Anna Torv vs. Yvonne Strahovski
(Lightweight Title)
(Words: Front Street / Results: Lookout!)

BEFORE:

This rivalry has been marked by mutual respect and that continues pre-fight. "No question, she's proven she's the best in the world right now," says Anna. "She has the gold to prove it. I've waited a long time for my chance, though. And this may be the only one I get. I've beaten her before. I can do it again."

"Anna's a girl I need to get beaten," says Yvonne. "It's not personal between us. We're both Aussies and we always wish one another well in our fights. But, if I'm going to be the best lightweight in the world, and I am, I have to prove I'm the best AUSSIE lightweight in the world. And that means beating Anna."

ROUND ONE:

Mutual respect continues in the ring. A glove tap after the final instructions. And then a different kind of respect, respect for one another's power and ability. Things start slowly, the classic "feeling out". Neither woman wants to commit much of anything in the early going. Anna, as always, to the left jab. She loves to jackhammer that heavy left out and work everything else off it. Vonnie slick and quick defensively, able to avoid most of them and land her own left hands in response. Neither woman tries to take the lead, and neither is willing to cede it to the other. It's good, smooth, solid boxing from the first second to the last. When the bell rings, Anna's done a bit more and takes the early 10-9 lead over the champion.

ROUND TWO:

A more aggressive Yvonne in the second, she's sliding left away from Anna's jab, picking off the follow up right hands, and landing in combination in response. She's got Torv's timing off from the opening of the round, and being the champion she is, she's able to take full advantage. Strahovski is quickly in rhythm and everyone in attendance gets a demonstration of exactly how devastating an in-rhythm Yvonne can be. She's not hurting Anna, but she's peppering her with leather, getting stronger and stronger as the round goes on, until she has Torv completely over to the defensive in the final minute. Yvonne makes no mistakes late. She doesn't get sloppy looking for something big. She simply keeps the foot exactly where it is on the pedal and coasts to the finish line having won the round wide and tied the bout at 19.

ROUND THREE:

Strahovski immediately looks to follow up on her second round work, but Anna's not having any. Torv adjusts to Yvonne's slide step, matching footwork and lining her fellow Aussie up again for the left hand. When the jab lands, everything else falls into place. Right hands that were dodged or blocked in the second land in the third, and, from the right, flurries are able to continue. Strahovski doesn't give up the lead, however, she responds in kind, and, as a result, we have some of the best action of the fight, both women landing sharp, crisp stuff and neither willing to give canvas to the other. It's great back and forth boxing with a few solid power blows mixed in. At the final bell there's an exchange of looks. And smiles. And another tap of the gloves. Torv wins another close one and has a 29-28 lead. And we've got quite a fight on our hands.

ROUND FOUR:

More blistering action right off the bell as both Aussie beauties look to impose will and neither is willing to cede anything to the other. It's good, sound stuff, nothing sloppy, but both fighters are finding the range and doing so with great frequency. Power blows are being landed more often than in the first three rounds put together. Something has to give, and, two minutes in, it does. VONNIE GOES DOWN! A short right hand in counter from Anna sends Strahovski to her knees. Yvonne is up and shaky at seven, takes the mandatory, and the referee allows the fight to continue. Torv doesn't go all in, showing plenty of respect for Yvonne's power and skill. Instead, she works intelligently, setting up punches, working the champ back into the ropes and then piling up points with both hands to the bell. Yvonne makes it out of the fourth, but Anna now leads 39-36 and clearly has the momentum.

ROUND FIVE:

Anna keeps rolling. Yvonne clearly unsteady after the fourth, and Torv takes full advantage. Anna on her front foot, banging home heavy jabs that unbalance Yvonne slightly, creating openings for hard right hand follows. Torv clinical, skilled, forcing the champion where she wants her, then scoring with both hands when she gets her there. Yvonne is all defense all the time, countering a bit in spots, but mostly taking leather and trying to get her legs back. As the round moves on, Yvonne moves better, but she can't get off her back foot. Torv is determined to keep her there, and that's exactly what Anna does. By the bell, Strahovski's back on the ropes taking heavy shot, and, as they walk back to their corners, Anna's built a big 49-45 lead with five rounds to go.

ROUND SIX:

A bitter, two-way battle develops right from the opening seconds. Torv clearly sensing a chance to all but put this thing away, and she presses forward behind the left hand. Yvonne's legs are back, however, and the champion knows she's in a hole. She meets Anna's advance head on and the battle is joined. We're right back to where we were in the third and the first two minutes of the fourth, back and forth action with both fighters on the offensive and neither willing to let the other fight lead. First it's a flurry from the challenger, and then an answering flurry from the champion. Both women score plenty and lots of hard shot is landed. By the bell both fighters are landing solid power blows. It's a very close round, but the champion has staunched the bleeding and cut the lead for 58-55. 

