Posted by Simguy on Tuesday, 18-July-2000 19:55:00

Before: Packard eager to get at Pope after annihilation at Bibb’s hands. Carly desperate to show that she’s so much better than she showed against Leslie. Kelly once the class of the small girl division, but a long layoff and some discouraging beatings have tarnished the once golden rep—pundits wonder how much rust has built up on the aging greyhound. Pope in red and white striped bikini, Kelly in purple athletic bikini.

During R1: Packard looks good early, stepping economically, slipping in and out underneath Pope’s punches, but midway through the round Carly nails Kelly a hard looping right and comes out of her crouch to swivel the blonde’s head with a whipping left hook—PACKARD GOES DOWN! Kelly up quick and reasserting herself behind the articulate jab, but Carly showing much better upper body movement, not catching everything thrown her way as she takes the first.

R2: Overeager youngster rushes in and is skewered time and again as Packard nails a hard left or right, falls off to the side and has Pope walking into punches. Kelly loose and relaxed with her arms, doubling the hook to Carly’s ribs and swatting ith whip action rights to the head to bust the brunette up. Down the stretch, merciless Packard combinations open up Pope’s left eye as the blonde bounces her fists off the same spot with cruel precision.

R3: Carly continuing to barge in, Packard fading back and walking her girl into crisp counter shots. Uppercut is there for Packard as it was for Bibb—midway through she NAILS Pope on the mouth with a short right clip, falls off to the right, and clobbers the brunette with the same punch from the side. Carly wobbly butt, now looks hurt, carrying her guard too low and getting [pounded to th face as Packard works her magic.

R4: Savage slugging round begins calmly enough—Packard circling, spearing the jab, and swaying in with the Ricardo Lopez hook to the ribs, hook to the jaw, chopping right routing. Pope doesn’t fold—continuing to step forward, Carly rediscovers the bob, coming out of the couch and clubbing Kelly’s jaw with harmful hooks hat soon have the slender blonde stumbling. Mindless brawling late as both girls look ready to go—Packard with glassy eyes stands flat footed and chugs her long arms back and forth into the brunette’s, Pope shouldering the blonde back, answers with wide lefts and rights to leave Kelly stunned and hurting at the bell. Goes as a draw—but Pope bellowing in triumph en route to her corner clearly encouraged by her resilience.

R5: Carly won’t be denied—she gambles and cracks Packard a hard hook on the teeth early, then lunges in to swivel Kelly’s head once more as Packard backs straight out. Kelly’s hurt and those legs look funky—Pope bodying up, muscles her girl to the ropes and finally puts break-down pressure on those scrawny ribs and tight tummy. Pope eating Kelly up inside, shoving Packard up against the ropes, turning her hips into digging lefts and rights and Packard starts to soon. Seconds left in the round, Pope commits to left hooks in behind Packard’s elbow and chops the blonde to one knee. Carly backing off with a satisfied glint in her eye as Packard clutches her battered midsection at the bell.

R6: Kelly Packard shows her class—fighting hurt, legs shot, she stands and makes Carly miss with slick in and out swaying, dipping low at the waist and making Pope pay with slapping counter hooks, dragging right uppercuts. {Pope not getting on top of her girl, fights at medium distance and just gets peppered—shutout Packard as she buys valuable time.

R7,8: Carly Pope starting to pout her stamp in the match—Packard deeply discouraged can’t get her butt off the ropes and the brunette is piling on. Nothing fancy from Carly, pinning Packard to the ropes, rolling her shoulders and twisting her hips for great leverage inside. Packard sent back to her corner hurting, grimacing after these rounds sap more out of those trim legs.

R9: Kelly P with some desperate offense, stands and trades dangerously, but gets the better of it as Pope covers up to wait her turn. Packard able to reef lanky left hands to the brunette’s waist, push a measuring jab upstairs and bend into looping right hands up top, finally has Pope staggered as the eye starts to leaking again. Midway through the round, Packard sways back from a Pope right hand, sways in to land the short right uppercut, wide left hand on the chin and DOWN GOES CARLY! Pope up gingerly, shaking from the waist down, and Kelly does a number with the left hand pounding that hurt eye to the bell.

R10: Carly Pope sucks it up and it’s Kelly P getting battered early as the brunette mauls the blonde along the ropes, Kelly on her heels, slides from corner to corner, trying to clip short counter shots, but the brunette keeps her heads on Packard’s chest, twisting into ruthless body shots that have Kelly groaning. Bell to bell pounding has Packard tremble-bodied and late in the round, Pope pushes Kelly deep into the ropes with the left shoulder, then pulls out to crank a perfect hook across the blonde’s cheek, Packard spills to all fours, badly hurt, and the ref pushes {Pope back as the bell sounds. Kelly beat the count, but it’s all for not—UD10 Carly Pope as she pulls off the upset.

After: Much better performance from Pope shows her to be a persistent, if limited body puncher, who takes WAY too much leather at this point in her career. Bitter disappointment for Packard, who had looked to ease her way back into the race, but couldn’t discourage a motivated Carly on the night. Lucky thing for Pope too—another bad beating and she wouldn’t have been able to keep the blondes off her.

Reposted by Archer 2/18/14.