CH LUCY HALE VS SARAH SHAHI
Flyweight Championship Fight

Results: Lookout     Writing: Archer

Lucy:  27 YO, 5’2 (1.57 m), 20-17-0, since 2010, Pretty Little Punchers Inc.
Sarah: 36 YO, 5’3 (1.60 m), 23-8-0, since 2009, Odds and Ends Fight Studio

Before: “Some people were surprised I decided to face Sarah in my first defense. After all, she knocked me out in 9 last year, but that’s exactly why I am doing this. I want to prove just how much better I have become. If I can beat Sarah—a former champion who has beaten the likes of Sarah Carter and Hayden Panettiere—well, no one can doubt Lucy Hale is the best flyweight out there!” Lucy Hale tells the press assembled for the prefight presser.
Sarah Shahi listens with a smile: “My heavens, Lucy, you are wearing the title belt. You make it sound like you can’t believe it yourself. Insecurity is a like a worm—it will undermine you no matter what bold gestures you take to deny it. Not that I don’t appreciate the chance to win those belts back. I liked being champion and I want to be one again. That I get to do it by cutting down a young, if neurotic, hotshot like Lucy Hale, that’s going to make it fun. Want to bet she cries when they take the belt from her and put around MY waist?”
Lucy is looking daggers at Sarah and snaps: “I am NOT insecure, NOT neurotic—and NOT going to lose those belts to you!”
Sarah just smiles: “We’ll just see about that.”

Come fight night, Sarah Shahi is in an elegant black bikini with gold trim. Golden gloves and boots (black laces). Her dark hair in a ponytail with a golden ribbon securing it at the top.Lucy Hale is in a bikini with a white top and blue checked bottoms. White gloves and boots (blue laces) complete the attire. The champ’s bobbed hair hangs loose. Hot glares from Lucy as Sarah smirks at her coolly during referee’s instructions. Very cursory swipe of the gloves and the fighters are back in their corners. The bell rings…

R1: Lucy Hale rocketing out of her corner and coming aggressively at Sarah Shahi.  Sarah willing to let her come in, but then greets the champ with a fierce barrage of jabs. Lucy smacked around hard to the face by lightning strikes from Sarah’s leather. The champion obliged to pull back and circle before making another charge. Very rapid exchange of punching as Lucy scores to Sarah’s body (mainly her chest and ribs), but gets more Shahi leather striking her face. Lucy grimly hangs in, trying to duck the incoming while striking back hard at Sarah’s body. Very even punch rate until Sarah shifts down and starts sinking her punches into Lucy’s tummy. Lucy getting doubled up and has to pull back out of there. They circle and exchange straight shits to the bell. Goes to Sarah Shahi close.

R2:  Sarah moves to the attack in this round. She comes bobbing and weaving in, working Lucy’s midsection, but her real target seems to be the Hale jaw. Lucy gets several nasty shots on her right and left jaws, but hangs in to bang back at Sarah’s upper torso. Sarah more mobile at this point and forcing Lucy to catch up, but opening herself up to quick head shots. Lucy’s face getting shined and reddened as the round goes on, but the champion won’t retreat. She is still able to get punches into Sarah’s ribs and breasts to keep the points close, but the round ends with another narrow win for the O&E challenger.

R3: Lucy can see Sarah heading for her again as the round gets going. She lets the challenger get close, then performs a rather nifty sidestep so that Sarah’s charge goes passed her and then Lucy lands a wicked overhand right into the side of Sarah’s head. Sarah caught by surprise lurches away, her bell clearly rung by the champ and Lucy springs after her. Sarah driven to the ropes, but she quickly goes face in gloves, letting Lucy bang away at her flanks, until she can suddenly pop up and clinch the champion. Lucy’s attempt to finish gets broken up but she keeps Sarah on the defensive with the kind of mobility and circling Sarah had been showing her earlier. Sarah’s defenses firm up, but she loses the round wide by the bell. Lucy looking very pleased with herself, Sarah scowling in defiance.

