Anna Popplewell (Punchaholics Anonymous) vs Anna Kendrick (Ginny's Academy)

"I'm not exactly happy with this matchup," said Anna Popplewell immediately before the fight. "Given her record, it's not going to impress anyone if I win, but losing would be a huge embarrassment. Naturally I'd prefer a fight with a bigger payoff. Still, no matter who I'm up against, I'm always happy for a chance to show the fans what I can do in the ring." 

"I always like a little bit of Brit with my tea and crumpets," Kendrick chuckled when asked her opinion. "I really don't know much about this girl, but she beat a couple of promising youngsters, so I'm going to be careful and watch myself in the early going. She looks like she can hit a little bit, so I won't get wild and crazy in there. Hey, look, everybody's new to me, so I'm not going to say anything bad about anyone. But, seriously, I was kinda hoping for a big name. I mean, I'm 0-5 and people I've heard of should be beating down the door for a chance to take advantage of me. This girl is...well, she'd really not in my class, is she?" 

Round 1: 

Rather than spending the opening moments of the fight to determine an optimal strategy, both fighters seemed ready and willing to put an end to things in the first round. Popplewell started things off with a powerful straight punch that only bounced off her opponent's guard. Kendrick's response struck Popplewell's face, not discouraging the young actress, but leaving her next attacks inaccurate. As Popplewell missed, Kendrick was able to follow up with a blow to the head that stunned Popplewell and made her stumble back, covering herself defensively. As the round progressed, Popplewell made several attempts to go on offense again, failing to inflict damage but always fading away before her opponent could repeat her earlier performance. 

Round 2: 

Defeated in the last round but showing no signs of slowing down, Popplewell once again took the fight to her opponent in the second round. After several stalemates that saw the boxers exchanging punches at a distance to little effect, Popplewell finally got the fight she wanted later in the round. Moving in with a hook to Kendrick's body, she found herself in trouble as Kendrick's left punch to her jaw caused her own attack to fall short. Before Popplewell could cover up, Kendrick had struck her again with her right hand, knocking her back and putting her on the run. Looking shaky for the first time in the fight, Popplewell spent the remainder of the round on defense. 

Round 3: 

Looking to further wear down her opponent, Kendrick pushed her lead as the third round began. Unfortunately for her, Popplewell seemed to have adapted to her tactics. Whenever Kendrick moved in, Popplewell's defenses were solid, and her ability to threaten a potentially disastrous counterpunch continually forced Kendrick into backing away. Even though she landed relatively few solid hits, Popplewell controlled the action for the duration of the round. 

Round 4: 

Kendrick continued to struggle in the fourth round as Popplewell maintained control, always either out of Kendrick's reach or poised to punish her. Late in the round, after bouncing a punch off of Popplewell's guard, Kendrick was a fraction of a second too slow to regroup, and Popplewell struck her on the chin as she was backing away. Darting forward, Popplewell followed up with a blow to the side of the head that caused Kendrick to stumble sideways. In danger of suffering real damage, Kendrick spent the rest of the round retreating and recovering, cutting her losses for the moment. 

Round 5: 

In the fifth round, Popplewell seemed to content to let her momentum build up, pecking away at Kendrick from a safe distance and waiting for her to make a punishable mistake. Unfortunately for Popplewell, the previous rounds seemed to have made Kendrick get serious. She let Popplewell get comfortable in the early stages of the round, only to on the attack as it progressed. This time, Kendrick was able to parry Popplewell's counters during the beginning of the exchange, giving herself the space to enter close range and attack her opponent's midsection. Popplewell doubled over from the force of the blows, only to get a punch in the nose for her moment of weakness. Seeming discouraged, Popplewell was less able to control the rest of the round, no longer able to consistently shut down Kendrick's attacks. 

Round 6: 

With Popplewell's momentum evaporated, the fighters faced off on more even terms in the sixth round. No one took immediate control, but with Kendrick ahead on points, her opponent was under obvious pressure to make a big play. At first, Popplewell only managed to fight to a draw; Kendrick consistently parried her attacks while keeping up enough of an offense to at least make her life difficult. However, the final minute of the round saw Kendrick slip up, allowing Popplewell to land a strong hit to her chin even as she attempted to block. Kendrick, dazed, backed away while attempting a counter that hit only air, and Popplewell's followup knocked Kendrick's head back and sent her staggering away. Popplewell gave chase, and soon Kendrick was on the ropes covering her head as her opponent hammered at her aggressively. Popplewell managed to sneak hits in by sheer numbers of attempts, and the round ended with Kendrick shakily returning to her corner for a much needed breather. 

Round 7: 

Showing no sign of suffering from the hits she had taken in the previous round, Kendrick left her corner in the seventh round looking refreshed and ready to fight. Taking her opponent by surprise, she began the round on offense, and though Popplewell was able to parry, it was clear that she had not expected Kendrick to remain in the fight. Popplewell struggled to keep Kendrick in check, and found herself consistently outboxed. Kendrick's advantage peaked when a successful right feint allowed her to strike her opponent on the cheek with a left handed punch, stunning her and leaving her guard in disarray. This was all Kendrick needed, and she followed up with a right hand that knocked Popplewell's head in the opposite direction and sent her hair flying in all directions. Popplewell swung back ineffectively, allowing Kendrick to punish her further. Stumbling a few times, Popplewell remained on her fight despite the big hits she had absorbed, but she left the round looking badly hurt. 

Round 8: 

Popplewell was clearly in trouble as the eighth round began. When Kendrick jabbed at her to wear her down further, she was slow to parry and slow to respond. Early in the round, Kendrick caught Popplewell with a left hook that caused her eyelids to flutter and her legs to buckle. Landing on her hands and knees, Popplewell struggled to her feet before the count could finish as Kendrick calmly watched. When the fight resumed, Popplewell was in even worse shape. After Popplewell absorbed several jabs without being able to respond successfully, Kendrick moved to finish things, feinting and sneaking an uppercut through Popplewell's defenses that left her head wobbling on her shoulders for a moment. After a few more solid thumps from Kendrick, Popplewell's arms were limp at her sides as she swayed back and forth. Seeing the direction things were going, the referee pulled Kendrick away, awarding her the win by TKO. Managing to stay on her feet long enough to collapse in her corner, Popplewell stared ahead blankly as Kendrick happily celebrated with her crew, smiling and excitedly exchanging hugs. 

After: Managing to stay on her feet long enough to collapse in her corner, Popplewell sat with elbows on knees staring ahead blankly as Kendrick happily celebrated with her crew, smiling and excitedly exchanging hugs. AnnaP had to be led to the center of the ring to stand glumly as the referee raised a beaming Anna Kendrick's hand over her. Then Kendrick turned, grabbed Popplewell and pulled her into her arms, embracing her and whispering something in her ear. 

Later, neither fighter would reveal what Kendrick had said to her, although Popplewell told the press, “I'm pretty sure we're going to be seeing more of each other sooner or later. There's some unfinished business there.” 

Asked about Popplewell's remark, Kendrick just shrugged, then grinned and said, “She's not one of my biggest fans, I guess. I can't think of anything I'd enjoy more than putting the leather to her body any time, any place.”