Posted 9/30/16. 4:35 pm

Chloe Bennet vs. Emily VanCamp
(Words: FS / Results: Lookout!)

BEFORE:
 
No hype needed for this one. It's one of the hottest prospects in the entire FCBA, 'The Next Big Thing', the streaking Chloe Bennet, against two-time bantamweight champion Emily VanCamp. And, while Bennet might have as much promise as anyone in the FCBA, she's well aware that she's not the favorite on this night. "She's the champion," says Chloe with a nod. "I'm the one who has to step up my game. And, that's exactly what I plan to do."

"It's cute," says Emily with a smile. "All this 'Next Big Thing' stuff. But. The fact of the matter is, as long as I'M in the FCBA's bantamweight division, SHE'LL never be anything more than second best."

ROUND ONE:
 
Recon the name of the game early. Bennet, as anyone who's seen her fight knows, likes to bring the pain. Oh, she can box, and she has done, But, what she likes to do is get physical early and often. VanCamp, meanwhile, likes to box at middle distances, though, at times, when it suits her, when she's created the right conditions for it, she'll use all that length she has to come forward behind the left jab. Interestingly, though, there's not much of any of that stuff in the opening frame. Instead, there's a lot of movement, a lot of jabbing and feinting, a lot of looking to create openings and seeing what might be there and what won't be there as the fight goes on. Not much is made clear in this round due to its tactical nature. One thing, however, definitely is. And that's the fact that, no matter what she SAYS, VanCamp has respect for Bennet. Maybe not Bennet the person, but Bennet the fighter. And, that's made obvious by the caution with which she approaches the opening three. By the bell, there's not much in it, but it's Chloe who's won it close and taken the 10-9 lead.

ROUND TWO:

Now, Emily's getting into gear. Blonde working in those middle distances she likes, and getting off in combination. Only trouble is, Chloe's not at all troubled by any of this. Instead, the brunette's responding in kind, boxing with. And doing it very, very well. Anyone who'd watched video of VanCamp wouldn't have been surprised to see the fight move to these terms, the fighters moving head, shoulders, feet, putting punches together, turning at mid-ring. But, they may well have been surprised to see that VanCamp wasn't gaining the advantage playing this game. Well. Surprise. Surprise. Surprise. Because, this is nip and tuck stuff for the full three minutes. And, action-packed minutes they are, with one sharp exchange leading to another and then to another. Nobody's hurt, but everybody's landing good leather right to the bell. Again, it's close. But, this time, Emily's eked out the points and evened the fight at 19.

ROUND THREE: 

VanCamp gets going and in a big way. She jumps on Bennet early, getting to her spots and forcing Chloe to the defensive. Younger woman back on her heels, and that's when Em turns up the heat. The blonde a master of the mid-range stuff, and she's now putting it all together and taking the fight to the brunette. Bennet can't get in gear. She's countering in spots, but that's about all she can muster. VanCamp's grabbed the initiative and she's showing no signs of giving it up. Bennet simply gives ground, covers up, punches when she can, but she's taking a licking from the former champ, who's now finding all of what she wants as often as she wants it. In the final minute, Emily puts the finishing touches on things, taking Chloe to the woodshed right to the bell. It's VanCamp wide as she grabs the 29-28 lead.

ROUND FOUR: 

Emily senses the chance to take this fight over, so she turns up the heat. She's after Chloe early, slipping forward some, sitting down on punches, looking to spook the brunette. Not going to happen. Bennet doesn't spook. She hangs in, fires back, but VanCamp has an answer for that in the form of a brutal three-punch combination that wobbles Chloe and nearly sends her to the canvas! Chloe's hurt and in serious trouble as VanCamp pushes the offensive, tossing in reserves, looking to break the up-and-comer once and for all. The blonde's not quite all in, but she's not holding much back. She's battering Bennet around the ring, finally trapping her on the ropes and giving her a lashing. Chloe hangs on, but that's all she can do. VanCamp's as dominant as you can be without grabbing extra points sans knockdown. It's a shutout for the blonde, who stretches the lead to 39-37.