R4: Round becomes a dogged battle for control as Lucy and Sarah battle it out for domination. They are both now using good footwork, circling tactics, duck-and-strike tactics as the fight rages all over the ring. Wonderful sight for flyweight fans to see as the two petite punchers throw everything they’ve got into the effort. Sarah and Lucy mainly head hunting at first, but evasive action soon brings both to attacking the other’s body. Lucy still working those ribs and breasts, while Sarah is pounding away at Lucy’s belly. Lucy shifts to some chin shots late that knock Sarah’s head back, but then Sarah pumps some leather into Lucy’s breasts. Lucy gasping, but countering with more rib shots of her own. Battle goes right to the bell. In fact., referee has to jump in and separate the fighters to end the punching. Judges give it to Lucy Hale by a close margin.

R5:  Sarah seems to have quickly shaken off Lucy’s chin shots as she goes on the attack early in this round. Lucy moving to counter, but then Sarah drives a quick left/right combo over Lucy’s guard to bang her head around. Now it is Lucy’s turn to go reeling away and Lucy’s turn to get driven into the ropes. However, Lucy’s not so quick to turtle-up and gets her cheekbones smacked hard by Sarah’s leather sweeping in from left and right. However, Lucy does think to start clinching and this breaks up Sarah’s attack long enough for Lucy to get her jab going. Sarah continues her determined attack, striking at head and body, looking for a breakthrough punch, but not really finding it. Lucy kept very busy, but seems to have weathered the crisis. Still, Sarah has won the round wide and Lucy’s face is getting noticeably swollen and bruised.

R6: PLP corner crew works hard on the battered Lucy during the break. She comes out warily at first, waiting to see just what Sarah has in mind for this stanza. What Sarah seems to have in mind is a vigorous charge to do more damage to Lucy’s head and torso. Lucy again showing evasive footwork, but Sarah is trying to keep her close and push her back to the ropes. Sarah trying a little too hard, loosening her guard in her zeal to get at the champ—and LUCY STRIKES BACK!  Lucy suddenly popping up with a driving right uppercut that gets full under Sarah’s chin.  Sarah’s head jerks back in a picturesque spray of sweat AND SARAH CRASHES HARD TO HER BUTT! Crowd roars as Lucy Hale gleefully retreats to neutral corner as Sarah Shahi sits up, holding her spinning head as referee starts to count. About “FIVE!” it seems to sink in to Sarah that she needs to get up and she makes an heroic effort to regain her feet just as the official reaches “NINE!”. Sarah snarls at referee when he checks to make sure she can continue and it’s enough for the official to wave Lucy back in. Lucy looks irked that Sarah made it up, but she isn’t reckless either. She circles, hoping to find Sarah weakened, but the challenger has enough defensive skills left to hold the champ off to the bell. However the round and the knockout have clearly vaulted Lucy Hale into the lead. The champion all but skips back to her corner as the clearly shaken, but she defiant Sarah glares after her.

R7: Lucy on the attack as this round gets underway with Sarah playing a very strong defensive game. Sarah using her mobility to keep Lucy from getting too close and gradually drawing the champion into pursuit. Lucy starts getting frustrated as she is unable to corner the elusive Sarah and she starts lunging trying to cut her off. Sarah lets this go on until she sees just the right moment with Lucy lunging forward, guard low AND SARAH BLASTS LUCY HALE RIGHT BETWEEN THE EYES! Now Lucy Hale’s head goes jerking back in a spray of sweat and the champion just lifted off her feet before being thrown into the ropes like a rag doll! Lucy’s eyes are wide open and fluttering in shock as she finds herself on her bottom, sprawled back against the ropes and Sarah smirking at her before going to neutral corner. Referee moves in and starts to count. Crowd is wildly with excitement as Lucy clutches at ropes trying to pull herself erect before she gets counted out. She is finally able to stand (shakily) as the count reaches “NINE!” Referee tries to determine if Lucy can go on and she snaps a quick: “DON’T YOU DARE TRY TO STOP THIS!” Sarah is waved back in. She just gives a shrug and heads in to finish the job, but now it’s Lucy who proves evasive and she manages to survive to the bell. Crowd is gasping as they take in Sarah Shahi’s score-evening knockdown of the champ. Still three rounds to go!

