Posted by simguy on 8/31/2002, 7:48 am.

(Thanks to FightFan for this repost)

Before: Ledoyen looking to gobble up Danes with power - lanky slugger's had good luck with that herky jerk delivery in catching the usually elusive blonde. Bit of an embarrasment for Claire: "Yes, it bothers me," Danes says of her performances against Virginie, "she's raw, unpredictable, and I should handle her easily, but maybe I've taken her for granted. I'm treating this as a major fight - I want this girl out of my way." Ledoyen in black leather bra style bikini, Claire in half and half black/white bikini bottoms, black left breast, white right bikini top.

During R1: Danes taking chances early, shedding the Spadafora look for a mock-Rhoshii Wells - arms extended, aggressively in with a slapping left to the tits and a chopping right on the ear to get Ledoyen on her heels early. Virginie loading up, but Claire stepping out nicely, circling right, feinting, then coming in with overhand rights - lots of power potshotting from blonde has Ledoyen bewildered. Down the stretch, Danes moving in and out at will, lands another jamming right hand, jumps in a short hook on the teeth and spills Ledoyen wide eyed against the ropes. Snick-snack body attack from Danes to consolidate, Ledoyen soaking up the shutout on her tummy at the bell.

R2: Virginie's seen enough - she starts winging - Claire can't stand the heat. Danes trying to keep the offense coming, but Ledoyen's whistling wide punches, walking through Claire's right hand and landing stinging rights of her own on the chin. Danes purely defensive in the final minute, putting that lead foot in a bucket, turning around the aggressive french woman to escape the round and regroup.

R3: Claire flicking out the screening jab, scraping and chiselling it almost fully extended, then poking in straight right hands to French face. Danes masterful early in scoring, swivelling to her left down low, making Ledoyen miss over the top, but brunette keeps coming. Down the stretch, Ledoyen loading up, missing a wide right but twisting into a slinging left bounces her fist off Claire's mug - DANES IS HURT! Claire on crazy stilts - staggering away in shock - Ledoyen loping after her, trying to land a running right. Danes hits the ropes, bounces back onto Virginie, clinching around the ribcage for all she's worth. Ledoyen beating down on blonde back and sides around the grabby arms - Dane's legs threatening to give, but hold to the bell.

R4: Claire keeping her composure - sticking in the jab, wheeling around that pivot foot, turning Ledoyen midring. Danes committed to offense - she's spotting that right hand on Virginie's chin and ear, setting down hard on licking hooks under the elbow - really tearing up the gut on the French girl. Ledoyen's connect percentage plummets - she's not shutout, but she's firing wide, glancing blows only as Danes walks the razor's edge to perfection.

R5: Best round of Claire Danes career. Feathering jabs take the initiative away from Virginie - Claire placing her right hand in the solar plexus, then reefing in a vicious hook to the liver, getting grunts of pain from her girl. Danes pretty on follow through here: bringing her fists back in tight after the hook, bending to the right, head up, back in a supple arch. Ledoyen just turning, walking into shots - Claire really setting her slender frame and giving it to Virginie hard in the body. Danes comes upstairs with lashing volleys - lefts and rights in bunches, then pivoting away from the receipt. Ledoyen just wading through a constant tanning, starts to break down in the legs as damage accumulates - she's wobbly-butt at the ropes. Claire digs in: Virginie covered up, standing groggy-stupid, Danes gets after her with savage rib and waist work, both mitts, small fists biting into taut flesh and LEDOYEN GOES DOWN! Virginie sinking slow to one knee, face blanched in pain - Danes hopping away, pumping her right fist, sunny smile of triumph.

R6: Ledoyen back to winging dangerous leather - Danes spends a minute wheeling away from trouble, keeping her distance until Virginie starts to plod - then blonde gets back to nibbling. Snick-snack across the waist, slide-stepping back, leaning in low to brace Virginie a shoulder, then swaying out to hook her chops a walk-away left. All Danes till the final moments as Ledoyen swoops forward, sells the long right, comes with a lanky left and caroms a blow between the eyes that short circuits blonde legs. Danes desperate to the clinch late, draping herself off Ledoyen at the bell - French girl twisting and throwing Claire to her knees at the ropes as the ref jumps in.

R7: Claire spotting 3 right hands in the first minute - all on the mouth of her girl, all off a little step to the right - Ledoyen coming apart at the knees as she tries to gather Claire in. Danes using that little duck-and-shoulder butt routine in the body to mess up Ledoyen's feet, then stepping out to land the hook off her right foot. Ledoyen sloppy to the ropes, looking frazzled and Danes goes right back to that midsection with heartless precision. Bit of a Pernell Whitaker look the way she's going at the midsection - licking, slicing blows, well placed around and inside the elbows, good head movement and just enough angle even though Ledoyen's not answering. Again, a queasy, slow descent for Ledoyen - she droops to all fours, spits out her mouthpiece, and this baby's over. KO7 Claire Danes in spectacular fashion.

After: Danes beaming in triumph, not just a win, not just a beating, but a demonstrative, tortuous stoppage heaped upon another woman's breadbasket. "It was a gamble," admits Claire, "but we had to take it. I had to go at her, because she was scorching me when she connected - I just can't afford to box Virginie conservatively. I know I can punch to the body, and I knew I could get the body on Ledoyen, so that was the plan. God, she is HURTING right now!"



Sim Guy

ff