ROUND FIVE:

Emily ready to finish now. She's got Bennet in reverse immediately, stepping into punches, banging away. Chloe again countering in spots, but not able to do much else. But, just when VanCamp seems about to take complete control, Bennet changes the fight with a keyhole right hand counter. It detonates on Emily's chin and sends the blonde steppin' in fence post holes! And, all of a sudden, the tide of battle turns. Now it's Emily in retreat and Chloe firing away with both hands. VanCamp's taking heavy fire, trying to slow Bennet down, trying to stabilize her front, but unable to do it. It's the brunette calling the shots now, and landing them, Head, body, back to the head. Emily now hanging on, hurt again with a straight right near the bell, but, somehow able to stay on her feet until it rings. It's Bennet wide, and Chloe back in this thing, down 48-47.

ROUND SIX:

Bennet now looking to finish this thing. She knows how dangerous Emily is, and knows she might not get another chance to get this done. So she goes all in. And she gives VanCamp as vicious a beating as the blonde's taken in her FCBA career. If Emily didn't have respect for Chloe before, she's got it now, because she's taking hurt that matches any hurt she's ever taken. Still, she DOES take it. She hangs on, ties up when she can, covers up when she has to, does whatever she can to stay alive despite Chloe's efforts to finish her. It ain't pretty for the blonde. It ain't pretty at all. She's puffing up. She's pinking up to the body. She's looking ready to go at any second. But. She manages to keep going. Despite all the punishment. Despite all the hurt. Emily lasts out the round on her feet. When the bell rings, it's a shutout, Bennet, and we're all even at 57. 

ROUND SEVEN: 

Bennet in control. She's backing Emily up with heavy shot, zeroing in on the blonde, who's not moving very well after the damage of the last two rounds. For her part, VanCamp playing defense, keeping the guard high, willing to trade canvas for time as she tries to shake the cobwebs. Bennet giving her precious little of that commodity, and even less space. Chloe all up in Emily's grill, doing what she loves to do, get physical. She's working the head plenty, but spending more time on the body now, looking to wear the former champ down and bunch her up. VanCamp spends two minutes in survival mode, then flips the script. Just like Bennet did in the fifth. It's a perfectly-timed punch. An uppercut catching Bennet as she ducks to dig some ribs. And DOWN GOES CHLOE! Bennet dropped to her rump, stunned as Emily prances away. Brunette clearly in bad shape, but she gets to her feet in time to beat the count. And, as her reward, takes a 45 second pounding at the hands of a vengeful Em. At the bell, VanCamp has nearly put Bennet to sleep along the ropes. Nearly, but not quite. 67-65 Emily.

ROUND EIGHT:

It's been fun and all, but Emily's ready to hit the road, and, to do that, she hits Bennet. Early. Often. And with everything she has. Roles completely reversed from the last round, as Emily piles on the punishment and Chloe does everything she can to remain upright. And, frankly, it's surprising that she can manage it, because VanCamp is squaring her up and getting a ton of mustard on everything. It's desperate stuff for the up-and-comer, as the champ takes her to the woodshed, locks the door, and sets the place on fire. Still, Bennet, who's proven to be as sturdy as they come in this division, won't go. She hangs on,covers up when she has to, fires back when she can. And, flips the script again two minutes in. It's a short right hook that turns VanCamp's head and sends her crashing to her right side. BLONDE. GIRL. DOWN! And, not looking like getting back up, either. Bennet stands watching in a neutral corner, and, as the count goes on, gets more and more hopeful. But, Emily's a champ for a reason. She fights back to her feet at nine, takes the mandatory, and then takes a 30-second thumping that rivals the one she gave Chloe last round. At the bell, Bennet's evened the fight yet again, this time at 75.

