Posted by simguy on 9/13/2002, 6:37 am.

(Thanks to FightFan for this repost)


Before: Flyweight champ, bantamweight champ, both girls secure in their accomplishments, put the belts on the shelf to get into one another non-title. Claire Danes puts on a headset for this one, can't wipe the smile off her face, "I'm hoping for a long, grueling contest," beams Claire, "and I think Michelle's finally at a point where she can give Eliza a fight. Williams has come such a long way - she's a complete fighter now and I know Eliza is underestimating her. Dushku's got those strong bantamweight legs, but she's got to be ready for a brawl. Williams is very disruptive when you try to box her - she's one of the best at getting you off your rhythm." Eliza in red leather bikini, Mish in black push up and panties, white lace trim. Mish smug during staredown, refusing to touch gloves - no trace of intimidation.

During R1: Williams roaring across the canvas - Eliza sweet out of her corner, bouncing off adjacent ropes, spinning Williams, then darting in with a bang-bang left-right on the ear and WILLIAMS IS HURT! Mish staggering wide eyed into Dushku's turnbuckles - Eliza letting her hands go lands half a dozen scalding blows to the breasts and face, and MISH GOES DOWN! Williams drifting to her knees in a daze, gets quickly to her feet, bitterly disappointed in herself. Eliza backing off, patiently touching Williams with the jab, letting the blonde wander forward, then placing exquisite right hands: jaw, belly, jaw, belly. Williams stumbling, rocked, gutting it out. Shutout Eliza D - she slaps a healthy chunk of Mish Williams buttock as the blonde wobbles back to her corner after 1.

R2: Eliza working Mish in the opening moments, hooking away to the right hip and lower ribs - Williams with her elbows in tight, blocking punches. Suddenly, Mish with a tight left hook counter, clips chin and DUSHKU GOES DOWN! Eliza shocked as her legs give way - she touches down on one knee, takes a blatant right hand blast on the face and rolls to her back as Mish is bodied back and scolded. Wobbly butt Dushku takes 8, shaking her head to clear it - Mish rampaging back in. Williams coming in hard with her head, cracking Eliza in the mouth, bundling the brunette into the ropes - Williams reaching in under Dushku's right with her left, holding the ropes to anchor the bantam champ for pumping right hands to the midriff. Ref initiates a lazy break, doesn't get between the fighters and Mish lands a cheap right hand flush, swiveling Eliza's head and dropping her to her haunches! Dushku lolling momentarily out at the ropes, caught cold - Williams pushing against the ref, trying to get at the fallen girl, delays the count. Dushku somehow climbs the ropes to her feet, but she's WRECKED and ON COMES MISH! Williams hungry for the KO - Dushku desperately defending - blonde opening up, swabbing away with vicious side to side glee - brunette covered up tight, getting low, bouncing off the ropes using her shoulders to nudge blonde in the hips, slipping and rolling punches. Final moments, sustained Mish pressure starts to break down the clever defense - she thumps away with a barrage of rising lefts and rights to the stomach, getting a woozy leg-tremor out of Dushku - Eliza sits hurt in the ropes, ashen faced. Williams landing a series of right hands on Dushku's pale face, punches coming after the bell - Dushku's hands plaintive against Mish's stomach as the blows rain down. Danes clapping happily ringside - it's one of the worst rounds of Dushku's career.

R3: "I'm hurt," Dushku tells her corner during hasty repairs - she's busted up, achy in the body. Eliza looking to box the first minute, but legs aren't there - Williams surging in, gambling on plowing right hands and sweeping hooks to drive Dushku ropeside. Up against the ropes it's all Mish - she's just basting Eliza in leather, unconcerned with accuracy, just trying to swamp the brunette's high tech D with activity. Dushku blocking a lot of shots, protecting herself well, but Williams shoulder butting her girl in the teeth, exposes that breadbasket to bursts of chugging leather - Dushku buckling forward, clinching around blonde waist. Down the stretch, Mish turns into a short right hand on the button that puts Eliza wobbly butt - blonde palms her girl back, stands up into gaudy lefts and rights to the waistline - big swinging punches that have Dushku groaning at the bell.

