Taylor Cole vs. Doutzen Kroes
(Words: Front Street / Results: Lookout!)

BEFORE:

Kroes coming out of the BBU with quite the reputation as a hitter. And, it's a reputation that doesn't at all impress Taylor Cole, who's hit with the best welters in the FCBA. "I'm used to stepping in against girls with power," says Taylor with a shake of the head. "You think THIS girl can hit? Try stepping in with Nolin, Palicki, Righetti, or Biel."

"She doesn't respect me?" asks Doutzen with a smile. "That's all right. I will MAKE her respect me tonight."

ROUND ONE:

Slow start for the two leggy beauties, as the normal feeling out process begins. Kroes loves to use that long jab and Cole willing to play gun platform all night. The Texas brunette likes to extend on those punches and bring that power to bear. But, there's not a lot of power in this stanza. Instead, it's mostly recon. Both girls getting the lay of the land, testing out the geometry, looking for places to punch from and places to put punches. There's plenty of good footwork, as both girls are plenty athletic. The blonde, to no surprise of anyone who's seen her fight in Europe, holds her own with the decorated four-time champion brunette. Cole, meanwhile, gets more aggressive as the round goes on, getting into a bit of rhythm late. And, that late push proves to be the difference in, what to that point had been an even round. Cole grabs it narrowly in the last 30 seconds and takes the 10-9 lead.
 
ROUND TWO:

Fighters right back to gunnery range. Both blonde and brunette liking the feel of these terms. Both getting more active in the second, looking to follow up stronger on the accurate jabs, looking to bring power to bear. Cole the one who gets that done early, backing Kroes up with a couple of solid rights. Begins stepping in behind those punches, grabbing canvas, making the blonde punch for respect. Whoops. Kroes DOES punch for respect, and in a big way. A rocket right hand that blasts into Taylor's chin and THE BRUNETTE IS HURT! Kroes determinedly forward now, pouring on the fire. Stunned, chastened Cole backing and covering, brought to the ropes and battered. Blonde beauty really letting the American have it. Taylor beginning to wilt under the sustained shell. Referee looking in closely, as Kroes fires everything in the arsenal. But, Cole manages to hold up just long enough. The bell sounds ending the onslaught. It's Doutzen wide, and the cards are now even at 19.

ROUND THREE: 

Kroes on the attack. She's dialing up flurry after flurry. Cole on the back foot, still wobbly, in deep trouble from the opening seconds. Doutzen on the verge of a huge victory in her first FCBA fight, and she and the crowd both sense it. The latter roaring as she takes the fight to a game but fading Taylor. Kroes snarling as she fires away at the brunette. Cole manages to stay off the cables for awhile, but, Doutzen forces her there with over half the round to go. Just a matter of time as the blonde completely dominates the brunette. Taylor doing almost nothing but lying against the ropes, guard high, trying to block and dodge as much of the onslaught as she can. Kroes corner screaming for the referee to stop it, but he continues to watch closely, not making any move to end the one-sided shellacking taking place in front of him. Finally, the bell rings. Kroes turns and stares daggers at the ref. "What do I have to do?" He simply points her to her corner. It's a shutout Doutzen, who's now up 29-28 after three.

ROUND FOUR:

Kroes more than a little gassed now. She's thrown a ridiculous number of punches over the last five minutes, and she's now both frustrated and arm-weary. And, that's about as good as the news gets for Cole, who's scuffed, wobbly, and clearly hanging on by a thread. Doutzen starts slowly, working the jab, trying to find one big punch that will end the brunette's night. Cole plays defense, keeping the peek-a-boo guard in place, giving ground, playing for time. For about a minute, not much happens. Then, Kroes finds what she's looking for. A straight right follow after a nice left jab. Cole wobbles, nearly goes down, and Doutzen tosses in the rest of the reserves. She's all OVER Taylor, battering her with both hands, stacking her up on the cables again and letting her have it. The brunette again desolate, taking shot after shot. It's grim stuff, but, she simply won't go. Again, Kroes' corner is screaming at the referee, but, again, he keeps watching. And, again, Cole's legs somehow hold her up. At the bell, Doutzen's won it wide for the third consecutive round. She now leads 39-37. But. Taylor Cole is still standing.

ROUND FIVE:

Kroes now more than a little gassed. She's not exactly blown up, but she's not far from it, and that becomes clear when she comes out of the corner snapping out lefts and doing little more than that. She's not making any real effort to finish Cole, and Taylor notices. The brunette is emboldened by this, and begins countering. She's not exactly throwing bombs, not with those legs still shabby, but the leather has a little crispness to it, and she's actually able to stop Kroes' advances for the first time since the second round. The result is a slower, less active version of what we saw in the first. Ranged boxing. Mostly jabs. No big punches thrown or landed. It's two-way stuff, which, again, is good news for Cole, who hasn't been anywhere near in the last three rounds. Not only is she in this one, but, when the round ends, she's actually grabbed it narrowly to cut the blonde's lead to 48-47.

ROUND SIX:

Boxing scoring can be somewhat frustrating in cases like this one. If you're Kroes and you've dominated three rounds and lost two narrowly, you can only shake your head at the fact that you have a one point lead in a fight where you've clearly done the most damage. Meanwhile, if you're Cole, you're thinking that, despite a few bad rounds, you're still in this thing and you need to get back to the fight plan. Which is exactly what Taylor does. She sets up and begins boxing at long range. She's able to hold canvas, keep Kroes on the end of her punches. Doutzen, still a little gassed, doesn't press the issue. She stays out there and boxes with the brunette. So, we end up with another round very similar to the first and fifth. And, Taylor Cole claimed both of those rounds. She also claims this one. Again, it's close. But, again, it's Cole. And, so it is that after six round, despite all of Doutzen's work in the second, third, and fourth, we're even at 57.

ROUND SEVEN:

Kroes presses the issue. She's gotten a second wind now, and she's determined to take back control of the fight. She works forward immediately, bringing her power to bear, looking to back up the brunette. Cole not having. Holding ground. Firing back. And. It. Is. On! Serious two-way firefight develops with both blonde and brunette looking to impose will and neither willing to have will imposed. Heaviest shot of the fight from Cole lands, but does not dissuade Doutzen, who's landing lusty stuff every bit as hard as the leather she hammered home in the second, third and fourth. It's clear something's got to give. And. Something does. And, quickly, too. The punch in question is a sledgehammer right that blasts between upraised gloves, lands flush, and blows the recipient to her back. BLONDE. GIRL. DOWN! Kroes crashes to the canvas, bounces once, and settles on her back, legs together, arms out wide. Cole quickly to a neutral corner. Referee begins the count. Kroes sees and hears nothing. Eyes closed, she slumbers blissfully as the count passes her by. It's over! And your winner by KO7 in one punch fashion is Taylor Cole!

AFTER:

Kroes brought around in stages. FCBA debut ended badly, but there's no criticizing the quality of the competition she selected to make it. Cole, meanwhile, showing a bit more respect in the post fight. "She caught me one," the brunette admits. "Had me in trouble for awhile, but she couldn't finish me. And, that's what I was talking about in the pre-fight. Yes, she can hit. But, I've been IN with hitters. My legs can handle a big punch. The question now is, can hers?"   Doutzen bristling at the question, eyes narrowing, "Obviously, Taylor has never been over to the BBU before or she wouldn't be asking that question.    I'll be happy to answer that NEXT time!"