ROUND SEVEN:

Again, Anna can do math. She knows if she can take this round and stay on her feet the next three, she's going to be champion, and that's exactly what she plans from the opening seconds. Torv is forward aggressively behind the left, immediately forcing Yvonne to the defensive. Strahovski is quickly giving ground in front of the biggest Torv offensive of the fight. And then DOWN GOES TORV! It's a perfectly-placed right hand in counter from the champion and Anna is dropped to her knees! Strahovski wastes no time getting to a neutral corner, thinking she might have pulled the trick. Anna, though, is up at seven and takes the mandatory. Now, it's Yvonne on offense and a wobbly Torv backed into the ropes. Strahovski decides not to commit all her reserves, however, mindful of what she, herself, just accomplished in counter. Instead, it's set piece stuff, setting up good, hard right hands, scoring with both hands and keeping Anna from doing much besides the odd counter. At the bell, one punch has changed everything. It's now 66-65, and Yvonne has gone from a big hole to right back in the fight.

ROUND EIGHT:

The frustration is clear on Anna's face from the outset. She had the champion, and, in the words of Dennis Green, she let her off the hook. And now it's Yvonne on the front foot, taking advantage of the fact that Anna's still a bit shaky. Strahovski popping that left, once, twice, three times, finding the target, holding the right in reserve, letting it go only when she's created an opening. Anna able to counter at times, but not getting much done as Yvonne gets in rhythm early and stays there. Strahovski slowly begins taking canvas from her fellow Aussie, backing Torv up with solid right hands, and then DOWN GOES VONNIE! Unreal! A right-hand counter just like the one Strahovski landed last round. Right through the keyhole and the champ is on her gluteus maximus! Now, it's Anna in a neutral corner and Vonnie beating the count, ironically, again at seven. The referee waives Torv forward after the mandatory and Anna DOES go all in. She's going to finish this thing right now, battering Yvonne back to the ropes and reefing heavy shot at her. The champ in a high guard hanging on. The referee looking closely the whole time, but there are only a few seconds left, and the champ survives them. At the bell, one punch has changed everything AGAIN. It's now 76-73, Torv up three with just two to go.

ROUND NINE:

Anna can do math. She knows what Vonnie needs now, and it's something big. And Torv also knows the best way to stop her from getting that isn't to try to run clock, it's to get after her while she's still wobbly from the last round, and that's exactly what she does. Now it's Anna who's in perfect rhythm right from the start. The big, heavy left jab banging home, stopping Yvonne in her tracks, making her an easy target for the follow up right hands. Torv easy-breezy as Vonnie struggles to get something going, but continues to be suppressed by Anna's offense. Into the final minute, Torv continues to build like a futbol team going for the clinching goal, and then DOWN GOES ANNA! Strahovski times ANOTHER counter, this one a left hook and now it's Torv on her gluteus! Anna pounds the mat in frustration a la Buster Douglas as Strahovski heads to the neutral corner. Anna is up at five, buzzed, but not seriously hurt. She takes the mandatory and the referee waives Vonnie forward. Again, Strahovski doesn't throw the reserves in. She takes no serious chances, just gets after Anna like she did in the seventh, closing out the round by backing Torv to the ropes and piling up enough points to make sure she gains the pair she needs. At the bell, it's clear she has. There's one round to go, and it's 84-83. It's anyone's title.

ROUND TEN:

Strahovski can do math, too, and she knows she needs this one. She jumps all over Anna early, doing the same thing Torv did last round, getting on her while she's still a bit buzzed. Anna's willing to give some canvas, which plays perfectly into Yvonne's plans. Vonnie's back on that front foot, looking every bit the champion she is, both hands working, landing in combination, feet moving in perfect synchronicity and DOWN SHE GOES! Another keyhole right from Torv and Strahovski is spilled to the mat! One more twist in a fight of twists and turns and it's not a good one for the champion! Yvonne, like Anna in the ninth, is buzzed, but not seriously hurt. She's up as quickly as she can get there, ironically, at five. She takes the mandatory and the referee waives Anna forward. And Torv COMES forward. She's taking no chances now. She's been too close to winning this thing too many times. She's going to finish it in these last 90 seconds. Anna's all in and
Yvonne is driven before her, back to the ropes, where she hangs on again in a tight guard. Torv is all over the champion, firing with everything she has, looking for the shot that turns off the lights for good and DOWN GOES ANNA! Yet ANOTHER counter in a fight of counter punches! Another right hand, perfectly timed over a left jab and Torv is blown to her back. The crowd in disbelief as the referee begins to count. Five. Six. Seven. Eight. Torv is up! She's up at eight! The referee gives her the mandatory and he waives Yvonne forward. Now it's Strahovski throwing in everything she has. She's firing away, stepping into everything, looking for the finisher. No idea how the judges will score this one, so there can BE no judges involved. Vonnie needs the stoppage. Vonnie's going for the stoppage...but Vonnie doesn't GET the stoppage. The bell rings. And now neither fighter knows what to do. There's no celebration. There's no dejection. There's just...waiting. And so they do. And, as the seconds tick by, eyes meet. And there's a smile and a tap of the gloves. No matter how this comes out, great fight. And it has been. AND MAY NOT BE OVER! The round goes to Yvonne, narrowly, and that makes the score 94-94. The referee asks the challenger, though he need not do so. Anna's not accepting a draw. He asks the champion. But Torv doesn't wait around for the decision. She's already back in her corner. She knows what Yvonne will say. Vonnie isn't backing out of here with her belts. She's not built that way. Strahovski gives a nod, and we're going OVERTIME!

