(Thanks to FightFan for this repost)


Before: Internationally known beauties squaring off - unusual amount of foreign money being wagered on whether or not Salma can still overwhelm elite flyweights in their primes. "Mexican fighters would never kneel to French girls," Hayek explains in prefight. "Never. It does not happen. Virginie would have to kill me to get me down, whereas I have only to hurt her, to get her looking for ways to quit. Much is made of the strength of my body, but in truth, it is the strength of my mind that separates me from my opponents. Virginie has never encountered a will like mine in the ring. She won't like it, I promise you." Ledoyen poised, unflappable in rebuttal. "Salma Hayek is a legend," Virginie acknowledges, "but I have dealt with legends before. Salma Hayek hits irresistibly hard - but I will not be there to receive her power. Salma's will is as strong as she says, but I have doubts about her body. She gave ground to Jennifer Love Hewitt, and we all saw Hayek diminished in those fights; that was not the fighting of a true Mexican warrior at her best. I am not fighting the Salma Hayek of 10 years ago, and she should remember that. I am fighting a Salma Hayek who has learned to quit in fights against determined opposition - and no one is more determined than Virginie!" Ledoyen in vivid electric blue bikini; white boxing boot to mid-calf; small white work out gloves; hair loose in pretty brown ringlets/tangles. Hayek in bulging black lace push up; leopard print bikini bottoms; small black work out gloves; black high top boxing shoe; hair straight, loose, glossy black down her back.

During R1: Ledoyen upright, pumping jabs at Hayek's breasts and mouth, rotating left in smooth, loping pivots around a planted lead (left) foot. Salma crouching, dukes at eyebrows - she's blocking poke on a rigid guard, trying to walk through Virginie's jab. Ledoyen setting a fast pace with her feet - never lingering in front of Hayek. Virginie deploying a variety of right hand chasers: straight pokes up the middle; straight pokes slanted down to body; wide, sidearm clouts heavy to ribs. Hayek unfazed, but definitely outworked as Virginie's able to maintain distance and tempo in a brisk, classy first.

R2: Hayek adjusts. Stiff, stubby jab from her brow locates Virginie - Hayek scooting-to and getting off before Ledoyen can pivot clear. Pleasing clout administered to the Ledoyen ribcage - Hayek bang-banging away right/left, snatching her mitts off Virginie's torso with a grim smile. Hayek also pinning a straight, lead right hand to Virginie's chest - acts like a jab, poking 'Ginie onto her heels and robbing her of initiative. Virginie outhit and well harassed, but doing a nice job keeping her back off the ropes, limiting Hayek's bursts to one or two effective punches.

R3: Virginie being first, jabbing and crossing up top to keep Hayek covered up, then turning Salma's right flank with crisp, loping pivots. Nice pinging, rangy action to Virginie's straight punching - she's keeping Hayek out on the end of the pokes, unable to answer. Hayek visibly frustrated as her receipts sweep short - she's weaving and shuttling herself around to keep pace, but unable to solve the distance equation Virginie's laying down in the third. Bell: Ledoyen with a smoky look of defiance as she strides past Hayek - so challenging that ringsiders are moved to "Oooooh" in response.

R4: Hayek's angry - she pushes up the middle, runs into straight, scrubbing one-twos, then comes away empty handed as Virginie sidesteps. Time and again, Ledoyen able to stay outside, get off long, ping away at Hayek's breasts, shoulders and head, then pivot away from hard Mexican thump. On occasions when Hayek lands to ribcage - Virginie quickly ties up for ref's breaks - refusing battle on Salma's terms. Great ring generalship on Ledoyen's part, prompting announcer to comment: "If she can keep up this pace, she's got this thing. Salma's really looking frustrated."

R5: Virginie sticks with the plan - never hurting Hayek, but outworking her, dictating all terms. Hayek scowling, weaving and bobbing her way forward, but unable to close and get off with authority: Ledoyen's got Salma eating straight punches from well outside. Virginie turning primarily clockwise - occasionally pivoting around a hook or left uppercut - but most of it is a basic diet of straight scrubbing one-twos. Virginie deploying saucy right hands onto the swell of Hayek's cleavage, staking out a brazen French claim. Salma reacting with anger, playing into crafty Ledoyen hands as a result. Break: TU trainer inspecting pinked areas of Virginie's ribs: Ledoyen cheerfully assures him, "She's not hurting me."

