Kristen Stewart vs. Carly Rae Jepsen
(Words: Front Street / Results: Lookout!)

BEFORE:

"I really thought I'd have had a shot in the FCBA before now," says Carly Rae with a shake of the head. "I mean, people have called, there have been discussions. 'You're a  big star. We need to get you in the ring.' All that. But, it's never happened. So, maybe starting my career against a top ten fly isn't exactly the way I'd choose to do it. But, Stewart started her career against Williams. And, it worked out OK for her."

"Yeah, I like the fact that this girl isn't afraid to step up to top competition right away," says Kristen with a nod. "She understands what I did, that, when you get an opportunity, you have to take it. She's not going to CASH it, mind, but you have to respect her for not backing away from it."

ROUND ONE:

Jepsen throws a curve ball. She's short, only 5'2", so she's giving up height and length to K-Stew and she and her handlers have clearly been thinking on how to deal with that. Because, unlike any fight she's had lower levels, the brunette comes out in a crouch, hands high, head tucked. That this is a surprise to Stewart is obvious from the beginning, because the taller girl doesn't initially know how to deal with it. She can't get the long left jab, the basis of her offense, on target. Jepsen easily moves past, gets inside Stewart's defenses, and begins working body with solid hooks. Kristen tries to fire back in kind, but mostly bounces punches off Jepsen's elbows and arms, unable to penetrate the crafty, tight defenses the older girl has put in place. As the round goes on, Jepsen takes control. She's crowding Stewart, banging her, backing her up, fouling her offense completely. At the bell, the singer bounces back to her corner all smiles. She's grabbed the first, and pretty wide, too.

ROUND TWO:

Stewart is nothing if not an intelligent fighter. She does geometry and angles very, very well. So, it's a testament to what Jepsen's put together here that Kristen continues to have problems in the second. She's able to get the left home some now, able to slow Carly's advances with it, but the Canadian remains plenty effective with her low level and high guard. There's simply not very much to hit, and even a puncher as accurate as Stewart isn't going to be able to find targets that just aren't there. But, it's the second part of the equation where Jepsen's really shining. As tempting as it would be to play defense and counter, Carly wants to push forward, close, bang body. She's far from a power hitter and isn't playing an attrition game. She's scoring points, forcing Stewart's level lower as Kristen crouches a bit to protect the body, and then going upstairs to score to the head. It's crafty stuff from a girl making her FCBA debut. And, while things are much closer this time, it's enough for Jepsen to claim her second straight round and lead 20-18.

ROUND THREE:

Stewart problem solving. It's been a slower process than she might like, but, then again, she had no idea of exactly what sorts of geometric issues she'd be facing. But, K-Stew hasn't met the problem of this ilk she's unable to resolve, and, while Jepsen's has been tougher than most, the math begins to make sense about half way through the third. There's no huge breakthrough, no 'Eureka!' moment. It's just a slow, steady improvement with Stewart beginning to put punches together and stop Jepsen's advances. Carly Rae, however, isn't completely foiled. She continues to find ways around Stewart's defenses, and, when she gets in close, remains very active to both the head and body. The result is the best two-way round of the bout so far, with Jepsen having the better of things early and Stewart slowly making up the stagger late. But the final bell, Kristen's pulled slightly ahead and cut the Canadian's lead to 29-28.

ROUND FOUR:

Stewart's got the range and she's all but solved this problem, which means Carly Rae now has a major one of her own. Kristen's broken Jepsen's defenses down and now has her stuck out on the end of Stewart's punches, which is NOT where Jepsen wants to be. The Canadian keeps working, keeps trying to get forward, but, the only result is the EATING of two-punch combination, a sharp left jab and a BOOMING right cross. The first stops her. The second staggers her and sends her wobbling backward. Stewart immediately forward looking to finish, but, to her credit, Jepsen's defenses do not fall apart. She gives ground, stays low, keeps the guard high, jabs back in spots, hangs on desperately. K-Stew not getting sloppy, staying very sound, simply picking Jepsen apart as best she can and then battering her for the final 30 seconds of the round when the Canadian is trapped on the ropes. At the bell, it's Stewart wide and we're even at 38.

ROUND FIVE:

Things looking grim for Jepsen now. This is the danger of fighting someone with the accuracy and precision of Stewart. Once she FINDS you, she's going to HIT you. You may pick off a few, slip a couple, roll with some others. But, the majority are going to land and a lot of them are going to land CLEAN. And, that's exactly what's happening to the Canadian in the fifth. She's getting touched up, backed up, and almost completely suppressed. She can't get forward, can't get onto the offensive. She's spending all her time covering up and looking for openings to counter, openings that just aren't there. Stewart dominates completely for two minutes, then ups the pace for the final third, sending Jepsen back to the ropes again and banging away with both hands. Again, to her credit, the Canadian hangs tough. She begins firing back hard when she finds the odd opening. She's not going quietly, and she's making people wonder why it's taken this long for her to get in an FCBA ring. But, at the bell, it's K-Stew via shutout, and Stewart leads 48-47.

ROUND SIX:

Jepsen's had a talking to in the corner, and it's had an effect. She's not going to keep going backward. If she's going to lose this thing, she's going to do it trying to WIN, not trying to survive. So, Carly Rae's back to the forward motion at the start of this one. She's taking fire, being slowed down by solid shot from K-Stew, but she won't be stopped. She's getting in close again, to positions where she can use her solid in-fighting skills to battle on even terms with Stewart. It's good stuff from the tyro, who looked all but finished a few moments ago. But, there's plenty of risk in forcing a strategy like this, and said risk comes to the fore early in the second third of the round. Again, Jepsen is stopped cold with a sharp left jab, and the follow on right hand that crashes into her chin sends her nosing in at Stewart's feet. Jepsen is down, arms trapped beneath her, and looking to all and sundry like being out as well. And, that's not a mistaken impression. No movement at all from the Canadian during the count and it's OVER. Your winner by KO6 is 'The Five-Tool Player', Kristen Stewart.

AFTER:

Jepsen brought around in stages. Stewart over to the corner to check on the gutty Canadian. Plenty of mutual respect evident in the exchange, and that's backed up in the post-fight. "She's got as much want-to as anybody I've ever fought," says K-Stew with a nod. "I mean, she had a good fight plan, and, when I broke that down, she didn't panic, didn't quit. She just kept coming. Jepsen may not be at MY level, but she can beat about half the girls in this division right now. And, with a little work, it'll be a lot MORE than half."