ROUND ELEVEN:

Sometimes overtime is about who has more left, but not tonight, as both ladies, despite having expended a lot of energy and taken some serious punishment, are far from shabby when the extra rounds begin. Sometimes overtime is about who wants it more. But, not tonight. Both ladies have already proven how much they want it. And, sometimes overtime is about the girl who's better making the use of the extra rounds to put some space between herself and her opponent. But. Not tonight. Because, as ten rounds of back and forth action have proven, there's not enough separating these two fighters on this night to make a determination that one is "better" than the other. Tonight, overtime is simply about opportunity. There will be another chance for both fighters to do something they couldn't in the first ten rounds...claim the victory and the spoils that go with it. And, Anna Torv, who's waited a long time for the opportunity this fight presents, clearly recognizes same. She quickly shakes off whatever cobwebs remain from round ten and gets to work. That jab starts it all, that piston-like left, catching Vonnie, disrupting her, allowing Anna to follow with rights, land in combination. Strahovski has seen this before and has no intention of allowing Torv to grab lead and box for points. But, Anna does it anyway, because that's how good she is. She can impose will on the reigning champion in the eleventh round of a title fight. She can. And the proof of that is that she DOES. Vonnie tries to swing over to the offensive again and again, for three full minutes, but she can't. Every time she starts to get a rally going, Torv suppresses it with heavy fire. By the end of the round, Yvonne is firmly on the back foot, giving ground, unable to get off. At the bell, Torv has a 104-103 lead, and, more importantly, the first overtime point.

ROUND TWELVE:

Yvonne doesn't have to do math. It's become simpler than that now. The champion knows that, to have any chance to retain her title, she has to win this round. And the challenger knows that yet another opportunity to close is in front of her. And, this time, she intends to make no mistake. Anna's on the attack immediately, but, this time, Yvonne won't be suppressed. She can't be forced to the defensive, so she won't be, even if it means taking chances. Strahovski throws caution to the wind, opening up completely and Torv responds by doing the same. And it's on in the middle of the ring! 33 plus minutes into an epic battle, the two Australian beauties simply have at it. It's not sloppy, of course. No, not with these two. It's sound, and it's pretty. The punches are set up, and they're accurate. What lands, and at a high percentage, is crisp, hard, effective. It's also in combination. No one-punch stuff here. This is a series of flurries, first Anna, then Vonnie, one after another. For nearly three solid minutes. And, at the bell, they haven't slowed. If anything, the pace of the work has increased. When the bell rings, again, we wait. The round is a close one, so the fighters look to the judges...who score it for Strahovski! 113-113. And on we go.

ROUND THIRTEEN:

Unlucky thirteen? Or lucky thirteen? Which will it be? The boot is on the other foot now. Instead of Strahovski, it's Torv who has to win the round, or her effort to take Vonnie's title will end in failure. And, so it is that Anna begins the round as the aggressor. Again, it's that left jab. Anna begins to land it with great frequency, slowing Vonnie, making her vulnerable to the rights, just like in the eleventh. Yvonne does not respond as she did in the twelfth. She doesn't open up, because she doesn't have to. It's Anna who has all the "have tos" in this round, and that fact would be clear to anyone with a passing knowledge of boxing who just happened to tune in as this round began. It's clear from the tactics, clear from the body language, clear from the way the fighters are going about their business, Anna forcing, Yvonne countering, the challenger challenging, and the champion accepting the terms. Two minutes and 45 seconds in, one punch changes
everything...AGAIN. DOWN GOES TORV! Amazingly, Vonnie has one more absolutely perfect counter in her. She drops a right hand through the keyhole and sends Anna to her knees. The referee begins counting, but it's a formality. There are just a few seconds left. By the time the count and the mandatory are finished, the round will be over. He waives it off with Anna still on her knees. Your winner by KO13 and STILL Unified Lightweight Champion, Yvonne Strahovski!

AFTER:

Anna completely inconsolable. She probably isn't counting the number of chances she had to put this away right now, but she will be tomorrow. And the day after. And the day after that. And, quite possibly, for the rest of her career. For now, there's that mutual respect. There's a hug and an appreciation of just what a fantastic fight this turned out to be. And then, the challenger is gone from the ring and the moment, rightfully, belongs to the champion. "I was fighting from underneath all night," says a tired but exhilarated Vonnie. "She got me in a hole and I spent the whole fight climbing out of it. It looked pretty grim at times, but I knew if I could get back level, I'd find a way to win. I really had to dig deep, but I made it to OT, and, when I did that, I wasn't going to let her take it away."