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31 July 2015 Title Ch Yvonne Strahovski vs Joanna Krupa

Page history last edited by Archer844 8 years, 7 months ago

Joanna Krupa 05.jpg

Posted by Lookout! Boxing on July 31, 2015, 10:39 am

Yvonne Strahovski vs. Joanna Krupa (Las Vegas)
Lightweight Championship
(Words: Front Street / Results: Lookout!)

BEFORE:

"Everyone who saw our first fight knows the truth," Joanna says with a nod. "I am more physical than she is, stronger, tougher. It was only my third fight, so she was able to use her experience to beat me. But, I was the stronger woman, and she knew it. And, now, I'm more experienced. And, tonight, I'm going to knock Yvonne out and take her title."

Strahovski showing her opponent some respect. She clearly remembers having to deal with Joanna's brawling tactics in the first fight. "She's dangerous. You can't go in there and just mix it up with her or you're going to find yourself in trouble. But, I'm the best pound-for-pound fighter in the FCBA and the unified lightweight champion. I'm better than her, and she knows it. And, just in case she's let a little doubt about that creep into her mind, I'm going to go out and prove it."

ROUND ONE:

The taller Aussie immediately wants to establish the long poke and keep the shorter model at range. Joanna, however, is having none of it. Fighting Vonnie on those terms is a recipe for disaster. She'll get picked apart, and she knows it. So, Krupa goes into a half crouch, gets the hands high, bobs the head, works the feet, gets past Vonnie's defenses, and begins to work body. Strahovski giving ground, trying to maintain space, but it's a no-go. Joanna too aggressive, pouring at Yvonne, banging inside, shoving forearms into breasts, thumping leather to ribs and belly and then, BOOM! A short right hook sends Vonnie staggering! Crowd on its feet. Krupa all in, pounding the champ along the ropes! Is this really going to happen? Joanna slugging for glory, shaking Yvonne again and again. Straho has to be having flashbacks to Rachel Nichols in 2010 as Krupa punishes her body and shakes her legs with bomb after bomb. Referee looking in closely as Straho hangs on desperately. He's about ready to spring and DING! Bell! Krupa shoves up off the wobbly champion and gives her a hard-eyed stare. Ref in between immediately, chasing Joanna back to her corner, but anyone who thought this was going to be a showcase first defense for Yvonne realizes differently now. Krupa's got the round wide, and, while she's only up 10-9, has a huge psychological victory.

ROUND TWO:

Krupa wants the kill. Now's the time, and she well knows it. Get Yvonne NOW before she can fully recover. Krupa forward, walking through that solid jab of Strahovski's, a jab that lacks its customary sting due to the still-shaky legs under the Aussie beauty. Joanna crowding, thumping, backing Vonnie up. The champ tying up, working body with her free hand, holding Joanna, making her take weigh and use up energy trying to wrestle free. The referee forced to pry the fighters apart again and again, and, every time he does so, Vonnie pop pop pops the jab, scoring points as Krupa pours in before tying up the challenger, holding, whacking ribs with the free hand, running clock, giving those legs time to recover. Krupa getting frustrated as the round goes on, shoving Yvonne, at one point wrestling her back into the ropes and forcing the referee to pry the pair apart again. By the bell, Joanna jawing at the Aussie, but Vonnie not responding. What she's just done wasn't pretty, but it was effective. She played for time, slowed Krupa down, and even took the round narrowly to even things at 19.

ROUND THREE:

Krupa fired up. Determined to get after Vonnie. She's pouring forward again, ignoring the champion's left hand, walking through it, adamant about getting physical and working body. Straho managing now, giving a little ground, sliding right, legs working a bit better this stanza. Joanna not slowing, still intent on bringing the pain, still walking through the left...and INTO A RIGHT HAND! Strahovski lays the trap and Krupa steps right in! Vonnie immediately over to the offensive. Nothing wild about this, though, it's technically sound extremely effective stuff, jab, jab, jab, RIGHT! Jab, jab, RIGHT. Setting up the big right hands by splitting the high guard with the left. Krupa's in full retreat, backed to the ropes in the final minute, taking well-orchestrated pounding from the champ. Strahovski upping the tempo in the final seconds, snapping back Joanna's head a couple of times and wobbling her again at the bell. Big round for Vonnie, who's gone up 29-28, but, more importantly, regained control of the fight.

ROUND FOUR:

Vonnie looking to consolidate. She's not taking any unnecessary chances, but the champ is definitely in forward aspect. She's using the jab to control Joanna and the right hand to back her up. Krupa giving ground grudgingly, but, giving it she is. Straho in aggressive rhythm, taking command of a fight she was nearly out of just a few minutes ago. BOOM! Boom? BOOM! A vioious Krupa counter, a right hand that nails Vonnie on the button, and the Aussie stumbles backward and nearly goes down! And the challenger all in AGAIN, just like in the first. Punches flying like snowflakes in a blizzard. Vonnie backed to the ropes again and taking AGAIN in a high guard. Krupa grabbing GOBS of body, punishing Yvonne's flanks, hammering her midsection, battering her ribs, but it's UPstairs where she's doing the most damage, rocking the champ with hard right hands that bend her knees. Referee can't watch much more of this. He's giving Strahovski plenty of rope, but she's about at the end of it when, mercifully, the bell rings. No shove up off Yvonne now. Just a smile and a nod from Joanna, who can see the wreck she's made of the champion and knows full well that she has six more rounds to finish what she's started. The cards now read 38-38, but, it's hard to imagine that's going to matter.