R6: More Virginie. Ledoyen smooth, almost gangly in her movements - pivoting left, punching rangy, keeping the jab on Hayek. Midway through, Virginie shows she's more than pesky: ripping left uppercut off a lead right hand stuns Hayek, has her frozen; Ledoyen capitalizing with a left to paunch and another left uppercut, buckling Salma's knees. Mexican legend shakes off French clout - crouches forward again - but Virginie jabs, pivots left, stays out of reach. Salma more tentative than we've seen her - confused, hanging back to block. Ledoyen coasts after hurting Hayek for the first time, content to post the shutout.

R7: Trace of a smile on Virginie's lips as she jabs Hayek's face, busting up the 40-something tissue. Hayek undeterred - slamming back short, blunt rights and lefts - starting to find the mark as Ledoyen's tempo slows just a touch. Round sees more exchanges - Virginie trading with Salma, then moving away: Hayek's thudding stroke proving decisive as Virginie finally becomes available.

R8: Ledoyen improves her work rate - pivoting crisply again, getting off first, giving a constant angle off Salma's right flank. Hayek turning, but not cutting off the ring - she's following the younger woman around. Hayek's head movement not as crisp as it was - she's crouching forward with arms crossed against her body, facing into scrub: Ledoyen ringing away at will, to face and breasts both. Down the stretch, Virginie breaks pattern: RIGHT uppercut catches Hayek to chin; quick-pivot RIGHT exposes Hayek's left flank; buggywhip right hands cruelly chop in above Salma's sensuous left hip. HAYEK'S KNEES BUCKLE! Vicious body blows taken from the Kristin Kreuk playbook thump out loud from Salma's proud body. Mexican won't kneel to French lass - but she's crippled all the same, unable to answer. Bell: Ledoyen finally unleashes a full smile, tossing damp curls off her hard-working shoulders en route to her corner.

R9: Virginie mouthbreathing a bit, but she digs down, maintains her pace: everything depends upon her ability to hit-and-turn her foe. Hayek grimly forward, walking through Ledoyen's shots, facing into punches and trying to answer. Virginie clearly fatigued, but willing herself to keep moving - feathering Hayek with jabs to the body, jabs to the chest, jabs to the face and stinging right hands at sneaky intervals. Hot pursuit nets Hayek some thumping blows to French ribs, but nothing decisive: Ledoyen banks the 9th and pumps her fists at the bell.

R10: Hayek leading with stubby, straight rights ala Marco Antonio Barerra: she's tagging Ledoyen's face, driving her off-stance. Salma able to hound Virginie to ropes for the first time - hooking heartlessly at Ledoyen's waist at the minute mark: Virginie clinches, wincing. Ref's break - Salma back in with a brace of rigid, straight rights and left hooks: she's raking Ledoyen, punching her face and breasts with hammering vigour. Ledoyen trying to bounce off the ropes and spin out; Hayek's not having it, embracing Virginie and ragdolling her back in the ropes, then strapping hook-to-body as punishment. LEDOYEN TAKES A KNEE! Virginie with a haunted, drained look - goes down to escape pressure: minute left on the clock as she takes a veteran 8. ON COMES SALMA! Virginie feinting in like she's going to lead a right hand - then hopping back and to her right: race is on as Hayek scoots furiously forward, trying to bring guns to bare. Virginie's tank on empty, mouth open, legs starting to fail when she changes directions - but she's clinching for breaks, running for space, stringing out the clock. Hayek chasing, seething, throwing hard, but she can't find the off switch. Goes to the cards, comes back a sweet Virginie UD10 in tactical fashion.

After: Ledoyen shows world class versatility in turning back mighty Salma: Virginie known as a slugger against slighter built girls like Sarah Carter - she turns matadora to handle the formidable challenge in front of her tonight. "Her fists are like stone," a happy, grinning Virginie declares in postfight. "And her chin is granite. I hit her as hard as I dared, but there was never any question of standing and trading with Salma Hayek. I hurt her for respect, then boxed her - I knew my legs would outlast her, no matter how hard she tried to bully me." Hayek visibly dejected: she's still a powerhouse, but her legs were exposed tonight. World class boxing with just a hint of pop can control the Mexican Marvel these days, if the conditioning is there.


simguy

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