UNIFIED FLYWEIGHT TITLE)

Posted by simguy on 1/26/2002, 10:13 am

(Thanks to FightFan for this repost)


Before: Stevens appalled at Mish's pre-fight behaviour, incensed that HBO would condone it, and outraged that the fighting public would eat it up, buying tickets at an astounding rate for the sudden 'grudge' match. Stevens refering to Americans as 'boors' in one interview, not winning any friends - Williams somehow emerging as the heroine in all this. Mish all smiling and mocking during instructions, eagerly extending to touch gloves - a smoldering Rachel Stevens angrily turns on her heel and stomps back to her corner - bikini bottoms jiggling with paint-mixer ferocity en route. Mish in elegant black bikini, Rachel in brown bikini top, yellow bikini bottoms.

During R1: Almost girlish action in the opening seconds, Rachel looping a telegraphed overhand right - Mish blocking high, stuffing an awkward right hand into the pit of the British girl's stomach. Stevens with her feet squared up gets shunted back onto her backside with a comical 'OOF' expression, but it's no joke as she gets up woozy. All Mish the rest of the way, patiently hanging back, reading Rachel's right hands, then calmly shooting her left hand over Rachel's right shoulder, clinching up head and left arm, neutralizing the threat and walking the girl into the ropes. Frustration on Rachel's face as she is constantly bullied to a seat in the strands, punished as Mish bodies up and jams away. Down the stretch, Stevens takes a withering series of rights to her breadbasket and reaches in to clinch, hurt. Mish finishing up with a smile, digging in right hands around the girl's left arm to bash up that shiny ribcage. Shutout Mish Williams - Stevens badly banged up after only 1.

R2: Shutout Mish Williams. Mish in the pocket, waiting on the right hand from Rachel, intercepting it, bodying up, and muscling her girl inevitably to the ropes. Once there, Williams is dominant, keeping her weight on Stevens' chest, chin on the Brit's right shoulder, using both hands to clinch lightly around that right arm, and putting her right shoulder in Rachel's breasts for leverage. It's a wonderful control posture - Mish can work at her leisure, she can press up on Rachel when not punching, or she can romp to the midriff, tits and teeth with right hands, confident that Stevens can't extricate herself. Rachel lumping up through 2, clearly uncomfortable, and corner proving all but useless during the break.

R3: Mish has Rachel reluctant to throw the right, so Williams takes the lead. Pounding lead right hands buffett Stevens in a staggering sideways path to the ropes - Mish opening up with both hands, squared away on her curvaceous foe and beating her hip to head with bashing combinations. Rachel falls in to clinch breathlessly - she's breaking down badly, ref pushing the girls apart, but Williams able to saunter back in, set up shop and get off without restraint. 3rd shutout in a row for the champ - she's leaving Rachel steaming at the ropes as Stevens starts to get stupid from punishment.

R4: Shutout Mish Williams. Crowd being treated to a savagely one-sided mauling - Stevens not throwing, peering out at Mish from behind her gloves and growing sullen as the punches add up. Williams very methodical - she'll lay off Rachel's right shoulder and welt the rightside ribs with hooks until the brunette cringes over to protect, then blonde sets up over the other shoulder, hammers away with right hands to the ribs until Stevens buckles that way. Then it's up the middle with stuffing left/rights, topped off by clipping uppercuts. Stevens stupified by the comprehensive beating - an untouched Mish Williams bounces breezy to her corner after the refreshing rub down.