R4: Mish surging in, wanting to keep up the pressure, but Dushku's coming around. Eliza with her back to the ropes, hands up high, she's blocking Williams' wide swings up top, countering with chopping little counters and as the girls trade hooks, Williams legs give a shimmy. Dushku finally able to come forward with authority, beats her girl across the ring with tough hooks in the tummy, right hands on the teeth. Mish shaken up, but SHE gets hard at the ropes, slugging away from her hips, lusty left-right action to the breadbasket to back Eliza up. Hammer and tongs, two way brawling - Dushku just standing in and trading with the blonde and methodically beating her to short punches at point blank range. Round ends with both girls swapping leather midring as the ref takes a hand.

R5: Eliza finally establishing some rhythm. She's chopping the jab out there, pivoting to her left, able to find the straight right up the middle and the biting hook on the temple. Mish in a blocking guard, hands up tight around her head, but she's not moving her upperbody much - Dushku's fists are bashing hard off body and skull as she puts combinations together to good effect.

R6: Slugging sequence early, girls getting off with harsh single shots, laying over on one side or the other as the other returns fire. End of the first minute, Williams able to turn into a withering right hand blast to the solar plexus - catching Dushku mid-punch - brunette right falters as legs lock up. Dushku hurt, fades to the ropes, slips and rolls to get her bearings back, making Williams miss a dozen frenetic blows, then it's back to business. Eliza opening up the canvas, keeping Mish in the middle of the ring, steering her with the jab. Williams taunting at the bell, waving Dushku on in: "Come on Eliza - FIGHT me!"

R7: Mish rocketing across the ring - sudden uptempo catches Eliza by surprise - brunette is tackled and stacked into her corner for roughouse. Vintage Mish Williams brawling - constant head scrub as she fights off Dushku's chest, random acts of violence committed against Dushku's midsection and below. Williams tieing up one or the other of Dushku's arms, plugging away with the free mitt downstairs, occasionally twisting something in up top to pop the jaw. Eliza on her heels, can't seem to employ her strength as busy blonde practically writhes atop her. Mish earning a series of tsk-tsk warnings from the ref - elbows against the throat, careless with her head, straying low - none of it's strictly intentional or calculated, she's just instinctively wearing Dushku down. Girls jawing at the bell, eyes flashing, chests heaving - Williams goading Dushku with maddening defiance through 7.

R8: Eliza back on track. She'll bang Mish 2,3 jabs, pivot left, fit the right hand straight into the solar plexus, then look to pull out with the biting hook up top. Williams turning, elbows in - she's not getting off as Dushku keeps her at bay. Eliza's best round in a while - she's catching a second wind, really carving Mish up with accurate punches.

R9: Mish with the odd swinging right hand blockbuster to tummy, but Dushku's not sticking around for seconds. Dushku wheeling left, sticking Mish with shattering jabs, getting blonde on her heels then scoring with well placed rights. If Mish hangs back behind her guard, Eliza leans in with right hands, getting spanking extension. If Mish opens up, Eliza cuffs her with that counter hook, pivoting around it to avoid receipt. Williams lumping up as Dushku picks her apart in a tactical 9th.

R10: Similar action. Williams can't hound her girl to ropes - she's reduced to single sweeping rights or lunging lefts to the waistline as Dushku circles away. Eliza using her legs, moving side to side, darting in and out - she's so sharp off either her front or back foot, every punch biting into Mish with harsh leverage. Comprehensive tanning meted out by Dushku this round - she works the ribcage, bra and jaw of her opponent - Williams trudging dutifully through it, looking for the killshot. At the bell, girls have to be separated - Mish shouting, nodding aggressively - she feels she's won this fight. Comes back a heartbreaking one point duke Dushku - Eliza winning the majority of rounds, Williams keeping it close with knockdowns.

After: "I controlled this fight," says Eliza, face as badly punished as we've seen in a while, "I hurt her repeatedly. Yes she put me down, ON A FOUL! She hit me when I was down - she should have been disqualified. Most girls quit right then; I got up, got it together, and broke her down the rest of the way. She won one round from what I could see." Mish with a different lens, grinning in postfight, "I just kicked Eliza Dushku's ass - you know it, I know it and SHE knows it! I beat her ragged - look at that second round, that was just me having a party on Eliza. I was KILLING her to the body - she couldn't take my body punches - she was screaming like a little bytch when we were in close." Danes beside herself at the sight of both girls all banged up. "What a car-wreck!" beams Claire, "I love it! Can we do that again?"


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