ASHLEY BENSON VS CLAIRE DANES
Ashley: 26 YO, 5’5 (1.65 m), 10-12-0 since 2011, Pretty Little Punchers
Claire:  36 YO, 5’5 ½ (1.66 m), 86-50-6 since 1999, Hawkeye International
Results: Lookout  Writing: Archer

Before:  “HISC has always maintained an interest in the PLP,” Claire Danes chattily tells the press in pre-fight. “You may recall we gave them their first stable war back in 2012, we swept them 4-0. I was beating up Troian Bellisario that time and it was Mish Williams who beat up Ashley. It’s been a couple of years and they are still around, so I decided I would take on the work of crushing Benson’s hopes. Maybe I’ll make a series of it—they’ve got that Sasha Pieterse and someone named Leah Pipes at bantam now—and could take off them and my dear friend Troi again, of course. I’ll have to see what our beloved management thinks of the idea. In the meantime, I’ll just focus on making Ashley boxing life miserable.”

Ashley Benson not pleased with Claire’s mocking comments: “I don’t know why I am surprised. Those HISC girls have always looked down on us, but like Claire admitted—we haven’t gone away—we’re still here—I am still here! Yes, I lost to Williams, but that was over three years ago and I’m a lot better fighter than I was then. Yes, everyone knows Claire is a Hall of Famer, I do respect her for that, but I am determined to get her to respect me and my friends. That’s our secret you know, we really are friends not just some corporate hirelings and they will be there for me. I want to do this for us all, but if I don’t win, it won’t be because I didn’t try my best!”

Claire comes to ring in simple white one-piece cut high in the hips to show off her impressive legs. White gloves and boots with black laces. Blonde hair in tight battle braid. Ashley Benson in sexy red “FHM” magazine one piece. Red gloves and boots, white laces. Blonde hair in double pigtail red bows on the end of each. Claire smiling confidently, nudging Ashley with her hiop and gets an angry hip push from Ashley. Claire just grins as Ashley smolders and referee feels obliged to warn them both to “settle down and save it for the fight.” Things do quiet down and soon both fighters are in their respective corners awaiting the bell. The bell rings.

R1:  Claire out with that smooth footwork to get ahead of Ashley and punch her with quick, accurate blows to head as she circles the younger woman. Ashley trying to keep up with Claire, lashes out with her jab and does give Danes some body punches to think about, but she’s getting her bell rung again and again. Ashley finally manages to duck under one of those stabbing Claire shots and striking at Danes’ chin. Claire more cautious now and Ashley springs forward. Suddenly there is an intense back and forth exchange with Ashley trying to bore in despite Claire’s jabbing to her face, she finally gets through to shake the magnificent Danes legs. However Claire then rams an uppercut into Ashley’s chin and makes the PLP bantam stumble back. Claire seems shaken by Ashley blow to her chin and is sluggish in pursuit allowing Ashley avoid further damage. However Claire has managed to win a close round.

R2: Ashley and Claire go right at each from the opening bell. Ashley trying to show she has some footwork too as she circles Claire stuffing shots into Danes’ ribs from the side. Claire struggling to show superior footwork is bouncing shots off Ashley’s blocking shoulders until she finally land against the younger woman’s head. Ashley then reverses course and Claire is again playing catch up with her ribs getting raked from the sides. Then Ashley stops circling and bores in trying to attack Danes’ midsection then working towards Claire’s jawline. Claire jabs back but Ashley is finding Claire’s jaw and those punches are disrupting her timing. Then, late in the round, Claire finds two good targets: Ashley’s breasts and fires away at them. Ashley gasping, pulls back out of range and uses her jab to hold Claire back to the bell, but the veteran has won her second close round.

R3: Ashley and Claire battle away in the center ring in the opening collision of this round at midring. Claire hammering at Ashley’s stomach to start her offensive this round, but Ashley resorts to hard, slicing jab that is leaving Claire’s face reddening and swelling.  Ashley also trying the footwork to keep Claire off balance as she strikes at the veteran. Claire frowning with concentration strikes again at Ashley;s bountiful jugs. Now Ashley is frowning and pushing in to get at Claire’s chin. Suddenly, Claire goes rubbery legged as Ashley flashes a triumphant smile having lifted Claire onto her toes with a solid uppercut to the chin. Claire moves away with her gloves protecting her face leaving her torso free for Ashley to pound away. Claire ends up on the ropes, but the round ends before Ashley can do much further damage. However Ashley can take satisfaction at winning the round wide.

R4: Claire looks stiff and achy getting off her stool and Ashley goes right afte her with more hurt as she pounds away to the body. Claire seems confused by this successful aggression and Ashley is not about to give her time to regroup. Claire ends up backpedaling, firing back with her jab, though it is not doing much to discourage the PLP fighter. Ashley trying to get Claire back on the ropes which creates a rapidly moving, swirling action in which Ashley lands a lot of punches, but can’t get Claire onto the strands. At the bell, Ashley has won another round wide and left Claire looking winded and sweatily bedraggled. Ashley can’t help but pause to enjoy the sight until Claire pushes past her with a defiant glare. Ashley walks to her stool with a happy smile.

