CH CLAIRE DANES VS RACHEL MCADAMS
UNIFIED BANTAMWEIGHT TITLE
Results: Lookout   Writing: Archer
Claire:  37 YO, 5’5 ½ (1.65 m),  88-50-6 since 1999, Hawkeye International
Rachel: 37 YO, 5’4 (1.63 m), 46-33-1 since 2005, Foxfire Boxing

Before:  Challenger Rachel McAdams is first to take the podium for the pre-fight: “It’s strange to think I have been in the FCBA for 11 years and this will be only the third time we’ve fought. I beat her at the end of my first year in 2005 with a UD10. Then it wasn’t until October 2012 we fought again and Claire got the better of me with a decision, but it look 2 extra rounds to get it.  So this will be the rubber match AND a chance for me to wear those belts again. I refuse to say this is my last chance at a title, but I can read a calendar as well as anyone and I know time is running out. So I will not let this opportunity slip away. I want those belts and I want them more than I thought possible. So Claire, you will be fighting the most motivated fighter you have ever had to deal with it—take that as  warning.”

Claire serene as she glides to the podium: “Now, Rachel, if you want those belts so much, I just hope I don’t break your spirit when I keep them out of your grasp. You need to have a mature attitude about titles—you and I have both had them and know you can’t keep them forever. I do agree it is a lovely belt to have and, I most certainly don’t intend to give it to someone who has ducked fighting me for years.”

Rachel sits bolt upright: “I never ducked you Claire—it just worked out that we only fought the two times!”

“Of yes, of course, ‘it just worked out that way’, well, I am fighting you for the very great pleasure of denying you the title. I want to see you crying when they hand the belt back to me!” Claire says with malicious delight. “I still remember how sweet it felt to beat you that second time—UD12. You couldn’t believe you had lost, but you did! I want to see that look of devastation on your face again!”

Rachel rises from her chair, fingers clawed and looks ready to charge: “How dare you talk to me like that arrogant bytch!”

“It’s not arrogance if you can really do it an I really will crush your dreams! See you in the ring! And say hello Jennifer G for me! I’m sure my old HISC stablemate still has a grudge about being kicked to the curb by the HISC suits. It’s always wonderful when we can thwart her, too!” Claire sneers and then sweeps off the stage as Beth Harnois grabs Rachel to hold her back.

“Save it for the fight! She’s trying to distract you!” Beth is telling Rachel.

“Oooooo! I hate that strawberry blonde jobber! I do!” Rachel is snarling in frustration. “I’ll beat her and stuff that belt down her nasty throat!”

Reporters all set to write about “how good it is to have a fight between two classy veterans” now have to tear that up and start reporting on this sudden renewal of the HISC/Foxfire hostility. Follow up press events get turned into shoving matches and only the presence of Security keeps the two fighters separated. As fight night rolls around, Claire in a gold one-piece cut high on the hips to show off those strong and gorgeous legs. Gold gloves and boots complete the outfit. Strawberry blonde hair pulled back into a battle braid intertwined with gold ribbon. Rachel in a red one piece with black trim, black gloves and boots (red laces). Rachel’s blonde hair pulled back in a tight braid (no ribbon). Rachel uncharacteristically seething as she faces a snidely smiling Claire. Referee tries to be stern with his warnings about following, though it is not clear how much attention the fighters are listening. Gloves come together is a loud smack and then two go to their corners. After a tense moment, the bell sounds…

R1: Claire at her slipperiest to start this round, using her footwork to weave around a clearly angry Rachel McAdams and send stinging shots into the Foxfire veteran’s face. Rachel just can’t seem to control her anger and she keeps charging. Claire happily busting Rachel up, but then Rachel manages to block Claire off and start blazing away at the Danes’ torso. Claire not liking this, but answered back with some solid leather to the McAdams’ chassis. Rachel trying to hang in, but then Claire rings her up with quick left and right swats to the jaw. Rachel pulling back and taking some quick Danes belly hooks to speed her along. Rachel stabilizes late behind her jab and duels with Claire to the bell, but Claire takes the round close.

