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29 March 2014 Gabriella Cilmi vs Una Healy

Page history last edited by Vassago 9 years, 11 months ago

 

BBU BOXING FROM BELFAST

 

Posted by Vassago on March 29, 2014, 11:42 pm

 

We're done with the English visitors in Belfast as finally the first Irish flower steps up to the plate, even though Una Healy's from the Republic, there's still a good support for the lovely redhead as she takes on an equally attractive brunette from Down Under, Gabriella Cilmi. It's only for Georgie Thompson's taste who prefers to see both girls in tatters by the end of their fight that has the BBU TV coverage turning sour for a brief moment. 

 

Healy's a former champion but struggled for results over the past two years before scoring a vital victory over. Meanwhile Cilmi was upset by fellow Aussie compatriot Nicky Whelan but bounced back in fine style dismantling Diana Vickers in December. Yet, she still eyes the elite career in BBU and according to most fans she's got all the tools to become successful but simply lacks results and tonight's clash presents her a perfect chance to catch the much needed attention.

Gabriella Cilmi wearing a green basque top, yellow boy-legs trunks and green gloves. Una Healy wearing a white basque top, green knickers and orange gloves.

Round 1:
Unlike the previous two fights on the Belfast card it's a slow & cautious start for both girls; Cilmi seemingly wary of Healy's past champion status does well to avoid single hand approach though and prefers to fight from behind the guard in mid-distance, looping efforts only graze her flesh and even though Una shows more intentions down the stretch, she's lacks committement and pauses all too often which enables the brunette to finally swing some leather too but it's duck & weave stuff for remainder of the round and not exactly what the Odyssey Arena wanted to see.

Round 2:
Cilmi still very defensive but Una starts to pick her off more frequently even if the single leather does little damage, couple of head-snapping jabs slice the brunette's guard but as she mounts a response, Healy shows superior footwork and weaves away from trouble before nervous screams from her corner encourage her into more spirited attacks, one has to say that long string of losses looks to have hurt the redhead's confidence but Cilmi hasn't exactly set the BBU on fire yet and as both girls bounce off each other's cheeks in the midddle of the ring to finally bring some spice into action, there's an immediate clinch with Gabriella happy to wrap herself around the redhead and shove her against the ropes. Ref drags the Aussie away and Una flicks a quick hook on the jaw to push her back but misses a follow up and nearly gets caught with a cross-hook herself as Cilmi skims off her forehead just before the bell.

Round 3:
Una visibly more aggressive, closes the distance and pummels the brunette around the elbows but eats a solid hook on the jaw and bends awkwardly to enable Cilmi a swift follow up and suddenly it's the Aussie singer belting away at the redhead's stomach before getting locked in a clinch as Healy seeks respite. Cilmi works the single hand thereafter but the Irish girl bunny hops around her in avoidance and tries to find that close range comfort again, spikes the brunette's midriff but falls into overhand jabbing and circles back to slow down the action one more time as Gabriella doesn't chase her down and seems to be enjoying the bout so far but the fans are left a bit fuming with the sluggish show on offer.

Round 4:
This one's really slow to get the crowd going but Una finally makes use of her nifty footwork as she has Cilmi losing her balance after missing a right hook on the head and exposing her liver area in the proccess; redhead spikes the brunette on the spot, works the low jabbing and shoves her back to prevent the clinch for once; flicks a quick uppercut which catches Gabriella napping and there's more from Healy who punishes the rack in a new switch of targets with Cilmi yelping in pain for the first time tonight but getting silenced with a follow up on the temple as the crowd finally starts to cheer the girls properly especially that the Irish singer blasts more punches on the chest and backs the Aussie into the ropes where she keeps the pressure and spikes the liver area looking for ultimate breakthrough. Cilmi fails to apply the clinch and is forced to weave around on her feet but she's trapped for remainder of the round and can only cover up her face as Una has her own way with her midriff instead.

Round 5:
Una buoyed by that previous round springs into aggressive jabbing and beats Gabriella for an overhand combo on the head, tags the nose and belts away at the ribs thereafter to send the younger singer on the back foot. Cilmi tries to fight from behind the guard but the single hand efforts are dismal and only bounce off the redhead's forearms as Healy charges forward and picks off a fast moving brunette all too often and smacking leather against her cheeks. Gabriella forced into defensive circles, avoids getting trapped this time around but she's hardly giving the fight to the Irish favorite who lands repeated single strikes on target even though she hasn't really hurt the Aussie singer who displays next to none battle wounds.

Round 6:
Gabriella still on the back foot, she's not going anywhere into the elite with that kind of demeanour but Una's fully settled now and easily tracks her down to fake a low jabbing combo before launching a belter of a hook on the nose that squashes the brunette's mitts and wobbles her back on the spot. All Healy from there on who seeks facial damage and snaps Cilmi's head back with a flurry of uppercuts the younger singer just can't avoid and subsequently gets thrown onto the ropes with Una barking in her efforts to dominate the vistitor and she's doing just that in fine style as Gabriella's dark hair flies around her neck with Una bashing away in ferocious mode before another switch in the last minute. She bangs away at the brunette's ribcage and even though Cilmi tries to clinch her a quick series of jabs on the chest removes some air from the Aussie's lungs and makes her sink on the ropes instead; Una pierces the ribcage in the last twenty seconds to leave Gabriella moaning in pain and she punches the air in delight thereafter as the momentum swings her way much to the crowd's delight.

