Jaime down, but taking no risks - she controls the champ, swipes the points and takes her chances with the cards. Comes back UD10 close for the winner and NEW bantamweight champion - Eliza Dushku!

After: Dushku showing real emotion - clenched fists, shrieking in triumph: Pressly ashen faced, puffy, looking like she doesn't know what to do with her hands, so she hugs herself as HISC well wishers surround the Sherriff. Eliza putting on a clinic in toughness, skill and smarts - borrowing liberally from the Claire Danes playbook tonight to craft a stellar victory. Pressly visibly shaken as she attempts to leave the ring, but Eliza intercepts, locks eyes with blonde while holding a belt under Jaime's nose. Sheer, unadulterated hate as Pressly holds Eliza's gaze - there just isn't enough room in the FCBA for these two bantam queen bees.