Antje Utgaard vs. Sophie Howard
Front Street Gym vs Lioness Club Stable War
(Words: Front Street / Results: Lookout!)

BEFORE:

"Well," says Sophie with a lovely smile, "I said a match between me and Hendricks was a match between the two best racks in the FCBA, but, I might have been wrong. This girl might have a better one than Christina. Shame it won't be JMDD. But. No matter. I'll knock her out anyway."

"Sophie's right about one thing," says Antje with a nod. "SOMEone is getting knocked out tonight. She's just wrong about which one of us is going to end up on her back."

ROUND ONE:

Howard very aggressive early. She's coming forward behind a solid left-handed poke. But that comes to an end quickly as Utgaard stops her in her tracks with some solid shot. Things then settle down to ranged boxing, with the two brunettes looking to work their long jabs to set up hard right hands. It's Antje who has the advantage in height and reach here, though it's a slight one, and that advantage plays in this stanza. Antje's able to force geometry she likes on the bountiful Brit, and, despite Howard's best efforts, she can't seem to get the angles she wants. Still, Sophie works hard and she stays in the round. No one's hurt, and no one's really taking control despite the fact that neither fighter is being at all shy about committing on hard right hands. Instead, it's a good, close round, but, again, it's the geometry that allows Antje to get more done and claim the points and the 10-9 lead.

ROUND TWO:

Howard passes the class. Geometry 101, that is. She slowly figures out how to get the angles she wants, and she begins using them to even things up. Now, we've got some good, two-way boxing going on, and you could knock some folks who expected a hard-hitting welter brawl over with a feather. Seems both girls can work the jab and put punches together off it. And, while, again, neither is shy about committing on those big right hands, both are able to ship the punishment and fire back. It's ranged warfare from the first second to the last, but, as the round goes on, it's the veteran Howard who begin to get the better of things. She's dictating angles now, moving the feet well, getting the distances she wants and getting off in combination when she gets to her spots. Again, it's close. But, this time it's Howard who has more of what she wants. As a result, she gains the points and evens things at 19.

ROUND THREE:

Sophie begins to grab control now. The veteran is angling forward, getting hard leather on target, beginning to force the younger woman backward with it. Utgaard tries to hold canvas, but she can't get it done. Howard's getting rolling and she's forcing her rival to retreat. Then, the busty Brit lands the best punch of the fight so far. It's a left hook that wobbles Antje and nearly sends her to the canvas. Howard's immediately all in, and now you're seeing the welterweight slug-fest. Sophie's winging away with both hands, forcing the younger woman backward, trapping her on the ropes, and then working her over to both head and body. And rack. Don't forget the rack, because Howard does not. She's banging away there as well, working over every legal inch of her rival in an effort to take her out of there. It's a vain effort, however. Antje ships it all and stays on her feet. But, it's Howard wide and Sophie now leads 29-28.

ROUND FOUR:

Sophie right back to the offensive. Howard cleaned up very well the last round and now she's looking to consolidate. She's moving forward again, backing up Utgaard, working body, taking some more rack. Until. The American CATCHES Sophie coming forward with a solid right hook. Howard is GOBSMACKED and everything changes on a dime. Now it's the Brit in retreat and the American looking to grab back all the canvas she lost in the last round. Howard's battered around the ring for over a minute before finally being trapped on the ropes, whereupon Utgaard opens a can of whipa** and begins to liberally pour its contents over the older woman. Antje digs body with both hands. She hammers away upstairs looking to finish. And, oh yes, she works the rack, and plenty of it. But, just like Utgaard herself was able to do in the previous round, Howard ships the damage and stays afloat, even giving Antje a defiant shove after the bell. It's Utgaard wide, but the fight is still on, an even at 38.

ROUND FIVE:

Lack of experience shows in Antje's case. Howard still buzzed. A consolidation and, perhaps even a clean up are there for the taking, but Utgaard gets too aggressive. She's winging away early, getting a bit sloppy, missing, allowing Sophie to counter. But. The kind of physical gifts the American has can make up for a variety of sins. And, one of those gifts is the raw power you might expect from a woman who's 5'10" and a full 150 pounds. Antje only lands ONE decent shot in the first minute of the round. But. She only NEEDS one decent shot. It's a straight right that sends Howard staggering back three steps. And Utgaard is immediately all over the older woman. She's still somewhat sloppy, still misses shots she shouldn't miss, but, with Sophie hurt and covering up, she's landing plenty. She staggers the British beauty twice more in the round, but can't put her down. She does, however, give Ms. Howard a beating, grabbing the round wide and taking the lead 48-47.

ROUND SIX:

Utgaard after Howard immediately, but in a much sounder way this time. She's had a talking to in the corner, and she's taking it to heart. She's setting up her rights with good left hands, moving the feet, working hard instead of winging away. The results are excellent if you're in the Front Street corner, disastrous if you're in Howard's. Sophie takes a serious licking from bell to bell. She's getting almost nothing done, spending the entire round backing and covering and trying to weather a storm that doesn't seem like it's going to be ending any time soon. In the end, like a a seaman riding out a hurricane lashed to the mast, Sophie just takes on the ropes. Utgaard batters her upstairs and down, working body, head, and plenty of rack. Howard hangs on desperately, both literally and figuratively, clinching at every opportunity, only to be shoved off and stacked up for more punishment. At the bell, it's a shutout Utgaard, and Howard is looking much the worse for the wear.

ROUND SEVEN:

Just a nightmare for Howard now. She's clearly on her last legs, and the younger woman appears to be nearing the kill. Sophie gutty, fighting back as best she can, but Utgaard driving forward behind a sledgehammer jab, forcing the Brit into a desperate, steady retreat. Howard clinching, covering up, trying anything she can think of to slow her rival down, but nothing works. Antje just keeps coming, keeps hammering away, keeps battering the older woman. It's hard to watch at times, frankly, because the domination is becoming complete. And, just when you think the referee isn't going to allow much more of this, Utgaard saves him the trouble. It's that nasty straight right again, this one off a sharp left jab. It crashes into Howard's jaw, snapping her head back and sending her bouncing off the ropes to crash, face first, at the younger woman's feet. The rest is just the niceties. The referee counts, but he needn't. Howard is down and unmoving well past the count of ten. It's over. And your winner by KO7 in impressive fashion is 'The Scandinavian Stunner', Antje Utgaard.

AFTER:

Antje all smiles in the post-fight. She's now won three fights in four months to start her FCBA career and also put Front Street ahead in the stable war 2-1. "I thought she'd come out physical, you know?" Utgaard says with a stunning smile. "That's kind of her game. She surprised me by boxing early, but, eventually, we got down to it, and, when that happened, well. She wasn't going to punch with me."