R2:  Rachel moves quickly to the attack in this round. She puts a stop to Claire’s fancy footwork with a clouting right and follow up left to the chin. Claire staggering under the impacts, puts her gloves uop to cover her face, but Rachel then fires away into the Danes’ midsection. Claire doubling up, but maintaining her face in gloves even as Rachel pressure punches her back against the ropes. Claire clinches to break up Rachel’s momentum and then she tries to jab her way back into the round. Rachel keeping up the pressure on Claire’s body to the bell. Round goes to Rachel McAdams by a wide margin.

R3: Claire now tries to regain the offensive and her movements are again a challenge to Rachel. However Rachel quicker to figure out answer with some slick movements of her own. Claire finds herself drawn into a fierce pressure battle at close range. Rachel taking a good many strong punches to the ribs and belly, but she leans to bring strong leather crashing into Claire’s torso. Two of them are glaring deep into the others’ eyes as they pound away. Then Claire launches a fresh burst of energy and makes Rachel shudder with the impacts on her midsection. Rachel being slowly driven back, though she fights with defiance all the way to the bell. Claire breathing hard at the break gives Rachel a triumphant look. Rachel reaches out to shove Claire back. Referee jumps to force Rachel away from the still smirking Claire.

R4: Claire looks pretty confident coming off her stool following a hard-won round. Rachel looks grim and determined as she sits during the break, but the instant the bell sounds, she rockets across the ring. Claire barely able to escape being pinned against her own corner, but as she tries to duck passed Rachel, McAdams catches her on the side of the head with a lunging right hand. Claire spun around and Rachel fires quick straight rights and lefts into Claire’s face. Claire’s arms flaying the air as she gets pounded back against the ropes. Claire doubled over, but gloves are not up tightly. Rachel able to smash uppercuts into Claire’s face. Claire now sitting in the ropes, but has her hands up to protect her face and hunching up to protect her belly. Rachel trying to stay out of clinching range keeps the pressure on the sides of Claire’s skull and her flanks. Claire just riding out the bombardment. Rachel just firing away with full fury., She’s making Claire ache with pain, but the strong Danes legs are not faltering (and it doesn’t hurt to have her butt in the ropes). The torrent is finally ended by the bell. Claire looking woozily around as her face is now a blotched and swollen wreck. Rachel smiling with pleasure, brushes a stray tendril of hair off her face and sashays back to her corner.

R5: Rachel knows she’s got Claire hurt, but that’s not the same as her being finished. Rachel sets out to out Claire down with another furious attack at the start. Claire again forced to scramble to get out of her own corner, but this time she able block Rachel’s incoming with a sturdy jab. Rachel gets her face struck hard, but gets hooked hard to the belly. Rachel fights her way in despite the jab and pounds away at Claire’s body, while trying to get at her jaw, but being blocked. Two are now circling and punching hard, trying to get in a decisive blow. Never quite happens. Both of them have taken a lot of leather by the time the bell rings. Judges give it to Rachel by a close count of the points. Rachel not pleased to have been unable to Claire, who smiles to be smiling grimly as she sits on her stool at having escaped this fate.

R6:  Claire and Rachel both plunge at each other with renewed energy this round. Claire able to bob and weave in quickly to light up Rachel’s chin with her left, then gives her jaw some follow-up cracks with her right. Rachel stunned but answered with a powerhouse right aimed at Claire’s temple. But Claire swivels and blocks it with her left shoulder, then counters with a right that splits Rachel’s left eyebrow. Rachel oozing blood, falls back, but Claire’s in pursuit driving her leather deep into Rachel’s already aching guts. Rachel twisting evasive, throws up her jab and manages to swipe Claire across the mouth causing her to pull up short. Pause of a few moments, then the two fights go back at each again, Rachel aiming more at Claire’s head, but Claire getting a lot of head movement to blunt the effort. Claire again working Rachel’s body in a steady drumfire attack. Rachel unwilling to back down has to try to get at Claire’s body, but she’s not as successful as Claire at landing good punches. Costs Rachel on the judges’ cards after the round ends: they give the stanza to Claire Danes - close.

