Chloe Bennet vs. Priyanka Chopra

Front Street Gym vs Hawkeye International Sports Consortium
(Words: Front Street / Results: Lookout!)

BEFORE:

Hotly-anticipated match up of two of TV's top beauties, Chopra, with her Miss World credentials has already made a big splash on the small screen and showed plenty of ability in her first FCBA contest against Margot Robbie. Bennet, meanwhile, keeps looking like exactly what she's billed as, 'The Next Big Thing'. But, that doesn't impress Priyanka. "To get where I got," says the Indian beauty with a nod, "You have to be tough. Pageants like Miss World, it's like hyenas. They're always watching you, looking for a weakness, looking for a chance to take you down. The girls I had to beat..." She stops and shakes her head. "If you can survive that, then you can survive here. If you can beat girls like that, you can beat girls like Chloe Bennet."

"She can fight," says Chloe with a nod of her own. "She's quick, athletic. She can hit. But. She's about ready to step in with someone quicker and more athletic. Someone who can hit harder. No way this is going to end well for her. Absolutely no way."

ROUND ONE:

It might not end well for Chopra, but it sure as heck begins well. Almost off the bell, Priyanka lands a perfect right hand that wobbles Chloe. She's absolutely seen something on video, some opening she thought she could exploit, and she's done it immediately. From there, the Indian beauty works like a veteran. She has the younger woman hurt, and now she's going to take advantage. She doesn't go all in, instead going all clinical. She sets up hard right hands with jabs, slowly works Bennet backward and traps her against the ropes, then works her over in a major way. Bennet's wobbled a couple of more times, but doesn't seem to be in danger of going down. She's also not able to do much more than cover up and counter every so often. Chopra's in total control, giving Chloe a thrashing. By the final seconds, Priyanka even cracking a bit of a smile as she lands one final solid combination, capping off a wide win in the first.

ROUND TWO:

Chopra right back to work. She's keeping the pressure on, not allowing Bennet time or space to recover. Chloe again in retreat, taking heavy fire from a determined opponent. She can't stabilize her front and is again only able to cover and counter in spots. Then, things get worse. Chopra lands a nice short hook that shakes Bennet and then DROPS her with a three-punch combination. Crowd going nuts as the Indian bounces back to her corner like she does this every day. Bennet able to get to her knees at seven. Beats the count, if barely. And then takes a serious licking for her troubles. Chopra still not all in. Instead, it's more clinical destruction of an opponent who came in here the favorite. Bennet looking anything but as she's backed to the ropes again and battered. Priyanka shaking her repeatedly now with solid shot. Referee looking closely the entire time, but Chloe is able to stay on her feet and do enough to keep him at bay. At the bell, though, Chopra's lengthened her lead to 20-17.

ROUND THREE:

Priyanka all over Chloe from the start. Bennet can simply not get out of reverse. She's done almost nothing for six minutes, and that's not changing in the third. Chopra's blitzing her, keeping her on her back foot, taking advantage of her still-iffy legs and still-muzzy head. Bennet's game. A lot of bantams would be out of there by now, a lot of GOOD bantams, but, not Chloe. Those sturdy legs hold her up, but, to what end? She's not doing much more but taking punishment, despite her best efforts. She can't hold ground, can't get any sustained offense going, and can barely avoid getting trapped against the ropes and hammered again. She manages to do that, and to stay on her feet, but little more. There's a counter here or there, one decent flurry. But, the rest of the round is all Priyanka, shelling the younger woman with combination after combination. At the bell, it's Chopra wide again, and the Indian has now built a big 30-26 lead after just three rounds.

ROUND FOUR:

This is shades of Alice Eve for Chloe, getting caught early and never being able to shake the results. Chopra right back after her in the fourth, determined to continue pressing her advantage. Bennet, though, finally able to stabilize her front. Chloe holds canvas for the first time all night, and a bitter, back and forth firefight develops. There's nothing sloppy about this, but there's nothing pretty about it, either. This is two beautiful brunettes, toe to toe, banging away at one another, each determined to back the other up, and each determined not to give any ground. The result is a ton of heavy shell landing, and both sturdy beauties shipping it and continuing to fire back. Chopra not at all taken aback by the now-spirited resistance. She keeps coming hard, while Bennet, knowing she's got to get this thing turned around before she gets herself in a hole she can't dig out of, matches Priyanka and even does a bit more. By the bell, Bennet's won it close, claiming her first round and cutting the lead to 39-36.

ROUND FIVE:

Right back into the trenches in what now is becoming a contest of wills. Priyanka dead set against giving Bennet any breathing space, and Chloe just as determined to hold her canvas and not get put on the back foot again. And, again, the result is a sound but brutal firefight, with both fighters taking and dishing out plenty of punishment. There's good defense here, too. Punches are slipped and blocked. But, the volume of work overwhelms any defenses resulting in lots of solid shot hitting the targets. Body work becomes a major theme in this stanza as well, with both fighters working downstairs to drop guards and support the main efforts, which are taking place at the head. It's good, back and forth stuff from beginning to end, with both fighters actually backed up once simply by the force of a straight right hand. By the time it's over, it's close again, but Chopra claims the round and stretches the lead to 49-45.

ROUND SIX:

No change in terms as we begin the second half. Toe to toe again and medium distance. The major difference now the prevalence of body work. If it was an appetizer in the fifth, it's the main course now, with the two brunettes pouring resources into the effort. It's clear now that the plan is to break down and break will, but that's going to take quite the investment with fighters as sturdy as these two. The grind goes on for well over a minute, and then everything changes. A short right uppercut from Bennet is the culprit. It sends Priyanka, who was dropping her head and the time stumbling backward. She manages to keep her feet, but Chloe is all in, pummeling the Indian beauty back into the ropes and giving her a thrashing to head and body for the remaining minute and a half of the round. Chopra is shaken repeatedly, but, like Bennet before her, she manages to hang on and survive the round. It's Chloe wide, but Priyanka still leads 58-55.

ROUND SEVEN:

Bennet now looking to pressure. Chopra willing to give ground. She knows she's on top here and doesn't need a Gotterdammerung. Bennet, on the other hand, all about the final showdown, wants this finished NOW. Priyanka, though, has the legs most of the way back and makes good use of them. She's circling back and right away from Chloe's power, popping jabs, looking to slow down Bennet's slow pursuit. Chole able to close and square at times, and land heavy shell when she does, but Priyanka responds in kind. She's not winning those exchanges, but she's not being blasted out of them either. And, she's keeping them short, staying mostly in open canvas, where she dictates distance with the left jab and runs clock. But, not quite enough of it. Bennet times a perfect right hand, a perfectly BRUTAL right hand with about 30 seconds to go. MISS WORLD DOWN! All power cut. Priyanka starfished on the mat, eyes closed crowd going nuts as the referee counts. No movement at all from the Indian beauty. She's out! And it's OVER. And your winner by KO7 in one-punch AND comeback fashion is 'The Next Big Thing', Chloe Bennet!

AFTER:

Chloe showing plenty of respect in the post-fight. "Man, she can HIT!" says Bennet with a shake of the head. "She caught me with that shot in the first round and and almost buried me. I'd be lying if I told you Alice Eve wasn't on my mind. That wasn't happening again. I knew I had to get my rear in gear and get her out of there. It wasn't easy. But, I got it done."