Round 7:
Cilmi's been overwhelmed by tonight's event for whatever reason and now she's hurting to give Healy more chances to finish the job inside the distance but an ultra defensive approach enables her to stay clear of the redhead's striking zone during the opening minute before fatigue kicks in and Una's footwork proves vastly superior. Heavy slaps punish the ribcage down the stretch as Cilmi can't escape trouble anymore and allthough she tags the Irish singer's cheeks with a nice combo, the chest mauling removes her breath one more time with Healy settling into body snatching and reeling a tired looking brunette onto the ropes in the final minute. More blows around the elbows sink the Aussie even further down on her knees but everyone awaits that knockdown with Cilmi weaving desperately on her feet but staying upright anyway to annoy the Belfast faithful. Una's eually upset as her angry moans are clearly heard but she runs out of steam too, falls into a clinch and Gabriella still digs her on the kidneys to restore some pride but it's a strange tussle all around with Una somehow unable to land that really big punch and send the brunette for the count.

Round 8:
Gabriella looks more exhausted than cracked by the redhead's punches and now Una needs to catch her breath too. We're back to opening round misery and the action slows down again with Healy ahead on points according to Georgie Thompson but still far from her 2011 championship form. Cilmi finally shows more aggression down the stretch and matches Healy's agility across the canvas but the efforts can't break the guard on both sides and girls quickly lose interest and prefer to circle back earning a massive jeering response from the crowd.

Round 9:
Una seems to be happy to secure the win any which way and refuses to stamp her authority over an extremely lacklustre brunette tonight but it's Gabriella launching a last-ditch effort to somehow make the redhead pay; she pummels through the arms and connects with Una's rack and cross-hooks her on the mouth to finally ire Healy into blasting her ribs again but she skims off the forearms and wobbles forward as Cilmi suddenly slips by her and spikes the liver area from the side; crowd stops jeering for a moment but the silence is broken when the brunette crashes against Una's temple and follows up on the nose to whip the redhead back; flurry of punches back the older singer onto the ropes and Gabriella lays into her from both sides in her most aggressive effort this far; Una sends single leather from behind the guard but gets whacked on the nose twice and sinks to the side, tries to clinch the Aussie but gets nailed on the forehead and just gets buried butt-in-ropes as Cilmi reigns supreme and batters her midsection until the bell with Una unable to do much other than protect her face.

Round 10:
Even with all her experience Una just fails to close the deal against Cilmi who catches the second wind and jumps into a jabbing combo on the chest to stagger the redhead in the middle of the ring again and who's looking hurt now? Youth prevails over exprience in the last round as Una's guard is shattered by couple of uppercuts and Gabriella whacks her on the nose and reels onto the ropes on the minute mark where she switches on the navel and just bashes away at a suddenly stunned Irish singer. Healy's running on empty and can't even bother the Aussie with any response, gets bashed around on the ribs instead and sinks down on her knees as Cilmi's hair flies across her eyes, she's digging those green mitts in Una's pale skin and now wants to punch her insides out as the moaning sums up Healy's troubles, all or nothing for the brunette and the late barrage finally proves too much for Una who turns to the side and gets whipped on the turnbuckle, drops her arms to expose her chin and Gabriella nails her on the mouth, slices the arms aside and clobbers the nose to make Una bleed right at the death... left hook on the temple... right hook on the jaw AND UNA SLIDES DOWN ON HER SIDE with seconds remaining on the clock... Gabriella screams out in a mix of anger and joy but Healy climbs to all fours at seven and is back upright at nine... she's not gonna be upstaged late on Irish soil though and ref refuses to call it a day and we're just five seconds away from the end... Cilmi springs into one last charge and clubs the redhead on the nose to inflict more bleeding but runs out of time to finish the semi-conscious Una and has to be dragged away by the referee as the Irish girl tumbles to the canvas after the bell and that was as close as it gets in terms of an Irish disaster...

After ten rounds of boxing we go to the scorecards... Judges score the bout 97-96, 97-95 and 96-95 all for your winner through unanimous decision.. UNA HEALY!!!

AFTER: That last round knockdown wasn't good enough to change the outcome of this fight but Una's terrible finish actually made this much closer on points than perhaps expected. And it was a strange bout all around, both girls almost too scared of each other's potential and while it was perhaps understandable for Gabriella who faced a former champion on foreign ground, then Una did everything but steal the crowd's respect. Indeed, she gets booed by the Belfast audience and enjoys far less support than even Mel B did before her. And she looks a bit hollow in the eyes, almost doesn't give a damn about the whole show and is far from dweling on that hard-fought if uninspiring success. Meanwhile Gabriella's the one smiling and talks with the Green & Gold journalists as she indicates it was the Irish redhead bleeding at the end of that fight and once she gains more experience she's gonna stalk Una for a rematch. Good luck with that!

Back in the BBU TV booth Georgie Thompson thinks that there is every sign of Una being targeted by Mel B before the summer. "Of course Mel wants Tulisa next but I think the papers are more or less signed already. Una didn't want to add to Brown's revival but she's got no choice now that she's lost all those bouts in 2012 and last year. And given the way Mel almost send Lisa Maffia into retirement Una has every right to be worried. Heck, it seems like that Liz McClarnon defeat broke the Irish girl mentally and now even Kimberley Walsh wants to beat her up! If I'm right with all the rumours, then Una's gonna be asking Frankie Sandford for tips how to handle being turned into a bloody mess on a regular basis!"

Final result: Una Healy def. Gabriella Cilmi UD10. 
 

 

 

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