Australian Pride Tour

BEFORE: This particular fight takes place on Bondi Beach, arguably the most famous beach in Australia. Bondi is considered by many to be the definitive example of Sydney's city beach culture, being just a few minutes from Sydney. Considering Yvonne Strahovski was born in a suburb of Sydney, the crowd here is very supportive of her and shows it early & often.

However, the crowd is equally supportive of Holly Valance, who is well known both here in Australia and internationally. Holly first became known as a result of her performance in the hit Australian soap “Neighbours.”, then left to pursue a singing career, which was successful but she returned to acting after that. From there, she has appeared in movies such as D.O.A (Dead or Alive) and Taken in addition to guest appearances on many other tv shows like CSI: Miami, Entourage and Prison Break. Holly has also had a solid career in the FCBA and BBU so far, but her boxing career has really taken off recently with wins over Emmanuelle Vaugier, Laura Vandervoort and Anna Torv. Now, Holly puts it on the line against Yvonne, who has scored some notable wins over Australian competition herself recently.

Both Yvonne and Holly stare at each other, both of them sizing each other up and at the same time, it would appear that they are trying to intimidate the other. Neither of them back down though and the crowd cheers even louder as they get closer and closer. Perhaps sensing some extracurricular violence is on the verge of occurring, the ref steps in to pull the two of them apart, which only fuels the crowd further.

As befitting this contest of Australian pride, both fighters are decked out in green and gold. Yvonne is wearing a golden bikini with green trim, with a little gold hoop connecting the bikini top, blonde hair in a fighting ponytail; Holly is clad in a golden bikini top and a pair of green shorts, brunette hair in a ponytail of her own.

R1: Both fighters come out displaying aggression, just testing each other's fitness early on in the contest. Holly comes out swinging, her gloves searching out Yvonne's ribs and torso as Yvonne shoots out jabs, right and left, coming at Holly's own toned midsection. The two of them show good footwork as well, proving elusive to get into a good rhythm with their shots, but in the opening round, it's Yvonne who proves herself a bit busier – landing a higher volume of harder shots – though it's a close round overall. Both fighters pulled apart at the bell, heading to their respective corners to cool down.

R2: Yvonne closes in quickly from her corner, just touching up Holly with some rangy jabs, hooking away at her chest, biceps and upper torso in hard-hitting fashion. Yvonne shoulders her way in, bumping Holly backwards with short, compact shots hammering their way in. Holly responding with some hard jabs to keep Yvonne from getting too much momentum, working her way inside to pound away at Yvonne's torso again, but Valance is pushed around on the perimeter of the ring for too much of the round to keep Yvonne from taking this round as well.

R3: Yvonne comes out fierce this round, eager to pick up where she left off to pin Holly back against the ropes again. Holly prepared this time, however, just bumping Yvonne out of position with her shoulder and countering nicely along the ropes. Pushing off of the ropes as Holly shows off her power, just pumping out quick shots. Not the hardest shots, but they are getting off quick, just speedy counter-shots that manage to slam in to Yvonne's body, hammering in at her breasts and striking at her face. Yvonne keeps swinging in those limber jabs, striking in at the ribcage, just below the elbow, but even when Holly is forced into a crouch, she rotates out to slam in a swift hook to Yvonne's tummy or digging in a swift jab to her cheek. Maintaining her stance while fighting along the ropes, Holly shows that she is just as dangerous when cornered as fighting in the middle of the ring. Holly worked hard to great success in that round, leaving Yvonne a little scuffed up and discouraged as Holly takes the round.

R4: Holly comes out determined, just eager to follow-up on her success the last round. Yvonne, however, isn't interested in that and is working on making the necessary adjustments. Yvonne starts off the round poking at Holly's guard, trying to snap out a stiff jab towards her face, but Holly rotates her torso, bobbing to avoid the shots, as Yvonne moves her shots down to smack leather into Valance's ribcage. Holly is forced to continually rotate and sidestep, trying to avoid the shots to her torso, moving forward to try to push Yvonne back to the ropes. Yvonne steps backwards, but keeps spanking away at the ribs with her left, then pinging with the rangy jab with the right. Holly trying to bully inside, pinging with jabs inside, but the repeated work to the torso opens up Holly's defense as she is breathing hard and drops her guard for just a moment. Just in time to catch one of those right hooks jabbing in from the side to slam flush into her cheek, head whipping to the side and body twisting down to the canvas. Holly goes down hard, landing awkwardly at her side, wincing as she takes a few seconds to rise. As she does, the bell rings and Yvonne is nodding with a smile as she heads to her corner, winning this round big with the knockdown.