R5: Shutout Mish Williams and this fight's starting to get ugly. Stevens sitting on the ropes bending forward, gloves at her temples - Williams able to set her hips and welt away to the waist in underneath the elbows - hooks and right hands have Stevens gurgling in pain and unable to respond. Mish propping and shoving with her left shoulder and elbow, really reefing in right hands to the midsection and a clipping right uppercut between the mitts that's popping up Rachel's drowsy face - Brit's head starting to loll, recoil badly after punches as she's just taking it now. Midway through, harsh beating adds up to send Stevens woozily to all fours, Mish stepping back from the job of work, and asking the ref to stop the fight. Rachel gets up, ref waves Mish on in, Williams lifts her mitts to her chest and gets to work. Big and beefy, Mish tilting at the hips as she bashes away to the belly, bringing her mitts back to her chest to reset - it's just a bludgeoning massacre at this point. Stuffing, methodical abuse adds up and once again, Rachel swoons to all fours, sobbing through parted lips. Bell sounds to save the brit, but this is unacceptable punishment through 5.

R6: Incredibly, Rachel starts to punch, catching Mish a little brazen and backing the blonde up in the first minute. Williams stays calm, goes back to read-and-react, intercepting the right and wrapping Brit up tight - Stevens doesn't have a plan B. Once Mish can belly her girl to the ropes, it's over - Williams all grabby and pushy, jostling and positioning her girl, then digging into the golden plump of Rachel's smooth belly, shiny kidney area. Loosely pulling on that right arm, Mish slumps Rachel forward, cudgels her up underneath with pumping right hands - belly and breasts suffer an awful beating this round as Williams finishes strong.

R7: More sporadic offense from Rachel, but it's pathetic to watch. Stevens verrrry sleepy, eyes fluttering, feet flat - she's just pushing punches at random without a lot of snap. Mish loving the trade - she punches with Rachel and scores some heartstopping chin and body shots with the brunette opening up more - Stevens wobbly butt, staggering away from the exchanges - this is heartbreaking stuff to watch.

R8: Shutout Mish Williams. Midring, Rachel can't react to punches anymore - Williams teeing off with clubbing right hands to the face that leave Stevens staring, reeling sideways. Up against the ropes, at least Rachel can huddle forward in stupor, stubbornly digging in as Mish helps herself to the glossy lower back, sides and soft underbelly of her foe. This is just Mish Williams getting sweaty on a girl - nothing coming back - champ just setting her hips and getting training-camp perfect leverage on methodical body shots.

R9: Shutout Mish Williams. Rachel unresponsive, lolling against the ropes. Williams propping her up like a heavy british sandbag, reaching under the girl's arms to chest her back, then working to the hips and belly inside. Mish indulging herself late, wrapping up on Rachel's right arm to swab right hands to the British girl's tits, then wrapping up right to swab left. Fresh pain curls Rachel's lips as she is savaged - nothing she can do about it.

R10: Rachel connects with a tired, but popping right hand upside the head of Williams, sending Mish hopping sideways - champ grinning, waving Rachel on in - she WANTS the brit to keep punching. Stevens plodding forward, overswings on a looping right hand - Mish slips in underneath and guts Rachel with a perfect spanking hook to the belly, Mish bringing the punch back sharp to her chest as the brunette gurgles past, face first into the ropes. Mish squaring up and having her way, palming with the left, right tight at her chest - she just stamps the right hand into the belly or breasts of her foe, bringing the fist back to her chest after every punch. At the bell, Stevens a shellshocked ruin, swaying helplessly on the spot - comes back a perfect 10-0 shutout Michelle Williams.

After: Williams runs the table on Stevens - Rachel managing offense in only 3 of the fight's 30 minutes - it's as comprehensive a beating as we will ever see. Stevens too proud to quit, but collapses in her corner after the decision is announced - Mish obviously concerned as physicians attend to the battered challenger. "2 years ago, that would've been a fight," says Mish in postfight, "I'd have gotten hit, there would have been more two way exchanges, but I'm a different fighter now. I'm as dominant as Eliza Dushku - moreso - my girl had heart and was still throwing at the end - her girl was all punk. I respect Rachel for taking what she did tonight - I hope she realizes all that pre-fight stuff was a champion just selling tickets. Obviously, I hope she'll be okay."

Sim

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