BEFORE: Former multiple track cycling Olympic champion Victoria Pendleton is called into reporting duty after Real View's Michelle Joy Phelps left Rio de Janeiro already but whoever followed the live broadcast from Riocentro last week knows all about the Olympic Trials concept that became an overnight sensation in the female celebrity boxing world. Indeed Pendleton - on regular BBC Radio 5 schedule these two weeks - scored an emphatic stoppage of Bulgarian sprinter Ivet Lalova to warrant her place in the ring but we're not quite done with the track & fielders just yet as just 24 hours before the long jump competition gets under way, two of the event's biggest stars are set to clash gloves before a packed BBU TV audience.

Darya Klishina made all the news for good & bad reasons lately. While her national team was unceremoniously removed from the Games by IAAF, she was allowed to compete based on the fact she lives in the United States for the past three years and is subject to American doping control. Alas just two days ago she was banned from Rio by IAAF herself only for the CAS ruling to bring her back into the fold under International Olympic Committe flag. If Klishina was indeed thrown out for good, tonight's bout would be called off and the BBU fans back in Europe wouldn't have enjoyed this classic long jump duel at all with several athletes unable to accept the Serbian challenge on short notice.

That Serbian challenge comes from the current two-time world championship bronze medallist Ivana Spanovic who has become the top European long jumper over the past couple of years and remains the safest bet to prevent Brittney Reese from defending her Olympic gold this week. But first she will try to confirm her dominance over the Russian blonde Klishina whom she outperformed on a regular basis lately - even though she still owes a slightly inferior personal best mark (7.02m compared to Darya's 7.05m).

Klishina is 5'11" tall while Spanovic 5'9 1/2" and that's way above Pendleton's frame so the track cycling legend can focus on reporting duty rather than some last minute match-up changes. Standard athletics kit on display: Darya Klishina wears a red & white Russian team vest, small light blue shorts and white gloves. Strikingly blonde hair pulled back into a long ponytail (pictured). Ivana Spanovic wears a dark shade red Serbian team vest, small blue shorts and black gloves. Dark brown hair pulled back into a similar long ponytail. The fight is scheduled for ten rounds in the welterweight division.

Rounds 1 & 2:
Classic duck & weave show early in the fight as both girls are clearly not exactly familiar with the boxing setup and prefer to throw single punches - simply trying to look competitive rather than actually being so. Ivana mounts a solid double combo to force the blonde's hand but Darya refuses to engage in brawling action until the brunette closes her down and pummels back into the ropes with a high jabbing effort. It looks like Klishina backed off at will though yet she shuts down the Serbian's looming attack when she swings over tho top and catches Spanovic on the nose. She misses a chance to punch herself from the corner and bounces off the forearms before Ivana restores the dominant position and buries the Russian under a heavy barrage that finally begins to resemble a proper boxing fight. However she misfires most of the time and fails to land that lone big punch that would rattle Darya off her comfort zone.

Round 3:
Ivana settles down first and throws twice as many punches as her lanky opponent but the precision remains an issue and when Darya actually swings back herself, she scores the meaningful leather thumping the Serbian on the cheeks. Spanovic can't keep her guard high enough so endures a facial assault in the center of the ring while her footwork also lacks a solid bite and enables Klishina to rally back into full contention. Both girls don't move well here at all and their towering presence seems to be the biggest issue however they must have some power available and Darya piles on a jabbing series on the body to lock the brunette into a brief clinch before wrestling her back to the ropes for the first time. Ivana groans in her attempts to break free but gets pounded repeatedly on the ribcage and struggles to fend off that late Russian charge.

Round 4:
Klishina becomes the aggressor now and shuts Spanovic down with a flurry of overhand jabs to stagger the brunette in the center of the ring again. Victoria Pendleton thinks the precision of the blonde's attack does the trick and prevents the other girl from making any progress but one can only wonder how long will the Serbian guard withstand the pressure? Darya skims off the forearms in a failed body attack and Ivana drags her into a lenghty clinch this time around before finally drilling the blonde's ribcage and turning her butt-in-ropes after a mighty effort. Klishina squeals in anger and blasts the Serbian across the mouth however fails to shake her off and soaks up a late jabbing series on the breadbasket as Spanovic shows some fighting spirit and improved punching resistance along the way following that shaky start to the round.