ROUND NINE:

Both fighters looking a little all in at the moment, and not in the Texas hold 'em sense. Both are visibly fading and clearly looking worse for the wear. Both are showing swelling around their eyes, for example, and VanCamp's body, especially, is pinking up. And, fatigue is becoming jut as big a factor. Both fighers are in great shape, but, in a fight this filled with action and one in which both girls have taken this much punishment, it's inevitable that they'll slow down in the late rounds, and, that's exactly what's happening. Still, the fighters are game. Both dig in. Both bang away. There's not much movement, but there's still plenty of art, still plenty of dodge and dip, punches still being set up, feints still happening. It's not mindless stuff, but it is trench-style hand-to-hand stuff. For three solid minutes. Toe to toe. And, at the bell, it's Chlode who's grabbed it close and built an 86-85 lead.

ROUND TEN: 

More toe-to-toe stuff. Again, it's not sloppy. Despite their fatigue, the fighters maintain their discipline, play good defense, get the hands out and back, move the head, hands, and shoulders, setting up punches. Again, not much foot movement. Neither girl exactly standing in front of the other and letting them go, but, neither's doing any dancing, either. Instead, it's a combination of boxing and banging, with plenty of body work, now on both sides, not just on Chloe's end. It's close all the way, just like the ninth round, as neither fighter really claims any kind of advantage at any point in the stanza. It's back and forth, nip-and-tuck right to the bell. And, it's VanCamp by a whisker. Which makes the score 95-95. And, that can only mean one thing, as long as the referee doesn't intervene. He doesn't. We're going overtime.

ROUND ELEVEN: 

Overtime is usually about survival. By this point in a fight, the fighters often have very little left, and it's a matter of rationing out what's left in the gas tank. It's not, as the cliche says, about who "wants it more". If you've gotten to this point in a fight, you want it plenty. Now, it's about who can find a way to take it. And, for most of the eleventh round, neither fighter looks to be able to do that. Things still aren't breaking down. It's good, solid boxing going on out there, with some banging thrown in, of course, but, the work rate has slowed significantly, and neither fighter can get much going. But, it's in situations like this where champions are made. And, you'll note, there's a champion in the ring. And, she's rationed the tank well. Well enough to put on a nice spurt in the last 30 seconds, a spurt that puts her ahead of Bennet and gives her the round and the 105-104 lead. 

ROUND TWELVE: 

Bennet's back against the wall. A point from Emily here ends things. And, Chloe hasn't come all this way to let that happen. HER spurt comes right at the beginning of the round. She's on Emily quickly, and backing her up with a series of hard flurries. The offensive then peters out, but the damage is done. There's a stagger that the blonde has to make up. And, she spends the rest of the round trying to do it. The problem is, Bennet hangs right with her, creating the same kind of two-way, back and forth stuff we saw for most of the eleventh. The result, then, try as she mibght, is that Emily can not do enough to overcome Chloe's hot start. When the bell rings, Bennet has claimed the round, though, again, it's close. And, that means the cards now say 114-114. But, the rules mean Bennet has the advantage. She doesn't have to win by two. She just needs the next point.

ROUND THIRTEEN:

The "two straight points" rule creates situations very different from the old "win by two rule", obviously, and one of those situations is the one in which Emily now finds herself. She's even on the cards, not down a point, but a loss in the thirteenth dooms her just the same. And, well. Emily didn't come this far to lose now. So, again, she pulls some gas from the tank. This time, its not for a short flurry, but a slight increase in the work rate made possible by an increase in jabs. Instead of boxing and banging with, VanCamp preempts. She gets the jab going early, works the right hand off of it, gets onto the offensive, and uses enough gas to stay there. Bennet's thrown to the counter, where she does plenty well, but not well enough. It was always going to be another close round, but this one goes to Emily, and, not only does she stave off defeat, she puts Chloe's back right back against the wall and the cards now say 124-123 for the blonde.