R7: Rachel looking tired as she slumps on her stool. That cut over her left eye gets special attention from the Foxfire corner crew. Rachel’s one piece concealing the amount of damage done by Claire’s relentless body attack, but sharp-eyed observers can tell by the way she’s moving that Rachel’s torso must be a mass of overlapping bruises. Still, Rachel makes a brave effort to rise from her stool and come out fighting. Claire’s showing some signs of a hurting body and her face is swollen and discolored, but she looks fresher coming at Rachel. Claire makes some early shots at Rachel’s head, but then goes right back to pounding the belly meat. Rachel shuddering noticeably as she absorbs this hard-driven leather. She sends back a series of erratic counters as she tries to get out of range. Claire shark-like in stalking her wounded quarry, she keeps going to the body, but then surprises the beleaguered Rachel with quick punches to the head and ultimately a driving right into that repaired left eyebrow. A moan of pain escapes Rachel as she reels back, blood trickling down the side of her face. Claire feints at the eye to get Rachel to raise her guard and then bangs belly with a grinding series of hooks that are sending electric shocks through Rachel’s body. Claire doesn’t seem to be rushing to a finish, but keeps up the pressure to the bell. Rachel swaying, a forlorn look on her face, but then quickly turns and makes her unsteady way back to her corner. Claire watching with interest as Foxfire corner seems to want to end this now, but Rachel grabs head trainer Virginia Madsen’s arm to plead that they not throw in the towel. Virginia looks troubled but lets the battered veteran do this her way.

R8: Rachel again tries to pull her reserves together and come out fighting. Claire not about to let Rachel get back in this fight crushes the attempted offensive with another round of body hooks. Rachel gasping and groaning as each hook comes crushing home and doubles up. Claire lifting uppercuts into Rachel’s tipped forward face. Just steady punching and SUDDENLY RACHEL’S KNEES BUCKLE! Rachel sinks towards the canvas, but as she does, Claire brings a blockbuster right crashing against Rachel’s jaw. RACHEL MCADAMS CRASHES ONTO HER SIDE. Rachel curling up, arms wrapped around around her body slowly rocking from side to side. Referee is counting, but Rachel is not hearing it. Suddenly IT’S OVER!

THE WINNER AND STILL BANTAMWEIGHT CHAMPION: CLAIRE DANES KO8!

After: Claire wearily wipes one forearm across her sweaty brow and smiles happily at the sight of her crushed amount all curled up and moaning. Ever helpful Mish Williams climbs into the ring to snap some iPod photos of Rachel being helped to her feet, scarcely able to stand. Social media soon filled with this photographic proof of “D-Train Domination” (as one excited follower puts it)

“It was an interesting fight,” Claire tells the press, “I did have a couple of bad moments, but I knew if I kept hitting her to the body, McAdams would break. I didn’t really need that last punch to the jaw, I’d broken her to the body, but it will look so good in Boxing World I just had to give them the picture. All in all, I am very satisfied with my performance. I crushed Rachel’s dreams of a title and ensured my reign will go on., I can’t tell you how good that feels. Who is next? Please, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Let me savor this win and then we’ll see who is next.”

Its not until the next day that a glum Rachel McAdams, wearing dark glasses to shield what is rumored to be a gorgeous shiner around her left eye, speaks to the press.
 
“I don’t have much too say. This was a very sad loss for me,” she says. “I fought my heart out! I hurt Claire at times, but, in the end, it wasn’t enough. Maybe she did succeed in distracting me with her pre-fight antics, but I’ve been around long enough not to let it get to me. No, I am nit even considering quitting, I wouldn’t give Danes the satisfaction, but I do see the need to regroup. I will be back. I can assure you all that. In the meantime, you’ll have to excuse me,I have a date with a number of ice packs.”

Excellent back and forth battle of veteran bantams with Claire Danes getting the best of Rachel McAdams (going  1 up in their lifetime series). Could Claire pre-fight “mind games” have given her the psychological edge? Maybe, but it was her body attack that allowed Claire to put Rachel down and that was a physical not mental attack. So now Claire looks around for her next opponent. She just proved she can beat someone her own age—but what about all those hungry younger bantams down the line ready to snatch her belt? Should be very telling if Claire can turn back someone younger as well as she defeated Rachel. As for Rachel, this has to be a hard loss for her, but she remains a dangerous bantam and no younger fighter should take her lightly despite this defeat.