BEFORE: Both these players lost in the second round of the tennis competition, Alize Cornet fell to the world #1 Serena Williams while Heather Watson forced a deciding set against Elina Svitolina before also going down. However that was couple of days ago and now they're ready to duke it out in the Pavillion 6 of the Riocentro under special BBU Trials rules. Michelle Joy Phelps predicts another British victory (to add to Victoria Pendleton's from minutes ago) based on the fact Cornet is completely new to the boxing genre while Watson made her debut back in April already. However she was swept away by Natalie Eva Marie then and her confidence remains a great mystery now that she's no longer British #1 in tennis anymore.

Alize Cornet wears a navy blue basque top, white knickers and red gloves. Dark blonde hair tied in a high ponytail. Heather Watson wears a Union Jack themed bikini set and black gloves. Black hair tied in a fishtail braid. The fight is scheduled for ten rounds in the welterweight division.

Round 1:
Watson enjoys some early mid distance success as she picks off the slowly moving opponent and Cornet simply looks unsettled on her debut as she allows the Guernsey girl to dominate the action. Heather maybe lacks confidence but she needs to take the most out of Alize's sluggish start and she does just that for the remainder of the round landing clean shots into Cornet's face alas those are single strikes most of the time and she fails to push her foe into the ropes. Alize shows some fancy footwork to escape the British heat down the stretch but someone needs to tell her boxing also requires throwing punches, not just avoiding them.

Round 2:
It's obvious Watson's been dealt a much easier draw than Natalie Eva Marie on her debut but she fails to break a desperate French clinch early on and whe she finally gets free, Cornet clubs her on the mouth with a left hook before another one smacks her on the temple from the other side. Heather barks in anger but Alize ducks underneath her overhand response and lands another hook on the mouth which wobbles the Guernsey girl on her heels and allows Cornet to trigger a chaotic but uptempo attack. The French woman blasts Watson's high guard aside and backs her into the ropes which is a sad sight for all ye UK fans and the footwork leaves a lot to desire since Heather weaves around in avoidance but can't shake off Cornet's steady jabbing pressure thereafter.

Round 3:
Michelle Joy Phelps looks very surprised by Heather's woeful display in the previous round and suddenly Cornet jumps into another close range blast exposing her rival's mediocre guard. Watson keeps misfiring over the top in the response and bends awkwardly when she gets tagged on the liver area as Alize gets vocal and shouts "Allez! when she bends the Guernsey lass against the turnbuckle come the two minute mark. The action picks up in this round but it's one-sided and Watson is pummelled back into the corner where she only applies a high earmuff cover and doesn't bother with clinching her opponent who has a field day pounding the exposed gut in the dying seconds of the round.

Round 4:
Watson tries to restore some UK pride and nails the lively Frenchwoman with a hooking approach but lacks a proper follow up and chases shadows thereafter when Cornet deploys the fancy footwork to aid her cause. Indeed, the 26 year old from Nice seems to have settled in much better after that terrible opening round and now stays on top of the defensive attire as well as using the slightly superior reach into her advantage. She's two inches taller than Watson and easily picks her off with a peppering jab which only fuels Heather's frustration come the final minute. Michelle Joy Phelps thinks that if Cornet actually had more core strenght in her, she'd have knocked the Guernsey girl down already.

Rounds 5 & 6:
Action slows down during the next six minutes as Alize maintains her mid distance supremacy but fails to land a truly bug shot to rattle the Brit beyond the red zone. On the other hand Heather simply doesn't know how to cope with her opponent's skillset and is too slow to catch her with a lucky haymaker. Michelle Joy Phelps thinks Alize will try to wear the Guernsey lass out here and she might be right. Cornet is known to have played some ridiculously long matches on the WTA tour and rarely succumbs to cramps on court. If anyone runs out of gas here, it's probably the increasingly frustrated Watson.

Round 7:
Early signs of Watson running on empty, her footwork has been below par before and now she's sagging on her heels after a quick jabbing drive from Cornet finds the liver area again. Heather clinches her foe briefly but Alize shouts some French vocabulary straight into her ear before gaining separation and blasting a left cross on the nose. Watson wobbles back onto the ropes and needs to wrap her hands around them in order to stay upright however Alize is right on cue and adds a left/right combo that nails the vulnerable Brit on the nose again AND SLIDES HER DOWN ON HER BACKSIDE moments later! More "Allez!" shouts from the French girl as she struts back to her corner. Heather's eyes look beat plain and simple as she gets up at seven and almost quits on the spot but takes one last deep breath and launches a late rally to prevent Cornet from shutting her down for good. However most of the Brit's strikes bounce off the forearms and Alize lands another low punch on the liver to bend a yelping Heather against her shoulder right at the bell.

Round 8:
There's almost no way back for Heather anymore as she gets outmanouvered into a jabbing frenzy early in the eight and can barely catch her breath anymore. Menawhile Alize keeps barking French words in delight as she stacks the Guernsey girl up in the corner and just hammers her way onto the body with Watson's lungs sending smoke signals of retirement. Cornet punches the last ounce of air out of Watson shortly after the minute mark and when the battered Brit cries out her loudest yet, THE REF STEPS IN and halts the contest on the spot. TKO8 Alize Cornet!!!

AFTER: That was very impressive from the French girl who looked all out of sorts after the first three minutes but rallied back to pummel the British number two into near exhaustion. Heather is hurt simply breathing and she's lucky Cornet doesn't have the Maria Sharapova or Angelique Kerber-like power to her disposal or else she'd be leaving the Rio Games with some fractured ribs according to Michelle Joy Phelps.

Victoria Pendleton escorts a sobbing Heather out of the ring and well, Team GB didn't quite sweep the inaugural night of BBU Olympic Trials and Michelle Joy Phelps concludes this was a difficult task to achieve to begin with. Heather's confidence woes are one thing but she looks short of weaponry on the big stage which is far more worrisome. Considering Laura Robson's persistent injury problems, it's no wonder neither of these two players once touted as the future of British tennis are nowhere near the WTA elite at this stage.

Final result: Alize Cornet def. Heather Watson TKO8.