R5: Valance coming out, looking tired and a step slow after the previous round's knockdown. As Yvonne pounces forward, eager to take advantage, slamming those gloves of her again towards Holly's cheek, she discovers too late it's a ruse. Ducking underneath those whirling gloves, she strikes back with a sudden flurry of punches into Strahovski's toned tummy. Slamming in with that shoulder to jostle Yvonne out of position, Holly takes advantage of Yvonne's obvious surprise to keep her gloves drilling forward, touching Yvonne up across her tummy, chest and face. Yvonne mounting an angry d stirring defense, though not as focused as she should be under the onslaught. The two trading punches as the round progresses, but it's Holly getting the better of this trade, Yvonne clearly dazed as Valance lands a hard stiff shot to Yvonne's abs and then a compact uppercut which stuns Yvonne, putting her down onto her butt with a thud. This match has picked up quickly with a pair of knockdowns being traded as Holly stares down Yvonne while she gets up, but the bell rings to avert any further carnage this round. Holly takes this round big with the knockdown in a mirror of the previous round.

R6: Yvonne breathing a little hard after the previous round, embarrassed and hurt – not a good combination for her. Yvonne comes out swinging though, pushing Valance back to the ropes, just smacking away at Holly's abs, right and left pounding at her foe's tummy. Yvonne working to establish that punishing, rangy jab of hers as she tries to impose her will once again. Holly sponging up a lot of punishment as Yvonne hammers away at her tummy and breasts, but Holly fighting out of that crouch again, hammering at Yvonne's shoulders and biceps, poking towards her face and ringing Yvonne up with a cute little jab here and there. Pushing at one another against the ropes, the two scrubbing shots across each other's breasts, punishing the opposing fighter's green and gold top with hard shots that pancake rack under spanking leather. The two keep lathering up shots at each other's cleavage even after the bell rings, forcing the ref to pull the two of them apart as the crowd cheers its approval at the exchange.

R7: It's still a very close match as the last round, crowd pleasing as it was, didn't advance either of them closer to victory. Both fighters wade in from their corners, just punching in short, speedy combinations of shots that smack in loud against opposing tummy and jug. Both of them bumping and shoving at each other with their bodies, trying to push each other backwards as they pound away at one another. Valance disengages slightly, maneuvering backwards, but not in retreat, but instead displaying good instincts with counter punches of her own as she strafes Yvonne with swift little punches towards her tummy and swipes at her face too with jabs that rock Yvonne throughout the round. Holly bobbing and weaving, displaying good footwork as she fights hard out of her stance near the ropes, even as Yvonne tries to smother her up against them again. As Yvonne presses forward with some pounding jabs to Valance's ribcage, Holly sidesteps and then hops forward to deliver a hard right cross to Yvonne's cheek to send Yvonne crashing down to her butt as Holly scores big with the knockdown. Holly stands over her opponent, winking as Yvonne makes her way back to her feet and Holly comes forward, landing a few more hard jabs as the bell prevents Valance from following up more fully. Another knockdown puts Holly ahead on the cards and gives her the round wide.

R8: Holly comes out in this round feeling pretty good about herself and why shouldn't she? Holly coming forward, punching in hard, determined to push Yvonne back against the ropes and pin her back there. Valance pumping forward with a jab of her own, swatting away at Yvonne's chest and tummy with authority. Yvonne still recovering from the knockdown of the previous round as she fights back, however, covering up as she drills in punches towards Valance's taut tummy, banging away inside as she prevents Valance from really getting off as she would like. The two of them are trading away in close quarters, slugging back and forth through the middle minute. Down the stretch, though, Strahovski gives Holly a reason why she shouldn't feel so good about it. Rotating out of a tight spot against the ropes, she manages to dig in a particularly hard-hitting shot to Holly's tummy that freezes her up for a moment and then catches her with a clipping left cross, followed up by a short right uppercut that sits Holly down. Holly gets up again as Yvonne adds to the punishment with a quick flurry of jabs, smothering her opponent back to the ropes as she groans out. Holly understandably upset as Yvonne steals the round and the momentum with a return knockdown of her own.