R8: Again the PLP corner has a lot of work to do on their fighter during the break. (The O&E corner busy too as Sarah leans wearily against the turnbuckle. Looks like she spent a lot of energy in R7). Both fighters seem slow coming off their stools and opening moves are cautious and probing as they circle at mid-ring. Just when it looks like this is going to be a “rest round”. Sarah moves forward and goes back to pounding Lucy’s tenderized tummy. Lucy clearly feeling those gut punches now, but she shifts her feet and goes after Sarah’s ribcage once again. Sarah shuddering from those impacts into her blazing ribs, but she hangs in to duel with Lucy at very close range. Leather being driven into wet, agonized torsos, but the fighters do not back off at all. They both seem to be pouring their reserves into this body punching battle of attrition and look each other in the eyes with determination all the way to the bell. Again, the referee has to jump in to stop the action. Sarah and Lucy stand there, arms at their sides, chests heaving, as sweat drips from their bruised bodies, then they both silently turn away and go to their corners. Crowd just loves the moment and cheers loudly.

R9: Again both corner crews have their hands full getting their fighters out for another round, but they do their work. Lucy and Sarah again out slowly but once they get within range, it is back to the body with pounding punches. Lucy and Sarah could be fighting in a phone booth as they go at it toe to toe with grim intensity and it remains even as the battle ticks into the third minute. Then Lucy suddenly shifts into right/left uppercuts that get passed Sarah’s guard to find her chin. Sarah stumbling back, trying to bring up her gloves, but Lucy  knocks them aside with her left while bringing her right crashing off Sarah’s chin. Sarah suddenly slumps forward into Lucy who jumps back to let the challenger crash to all fours. Great suspense as the crowd (and Lucy Hale!) watch as Sarah Shahi struggle to rise as the referee counts. She pulls herself to her knees, but the effort is too great—she falls over onto the side and lays in a curled up position as the count reaches “TEN! YOU’RE OUT!”

The Winner and still Flyweight Champion: LUCY HALE! (KO9)

After: Lucy’s legs buckle as she hears Sarah called out. She has to grab the ring ropes to keep herself standing until trainer Nia Peeples, teammates Ashley Benson and Danielle Carter can rush out to escort her too her corner.
“What a fight!” Lucy Hale the exhausted, but happy champion tells the press. “I admit I thought Sarah had me when she answered my knockdown of her with one to me. But I pushed the thought aside and told myself: ‘Lucy she must be hurting as bad as you—hang in there and you can still beat her.’ And I did! Sarah is such a great opponent. I will tell you that now. She drive me to find things in myself I didn’t know I had! She was tough and clever, but I was even more tough and more clever, so I am still champion. Who will I fight next? Come on! I haven’t even had my shower yet!”
As for Sarah Shahi, once revived she was characteristically honest: “Lucy had more out than I did tonight. She is getting better. I was sure that knockdown would either finish her or leave her wide open to be finished, but, unfortunately for me, it didn’t. I am glad she said those nice things about me, but the fact is: I lost and I don’t like to lose. Whoever I fight next better look out because I’ll be looking to erase the memory of this fight!”
Great title fight that went back and forth across nine mostly intense rounds. Lucy Hale continues to mature as an elite fighter and Sarah Shahi shows is she more than capable of taking on younger fighters, though some dour pundits wonder just how long she’ll be able to do that. Still, an excellent and most worthy title fight. The fans will be looking forward to the future fights of both ladies.