ROUND FIVE:

Krupa's learned her lesson. She's not being sloppy or overly aggressive now. Instead, she's working forward behind her jab, backing up Yvonne with hard, accurate leather. Strahovski in retreat, not doing much more than throwing out some back-foot jabs, nuisance fire designed to at least slow down the challenger, but it's not really having much of an effect. Vonnie's legs aren't there. She's wobbly. She's reduced. And Krupa knows it. She wants the kill, but she won't be in a hurry. She has time. Time to batter the game blonde, mop up whatever resistance is left, bring her to a final battle, and finish her. In the mean time, well. It's not going to be pretty for Yvonne. Strahovski can't manage Krupa now, can't slow her, can't even worry her much. She's backed to the ropes and battered, taking heavy shot, shaken several times. She clinches, covers up, anything to hang on, but Joanna's smelling blood in the water, smelling the huge upset that's going to propel her to the lightweight championship and end all this "Top Model" nonsense with a fait accompli, beating the girl many are calling the best pound-for-pound fighter in the FCBA, and not just beating her, beating her up. Strahovski's legs are tested severely in the last 30 seconds. They pass. But, Krupa's won the round in a shutout and now leads 48-47, while Yvonne looks barely able to make it back to her stool.

ROUND SIX:

Krupa out of the corner and back to work on today's project, the reduction of Yvonne Strahovski. Joanna again forward behind that jab, forcing Vonnie back. Strahovski's legs still unsteady, can't hold ground as Joanna walks through what leather she manages to get on target. BOOM! BOOM? BOOM! It's nothing anyone did wrong. No mistake was made. Sometimes the other guy makes a play. And, this is one of those times. A perfectly-timed straight right hand, perfectly timed from the setting of the feet to the moving of the weight forward to the actual impact of the punch. And Krupa's HURT! Joanna frozen by the right and Vonnie all in now. She's pouring everything she has at the Polish beauty. Joanna covering, backing, taking heavy fire, legs wobbling again and again, but holding her up. She's backed to the ropes and taking, a complete 180 from the last round, as Yvonne throws in all the reserves, holding nothing back, doing everything possible to end Joanna's night. It's desperate stuff from both fighters as Krupa gamely hangs on and Strahovski throws everything including the kitchen sink at her. The referee watches closely, but remains at bay and now it's Joanna's legs that hold up to the bell. It's Yvonne in shutout fashion to tie thin at 57, but both fighters are now scuffed, but Strahovski, her effort to end things having failed, still looks the more damaged of the two.

ROUND SEVEN:

Krupa not moving forward now, instead wants to work at range while she gives the legs time to recover. Vonnie willing to accommodate, gun platform stuff suits her fine, as, after determining that Krupa can hold her ground, she has no burning desire to force the action at this point. Strahovski quickly begins getting the better of things. This is her game, boxing with the other girl on the end of her punches, using that long, accurate jab to set up hard right hands, putting punches together and scoring points with both hands. This isn't vintage Vonnie, though. She's slowed by the punishment, not as busy, not moving as well, but she's still slowly taking control as Joanna plays for time, her legs slowly beginning to firm up underneath her. Until they get buzzed again! It's one of those nice flurries from Strahovski that does the damage, left jab, right hook, left jab, straight right. And the fourth and final punch wobbles Joanna's knees! Krupa stumbles backward and Vonnie pounces, sending a hail of leather at the stunned Polish beauty. It's a right hook that finishes the flurry and sends Joanna CRASHING TO HER BACK! Crowd going nuts as Strahovski goes to a neutral corner and the referee begins to count. Krupa rolls to her belly, pushes to her hands and knees, begins to stand, and COLLAPSES IN A HEAP JUST INSIDE THE ROPES! The referee, already at eight, has seen enough and waives it off! Joanna's out and your winner by KO7 in comeback fashion and STILL Unified Lightweight Champion is Yvonne Strahovski!

AFTER:

No smiles from the usually smiling Yvonne in the post-fight. She's taken a beating tonight, and it shows. The face is puffy, one eye swelling, and the body showing plenty of red and some slight bruising that's going to be a lot worse in the coming days. But, she's managed to fight through all of that and find a way to get the job done, which is what great fighters do. "She wanted to get physical with me," Vonnie says with a nod, "That's the game plan now, since Perry. They all know they aren't going to out box me, so, it's all about trying to beat me up inside, work me to the body. I wasn't surprised she tried that, but, I'll admit, she was better than I expected. But, in the end, I was the better fighter, and I proved it."