R5:  Claire sucks it up and comes out to challenge Ashley is this round. Danes strikes at Benson with a quick flurry of well-aimed  to the younger blonde’s head. Ashley caught coming in and reels away. Claire slides after Ashley, but Ash whirls and smacks Claire with a right to the jaw. Now it is Claire’s turn in reel away in shock. Ashley slow to follow, trying to shake the cobwebs out of her own head, and when she does Claire is ready to engage in a tight-in battle of short, powerful hooks to the body. Both fighters plainly feeling these impacts, but they keep up the mutual pressure. Slowly, but noticeably, Claire’s punching is forcing Ashley back one hard-fought step at a time. Ashley grimacing but she doesn’t quit and is still fighting back to the bell, but Claire manages to eke out a narrow win on points.

R6: Claire looking confident again as she comes out this stanza headed straight for Ashley, but the PLP blonde is glaring defiantly and the next thing Claire knows, she’s in anther swirling battle of maneuver as both circle, punch and try to find a vulnerability in the other’s defenses. Claire frowning in annoyance, she doesn’t like the way Ashley is keeping up with her. She likes it even less when Ashley begins to dart and drive straight rights and lefts into her face. Then Ashley goes after Claire’s body in a rush of hooks to the midsection. Claire stops maneuvering and falls back, trying to deal with Ashley’s charge. Ashley keeping Claire backing up, though she can’t seem to get in more damaging blows, she does win the round wide. Now is Ashley looking like her confidence is back and Claire is looking irritated.

R7: Claire letting Ashley come at her at mid ring, but she then starts moving around, trying to make herself a moving target. Ashley finding it harder to keep up, but she is dogged in pursuit. Claire lets this go on a minute or so, but then she makes a stand and again starts trading at close range once more. Both Claire and Ashley’s elbows are moving like pistons and as they pound away at each other to the body. Impacts are hard and fast, but neither is budging until Ashley suddenly shifts to attacking  Claire’s chin with undercuts. Claire rattled, but she swings back at Ashley’s head.  Ashley clipped on the side of the head just as the bell rings. She stands there looking dazed. Claire looks ready to take a swing, but referee jumps in and Ashley teeters back to her stool. Judges total the points and find Ashley Benson the narrow winner, though as she slumps in her corner doesn’t look good at all.

R8:  Claire moving at Ashley, who is slow coming out of her corner, and firing away with quick shots over the younger fighter’s gloves. Ashley hit hard in the forehead and hairline, raises her guard protectively. Claire then goes in hard and fast with a body attack on Ashley’s unguarded torso. Claire backing Ashley up with the steady pounding beat to belly, ribs, and breasts. Ashley trying to be evasive, but she’s not succeeding.  Claire taking her time about, but she just beating the young woman down. Ashley does make several attempts at counterattacking, but Claire beats them off each timer. It’s enough to keep Claire from getting a clean sweep of the round, but she wins it wide.

R9: PLP corner works hard to repair the damage done to Ashley by Claire’s body attack, but Ashley on shaky stems off her. Stool she makes a valiant effort to get her guard up as she prepares to meet Claire. Claire looks like a tigress closing in on a wounded prey. She is deliberate, watching closely for signs of trickery, and then she launches a supple attack, striking at Ashley’s body, just mashing those Benson breasts flat and making Ashley shudder. Then Claire’s right deftly drives an uppercut into the distracted Ashley’s chin. Ashley totters backwards and Claire just pokes her back to the ropes. Ashley looks confused and rattled. As she feels the strands touch her back, Ashley tries to get away but she’s trapped and Claire just unleashes a steady, deliberate hellfire bombardment that bangs Ashley from waist to head and back again. Then Claire just stops, steps back as if to admire her work, and Ashley stares at her before sliding down the ropes. She lands in a sitting position and lays backs against the ropes, hands down at her sides. Both eyes are swollen now, but she looks up at Claire with a wonder and then slumps forward, chin against her collarbone. Referee moves in to count but it is a pure formality. Ashley Benson is out cold.
THE WINNER: CLAIRE DANES KO9!

After: “She is improving,” Claire informs the press as Ashley Benson is helped from the ring by Sasha Pierterse and Leah Pipes. “I was thinking she might actually go the distance, but that shot at the end of the 7th was the beginning of the end for her. Oh, I took my time, I thought some style might look nice in the highlight film. She can take a lot of punishment, but as she found out, I can dish out more. Did she ever have me in trouble? Oh, she might thinks so, but I was only annoyed that she got the better of me now and then. It was purely mistakes on my part that allowed those things to happen. She’s not THAT good. I’ll try her again some time and see if she’s learned anything from this.”

Thoroughly banged up, but still defiant, Ashley Benson tells the press (the next day): “She’s a bully. A very skilled boxing bully, but still a bully. I got the full treatment because she knows I was hurting her in that fight. She can claim it was because she made ‘mistakes’—but you look at the film—I beating her fair and square. OK, it wasn’t enough and she worked me over trying to break my spirit. She failed at that. Yes, I will fight her any time she wants. She does not scare me—she just makes me want to win even more!”

Hard hitting fight that was pleasingly back and forth for about 7 rounds. Then the veteran Claire seemed to find her game and Ashley was just beaten down over the final rounds. Very good work at times for Ashley, but it wasn’t enough to beat the legendary veteran. Once again “The D-Train” leaves a beaten fighter behind her in the dust and cinders, but one does doubt this is the end between Danes and PLP in general and Ashley Benson in particular. Fans look forward to see what happens next.