MALIKA MENARD VS MISSY PEREGRYM
Results: Lookout     Writing: Archer
Malika:  29 YO, 5’9 ½ (1.76 m), FCBA Debut (BBU: 18-5-0 since 2011, BBU Lightweight Champion). Foxfire Atlantic Boxing.
Missy: 34 YO, 5’7 1/2 (1.71 m), 45-20-2 since 2006, Lookout Boxing

Before: Malika Menard makes her FCBA debut with this fight and she exudes confidence at the podium . It would appear she has been making an extra effort to polish her English so as to speak directly to the press.

“I wish to thank the FCBA for being so welcoming to me. I know that “La Grande Malika’ may not be known to all North American boxing fans, but you will soon learn why I am a champion in my home federation. I was pleased to be able to fight a former champion in Missy Peregrym. While she is older than myself, she is well-known to FCBA fans, so when I defeat her, they must take notice that I have arrived in triumph. I do not expect an easy fight—but I do expect to emerge with a victory.”

Missy Peregrym listens to this with some bemusement before taking her turn at the podium: :”I have had a couple of fights in the BBU and won them, both. I do respect the fighters, though I will admit being unfamiliar with Malika Menard, but she is the Lightweight champion I presume she is worthy of it. I just wish to say she is right—fighting me will not be easy and actually beating me will be even harder. I hope she does not mind my spoiling her FCBA debut, but no Lookout fighter will allow someone associated with our arch-rivals Foxfire to get the better of them. Consider yourself warned, Malika.”

Malika apparently has to pause to translate this in her head before replying: “Consider yourself warned, Missy, I can be merciless in victory.”

“So can I,” Missy fires right back.

Tension is still strong on fight night. Malika in a black bikini, black gloves and boots. Long hair hanging loose. Missy in a gold bikini with gold gloves and boots, short hair hanging loose. Fighters tense, looking eager to get this going, listening impatient to referee recite the rules, then a quick glove swipe and it’s back to their corners. The bell rings promptly.

R1:  Missy going for pressure early as she gets right up the French boxer and brings her gloves pumping into the former Miss France’s long body. Malika not liking this treatment swings around Missy and strikes back at her body. Missy pivoting to keep up and the two settle into toe to toe action. Closeness gives some advantage to Missy as Malika is unable to deploy her longer arms, though she keeps them in steady action. Missy scores some nice chin shots late and Malika looks stung by them. She tries to get around Missy looking for openings, but Missy blocking her. Malika jabbing back, scoring to Missy’s head, but it’s not enough to keep Missy from edging Malika out on the cards.

R2: Malika shows she can move fast with those long, strong legs and use her superior reach o smack Missy in the face as the round gets under way. Missy retreating with a bleeding lower lip, but Malika keeps a steady pursuit firing her accurate leather to continue to bust up Missy’s face and give her breasts a thumping for variety. Missy looking flustered, keeps backing up and manages to avoid ropes, but Malika seems to enjoying cutting up the Canadian’s lovely face. Malika smirking at the bell, Missy looking a bit shaken by Malika's firepower.

R3:  Missy looking defensive and cautious as this round gets underway. Malika seems more than happy to be the aggressor. She’s moving with considerable grace as she draws Missy off balance and keeps firing those long rights and lefts into Missy’s swelling face. Then Malika dips down, makes a move with the left aimed at Missy’s face to bring the Canadian’s guard up, but then bringing a powerful hook crashing into Missy’s solar plexus. MISSY PEREGRYM IS DOWN! Missy on all fours, head hanging down as she gasps for air and tries to shake of the paralyzing agony in her solar plexus. Malika watching wolfishly from neutral corner. Missy makes a great effort and is able to rise to beat the count. Fight resumes, but Missy’s clearly been hurt and she does her best to keep out of Malika Menard’s range. Malika has to use long range shots that aren’t as effective as is early punching, but she keeps Missy firmly on the defensive and wins the round wide.

R4: Lookout corner crew swarming around Missy who slumps on her stool clearly still feeling that solar plexus shot. Missy slow off her stool and very defensive as Malika Menard comes gliding in and resumes her long range attack. Malika striking hard at Missy’s head keeping her ducking down behind her gloves, then ramming hooks into Missy’s midsection. Missy able to keep moving enough to keep Malika from another shot into her solar plexus, but she’s not showing much in the way of counters. Malika keeps up the shelling to the bell and comes away with a shutout win of the stanza.

R5: Malika again comes swooping in on Missy, but this time she runs into a furious jabbing counterattack. Now it’s Malika who gets her face banged up and leather driven into her midsection. Malika looks startled for a moment at the comeback, but then she pulls herself together and takes up Missy’s challenge. Missy hammering Malika hard to the body with short hooks. Malika going overhand to bang Missy’s forehead and manages to get a trickling cut started on Missy’s hairline. Missy keeps pressing forward with her body attack and forcing Malika into cramped, toe to toe action. Malika fighting hard, but she gets banging up steadily and by the end of the round, Missy has edged ahead with the edges to win a close round.

