Reebok Bantamweight Title

(Thanks to FightFan for this repost)

Posted by Simguy on 4/7/2001, 12:29 pm.

Before: Richards basking in the glow of her own popularity, Britney's popularity and the cache of a title defense - Denise taking the high hard road to success after years of bitter reversal - it's a real feel-good story for boxing. Spears familiar with bitterness herself - she comes into this bout crabby, snapping at media and fans alike - she's putting a lot of pressure on herself to separate D from her belt. Richards in light blue string bikini, Britney in pink string bikini - Spears refusing to touch gloves during an intense glare-down before hand.

R1: Spears of old comes out early, showing Richards plenty of movement, using the whole ring, bouncing in to sling whippy right hands to the gut or cheek of her foe, then pivoting around and dancing away as Richards covers up midring. Shutout Spears - Denise blocking anything dangerous upstairs, but unable to find away to respond against the mobile blonde.

R2: Denise jabbing to Britney's chest just to make contact, then hooking the jaw, then bodying up to shoulder Spears back - Britney comes off her toes and the girls lean in sweat it up inside. Action more to Denise' liking - she can find Britney, force the blonde to give up her belly and breasts in punishing flat footed exchanges at the ropes. Spears showing that stubborn streak, laying in with Denise, left across her abdomen, right at her cheek, just trying to clip the brunette with little swipes as Richards pushes up. Round to Denise.

R3: Brit skipping out of her corner, hands at her sides - she bounds towards Denise, head-feints the brunette out of her trunks, then gets her legs under a rising left hand rip that explodes in between Richard's mitts onto the brunette's chin. Richards coming undone - Britney puts her wide against the ropes - D with a vacant stare as she struggles to stay upright. Brisk flurry to the hips and head ragdolls D but doesn't seem to get her any extra hurt - Britney content to back off, touch Richards with her jab, and jump in with short right hands off her hip to the brunette's jaw. Shutout with power for Britney - she sends Richards back to her corner El Butto Wobbello.

R4: Britney settling in now, she's more economical with her movement, dancing to get position, then settling down into a fighting crouch. Belly jabs get Denise hunching forward - Britney erupting up from down low with the right uppercut, snapping left hook combination - Richards getting buffetted off balance by the biting connects. Midway through, Britney stepping right, methodically jamming her left hand in between Denise's hipbones, suddenly turns over a short right hand across Denise's mouth - Richards straightens, reeling on her hips, hands low, eyelids fluttering. Britney storming in with wide lefts and rights, mostly glancing blows chase D to the ropes. Once again Britney doesn't hang around too long in close - she shines up her girl's body then dances away, drawing a staggery Denise Richards off the ropes to potshot her with single right hands to the bell.

R5: Battered and dazed Denise Richards crosses her arms and bobs her way in, getting her head on Britney's shoulder and going to work with scrubbing lefts and rights to the blonde's sweet gut. Spears accepting the challenge inside, goes at it cheek to cheek - girls taking turns banging withering 3 punch bursts off each other's midriffs while leaning their chins out over one another's shoulders. Stupefying action, girls getting open mouthed and glassy eyed as they hammer each other stupid. Down the stretch, Britney with some beautiful bump and shoot, gets into a rhythm where she jostles D with a shoulder shuck, stamps a short right hand into the breast, then finishes with a snapping left hook across the mouth. D getting banged up as the blonde gets off and RICHARDS TAKES A KNEE! D up at 8, but obviously much more hurt than it looked, she winces away to the ropes as Britney stalks her, bodies up hard at the bell.

R6: Denise lumping up badly, but she's still a warrior - hurting, she waves Britney in and the girls lock up for more grinding wet work inside. Spears bashing tit with cruel, jerking rights inside - Denise waiting her turn then rolling her mitts against Spears belly, finishing off the flurry with a tight left hook on the chops. Staggering, stepping brawl meanders around the ring - girls in constant contact - round ends up with Spears back to the ropes, Britney on her heels, Denise on her chest - challenger just fighting for breathing room as the champ has her grinding way this round.

R7: Britney free and easy outside, hands down, skipping and dancing side to side, reaching into Denise's belly with the jab, then jumping away - Richards with her dukes up, tries to cut down the ring with limited success. Spears using feints like a real pro - showing blitz, holding up as Richards over-reacts, then jumping in with hard overhand rights on the ear or jaw to catch D leaning forward. Nice boxing shutout for Britney as she flashes the first grin of the bout, nodding in happy satisfaction en route to her corner.

R8: Britney's legs take over. She's able to navigate the ring at will, fight when she wants, move when she wants - Richards just covering up and reacting, usually late. Spears dipping in and out, taking what she wants: a belly shot here, a stamping right hand on an aching breast there, a whistling left hook across the teeth to turn Denise' pretty head to the side. Richards breaking down and in the final moments, a blistering 3 punch smackfest to the face has the brunette stunned, on her heels - Britney reloading and pounding another short right hand off the forehead to put D wide on the ropes at the bell.

R9: Britney all jiggle and hammer - hopping around her girl, jumping in with right hands, jumping away with a winsome smile. Richards all busted up, grimacing, brown hair clamped wetly to her face and shoulders - she's loading up for one desperate equalizer. Midway through, Richards poking out that serviceable jab manages to work her way inside again - Spears obliging, and the girls tear it up, lifting their fists heartlessly into one another's browned midriffs or springy breasts. Steady grinding pressure from Denise pays off - Spears gets groggy, stops punching, just covering up to protect her precious body from more punishment. D punching grimly from her hips, ramming the right hand in behind Britney's elbow, then cramming in the left on the other side and SPEARS TAKES A KNEE! Britney with trembling lips takes 8, and wants no part of the champ in the final seconds, staggering away shamelessly to the bell.

R10: Spears bounding to her right with a concerned look - Richards hunting her down into the corner and DENISE GOES DOWN!! Britney catching the oncoming brunette with a sweet, short right uppercut, jumps to her right as the champ staggers to her knees at the ropes for a heartbreaking late knockdown. Richards up at 8, but her thighs are quivering - she's shot. Spears now brave with a hurt brunette on the ropes, jumps in with hard wide licks to the waist, trying to bring Richards hands down. Richards with gloves at her temples, bends forward with gritted teeth, but keeps it together, laying back into the ropes to pull short hooks across Britney's face, laying forward to get her head on Britney's shoulder. Spears slowing down - fight grinds on to the bell with both girls rummaging around in one another bellies with stuffing fistwork, each trying jam something uptop as they cuddle in close. Ref pries the sopping beauties apart at the bell - comes back UD10 for the winner...and NEW Bantam champion Britney Spears!

After: Britney breaks through, copping her first title and puddling into tears at the announcement. Denise wandering away in a punchy daze, heartsick as her first defence goes horribly awry. Spears using her legs more than she has in recent bouts was able to change up styles, keep Richards off balance, but in post fight, Britney points to the fifth round as the key to the bout: "We were slugging inside," a breathless Brit points out, "We were fighting her fight, and Denise - not me - DENISE went down. All week they were saying 'make it a war, Britney can't take a war' - well I did. I gave it to Denise in the belly and she couldn't take it. I just want to praise God and thank all my fans..." yadda yadda yadda. Tough loss for Denise, but Richards didn't embarass herself - she's established herself as a top flight bantam contender who will be back.



sim guy

ff