R9: Holly looking a little tired this round after the knockdown and it doesn't appear to be a feint this time around. It also doesn't appear to stop Holly from getting right back in there to pressure Yvonne as both fighters maneuver along the sand as the two exchange steady and sweaty shots to one another, beating each other down as the hot Australian sun beats down on them. Holly firing away with clipping uppercuts to face and hard jabs to blonde rack; Yvonne slamming in hard jabs across Holly's jugs and compact crosses to her foe's cheek. Digging right into one another – trading in a phone booth - but neither fighter about to clinch. Just determined to keep fighting as the two start trading shots to taut tummy and glistening midriff, with another close round going to Yvonne down the stretch as Holly slows down, taking more in receipt than she's giving out. Both fighters are wincing as Yvonne smothers her opponent along the ropes, just bearing down on tummy at the bell to give it to Yvonne.

R10: Holly knows she has to answer after the last round and this is potentially her last chance to do so. Holly comes out, teeth bared, aggression in her eyes but Yvonne's eyes and nostrils flare up in similar fashion as it might not just be Australian pride on the line here, but personal pride as well. Yvonne emerges from her corner as well – both proud Aussie battlers coming out of their corners to try to push the other towards the ropes but instead end up meeting in the center of the ring, swatting and pounding away at each other with a torrent of blows. Touching each other up nicely as they grunt and shove at each other, displaying powerful jabs as Holly bullies Yvonne back to the ropes, working inside as she slams in hard jabs to the tummy and then quick uppercuts to Yvonne's breast. As Holly seeks out the head for the knockdown, pounding out leather towards her foe's cheek, Yvonne manages to rotate underneath the shots and twist her opponent into the ropes. Yvonne wants rack and tummy, helping herself to both as Valance is butt-in-ropes. In the middle minute, Holly is caught with a hard punch to the tummy and a quick right cross sends her spilling to her side along the ropes, landing hard in the knockdown upon the hot sand. Holly is up again quickly as she can be after the knockdown, shaking her head as she knows she can't afford to stay down for long. Yvonne pushing her way back in with a hard flurry of jabs to hammer away at Holly once she rises – Holly wobbly-butt almost at once, but her sturdy legs keep her up. Holly is able to fight back, rotating with her torso along the ropes, picking her spots to touch up Yvonne along the torso, jug and face, but Yvonne maintaining the pressure along her ribs and working Valance's body with stiff jabs to put Holly back against the ropes at the bell. It's a good, hard-fought round and the fact that the ref has to pull the two apart definitely attests to that, but that last knockdown this round definitely made the difference as Yvonne takes the round and the match via UD10!

AFTER: The hometown Sydney crowd cheers the verdict loudly as Yvonne finishes off her Australian Pride tour in grand fashion with a win over Holly Valance, which was definitely one of the hardest matches Yvonne could recall in recent memory. The crowd roared its approval for both fighters as Holly slumped in her stool for a moment, cradling her tummy and punching with her other hand in frustration. However, Yvonne doesn't let Holly dwell on her loss for long as the ref lifts up Yvonne's hand in victory and Yvonne beckons Valance out to join her. Holly, while initially reluctant to do so, does after some prompting from the crowd as they exuberantly applaud both fighters for the match. Yvonne tenderly embraces Holly in a hug as the two whisper congratulations, trash-talking, rematch plans and more general taunting that the raucous crowd is unable to hear and thus are not privy to. Despite the close nature of the match and the outcome, both fighters are in good spirits, especially Yvonne who has enjoyed herself immensely here in her native Australia. As much fun as she had, Yvonne was looking forward to perhaps bring over some of her fellow Lookout! Boxing members to visit as well.

But for now, Yvonne and Holly enjoy all that Bondi Beach has to offer. The two proud Australian celebrities and fighters enjoyed swimming, surfing, relaxing and just having some fun in the sun for the rest of the afternoon, into the evening and even morning hours. Although Yvonne knew she had to head back to the States and the FCBA at some point, but found herself in no hurry tonight. This Australian Pride tour had been a great idea – one of her best yet! Yvonne was loving every minute here in Sydney and knew that there is nothing quite like being home.