ROUND FOURTEEN:

Emily back to the jab, but Chloe responds with a level change. She comes out in a half crouch, closes, and begins banging body. And, then, she continues banging body. And, when she's done banging body, she begins banging more body. The brunette's making no secret of the game plan, but the blonde has zero answers. Well. She has one. And, that's to respond in kind. And, that quickly, we are not boxing any more, we are banging. We are getting physical. We are digging the belly and hooking the ribs and tenderizing any piece of legal flesh we can get a glove on. And, we're doing it non-stop for three solid minutes. And, while Em does this well, this physical stuff is Chloe's game. Again, the round is close, as the previous five have been. But, again, the girl with her back to the wall stays alive. It's Bennet's round. It's 133-133. And, now, Chloe can close it out in the fifteenth.

ROUND FIFTEEN:

The air is becoming pretty rarefied now. Overtime isn't common in the FCBA, but, over the course of the six-plus years the OT rules have been in existence, lots of fights have gone to the extra rounds. But. Very, very few have made it to the fifteenth. So, to say it's pretty amazing that, after fourteen rounds of action and heavy hitting, these two fighters are not only still standing, but still fighting soundly would be understating things just a bit. But, fighting soundly, they are. And, the adjustment this time is made by the blonde, who needed to find a way to counter the body work. Her chosen method is simple. She ties Bennet up every time she gets in close. Chloe's able to fight free on occasion, but, most of the time, a clean break is forced, sending Bennet outside where VanCamp can use the jab. Chloe gets the better of things on the inside throughout the round, but, Emily's able to score enough at range to slightly more than offset that. The result is a seventh-consecutive close round, this one to Emily, who now leads 143-142 and, yet again, needs only one more point to finish.

ROUND SIXTEEN:

The air is even more rarefied now. Only a handful of FCBA fights have gone to the sixteenth round. Yet, once again, the two fighters, despite the fatigue and the punishment they've taken, continue to maintain their discipline and fight soundly. And, once again, an adjustment is made. And, to no surprise, it comes from the girl who has to have the round. Bennet comes out of the crouch and begins closing behind the jab. And, while Emily is still pretty sturdy considering, she's not as sturdy as she was 45-plus minutes of fighting time ago. And, that works to the brunette's advantage. The blonde can't hold canvas. And Bennet is able to back her up and keep her on her back foot. Emily, though, scores well in counter, staying in the round. But, it's Chloe who grabs the eighth-consecutive close round, evening the cards at 152 and sending us to the seventeenth, where VanCamp will need the points.

ROUND SEVENTEEN: 

Not much air left now, and it's clear the fighters are now being affected. It's been coming on slowly, of course, but, it looks like it's hit them all of a sudden. The tanks, which have been carefully rationed, are now all but empty. But, there's still plenty of "want to" in both blonde and brunette. So, they use what they have left, which isn't much. We're toe to toe again, with almost no movement. The discipline hasn't broken down, but the fighters aren't boxing much anymore, just banging, head, body, anywhere they can place leather. And, again, it's nip-and-tuck stuff. Right up until the final seconds of the round. What happens is more fatigue than anything else. Bennet throws a right hand, VanCamp slips it, nails Chole with a counter, and Bennet goes to her knees. The brunette looks up at the referee to confirm he's calling it a knockdown, then begins pounding the mat in frustration. It's over. With only seconds left in the round, there isn't time for Bennet to prevent VanCamp from getting the two points she needs to win this thing. It's over. That quickly. after almost seventeen full rounds of boxing. Your winner by KO17, is Emily VanCamp!

AFTER:

Both fighters gotten out of the ring almost immediately so they can get to the back and get some fluids. VanCamp stops to do the obligatory post-fight interview, but keeps it short. "Like I told you before the fight," Emily half-mumbles, "She may be good, but, I'm better!”