Round 5:
More clean punches up the middle tame Klishina's charge in the early going in the fifth and it looks like Spanovic has finally found her rhythm as she pours in with more jabbing beef to the body and wraps the blonde into a war of attrition which catches the Riocentro by surprise. A nasty series on the liver area bends Darya into spasms and she fails to weather the unexpected body assault, reeling back to the ropes underneath the Serbian onslaught. She lifts her head in the middle of that hectic frenzy but the gloves don't follow and Spanovic WHACKS her on the mouth before a left hook finds the temple and spins the Russian into the turnbuckle! Ugh! Ivana sets up another jabbing blast and splits her rival's mitts on the spot - Klishina suddenly soaks up a vicious Serbian drive that shatters her confidence; she's visibly spooked in the eyes while Spanovic leans forward and maintains the punching drill. Darya's gloves provide no protection anymore and when the brunette bursts her lips into visible swelling, SHE HAS TO TAKE A KNEE simply to avoid more trouble! Ivana stares down at the fellow long jumper with little sympathy and breaths very heavily, she really put a lot of effort into that drive and managed to expose the Russian's defense. However the clock expires during the slow eight count and Darya is handed a much-needed break with Ivana shaking her head in displeasure.

Round 6:
Ivana stamps her authority on the bout which was perhaps ineviteable in wake of that knockdown. Darya did take a knee somewhat willingly but her confidence is gone and she gets tangled up in a classic jabbing galore that threatens to dismantle her high guard for good. Spanovic is back into upgraded work rate and sends too much leather on target to be bothered with any sort of response from Klishina. Indeed, the Russian bellows out into a tight earmuff but leaves too much room downstairs and it's only down to Spanovic's lack of vision that she doesn't get her liver area destroyed sooner. Ivana becomes too focused on the head hunting assault which allows her to pound the cumbersome blonde onto the ropes but only after some fans urge her to strike to the body, she finally harpoons the exosed area to immediately turn up the volume of Darya's spasms. However that happens too late to make the difference anymore and the blonde somehow survives another Serbian assault in one piece - this time even without the knockdown drama.

Round 7:
A brief delay before the seventh as Darya complains of chest pains but refuses to quit on her stool - that's the old fashioned Soviet spirit right there. Ivana barks in anger and looks ready to go anytime while she inspects the commotion in the opposite corner with visible disdain. She ROARS into immediate jabbing assault and wraps the Russian up in a head hunting frenzy with poor Darya sinking on her knees with every punch after a while. Once again she leaves her feet behind and wobbles forward straight into a jaw-checking uppercut which Ivana follows with a quick hook on the brow ridge. Klishina is all rattled here and drops her gloves alltogether so the Serbian smashes her across the nose with what proves to be the last punch of the night! BLONDE GOES DOWN and stays down! Poor Dasha rolls onto her back and buries her face between the gloves but doesn't make an effort to beat the count anymore. Why bother when you're getting your ass kicked so badly? KO7 Ivana Spanovic!!!

AFTER: Mutual respect between the two as Ivana shakes her glove in a brief sign of success but eventually offers the fallen Russian a helping hand and lifts her off the canvas. A couple of bruises under the left eye mark Klishina's boxing debut and she's not the most frequent to smile around the arena either but she's escorted back to her corner by Ivana and both girls chat about the upcoming long jump competition that kicks off with qualifying on Tuesday already. One should never forget about the prime reason of making the long journey to Rio de Janeiro after all.

Victoria Pendleton looks pleased by the effort from both these long jumpers, allthough she's not an expert whatsoever, but hopes the next edition of Real View programme will feature the highlight reel from tonight's bout: "I know the Olympic Trials enjoyed heavy following on twitter the other day and perhaps Michelle Joy Phelps got a little jealous with us, pro athletes on top of their game, stealing the show. Well, you just have to get used to it, gurl! No messing about here in Rio! This is serious stuff allthough we don't give out medals for boxing performance! Gotta catch up with Nicola Adams (reigning Olympic boxing champion) now. I bet she enjoyed this one as much as I did!"

Final result: Ivana Spanovic def. Darya Klishina KO7.