R6: Missy seems reinvigorated by her comeback R5 and takes the offensive right from of the start of this round. Malika gets her face smacked around early, cheekbones now looking puffy and reddening fast. Missy more than happy to use the cheeks as a continued target when she’s not attacking Malika’s torso. Missy finally forcing Malika into backing up. Malika becoming elusive, but Missy maintains a steady pursuit and hounds the French fighter to the bell. Missy now has a round won by a wide margin on her card.

R7: Malika tries to regain control of the fight with a strong attack on Missy in the opening minute. Malika bouncing punches off Missy’s head making her take evasive action and trying to get the cobwebs out of her brain. Malika tries to take advantage by moving around the dazed Missy to strike at her again, but Missy has her jab up now and the round turns into another toe to toe battle. Missy’s counters growing stronger as round progresses, but Malika stubbornly hanging in. Malika winds a close round, but Missy is glaring at her defiantly as they go to their corners.

R8: Missy comes surging back with determination this round. She bangs her way through Malika’s defenses and starts landing punches steadily. Missy constantly shifting her targets to keep Malika off balance, but she is noticeably lumping the French beauty’s face and doing damage to Malika battered midsection. Malika backing away, but Missy now hard to shake and she keeps Malika on the run to the bell. No surprise this round goes to Missy Peregrym by a wide margin.

R9:  Malika clearly knows Missy got the better of her last round is out to reverse that in this stanza. Malika’s got the mobility and she tries to use it to surprise Missy early on. Missy get struck hard to head and body and seems to be struggling to cope with this latest offensive flurry. Missy stabilizes and does her best to draw Malika into more toe to toe action. Malika tries to resist the impulse to try to defeat Missy at her own, but finally gives in and it sets off a furious exchange right down to the bell. In fact, the referee has to jump in and break it up. Both fighters looking banged up, bloody, but still full of fight. Judges give it to Malika by a close margin.

R10: Last round, Malika seems determined she’s going to smash through Missy’s defense and put the Lookout fighter on the canvas. Furious attack early seems to have Missy swamped, but she doesn’t lose her head and uses her jab to bring the offensive to a slow halt. Malika gave it her at all but she couldn’t quite do it and she seems uncertain of what to do next. A fatal hesitation for Missy strikes hard to the belly to stagger the French champion and then rips a right uppercut straight up into Malika’s weakly guarded chin. Malika caught flush, actually gets lifted off her feet and thrown back into the ropes like a discarded doll. Malika bounces off the ropes and just topples face-first into the canvas, arms at her sides as she bounces and then lays there moaning softly. Referee moves in promptly as the Lookout Boxing supporters chant “SEVEN!...EIGHT!...NINE!...TEN!...YOU’RE OUT!”
The bell rings and the referee holds aloft the arm of a smiling Missy Peregrym.
The Winner: MISSY PEREGRYM KO10!

After: Lookout Boxing corners explodes in joy.  Emily VanCamp and Yvonne Strahovski hug Missy while Nina Dobrev and Vanessa Hudgens take photos of the fallen Malika Menard. They bring Missy word that Malika has been brought around and is sitting on her stool. Gloating chuckles through the Lookout ranks as Missy (now shed of her gloves) to saunter over and order Malika on her feet.  Malika looks stricken, but Missy takes a firm grip on her right arm and her to her feet. They are then off on a prolonged Walk of Shame where the mortified Malika gets shown off to the fans as the other Lookout boxers hoot and jeer. This gets to be too much for Foxfire Boxing, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Rachel Nichols, Mandy Moore and Laura Vandervoort climb into the ring to rescue their Foxfire Atlantic colleague from her tormenters. Some sharp words are exchanged (Mary and Yvonne get all chesty bumping into each other giving rise to prospects of a catfight between them), but then Missy releases Malika to the arms of Rachel and Laura who comfort her as the Foxfire forces withdraw from the ring.

“Malika’s a tough one,” Missy concedes, “ but I have beaten tough opponents before and that’s just what I did this time. The Walk of Shame? I think I earned it. Maybe it was a little crowded, but my Lookout stablemates were excited at my beating a champion like Malika. So I let them share in the excitement. I might have known it would pull in those other Foxfire girls—they just can’t stand it when we show up one of them like that. That’s why we like to do it.”

Foxfire spokesperson Beth Harnois looks disgusted at Missy’s comments: “They are such bullies over there. Poor Malika was so upset when she realized she had lost and got taken on that walk of shame by Peregyrm and her coven of mean girls. Malika? She’s fine now and she seems more determined than ever to succeed in the FCBA. Missy and Lookout are going to sorry at what they started.  Malika told me herself: ‘La Grande Malika never forgets an insult! This one will be avenged!’ So consider yourself warned Lookout—you’re going to get burned by the fire you started!”

Too bad the fight ended so many hard feelings. It was a close fight, but Missy Peregrym’s tactic of drawing Malika Menard into damaging close-in fights paid off in the end. The French boxer showed she’s got power and mobility along with enough durability to carry her late in the rounds. Some better ring tactics might have made a difference for Ms. Menard. It will be interesting to see if she can learn from this initial loss and make her presence felt on this side of the Atlantic. Meanwhile, Missy Peregrym can relish a well-earned victory and her fans can look forward to her next lightweight opponent.