Post by Lookout! Boxing on Oct 28, 2016 at 1:13am

CH CLAIRE DANES VS SHAY MITCHELL

FCBA BANTAMWEIGHT TITLE

Results: Lookout     Writing: Archer

Claire:  37 YO,  5’5 ½ (1.66 m), 91-60-6 since 1999, Hawkeye International
Shay: 29 YO, 5’7 ½ (1.71 m), 14-17-0 since 2011, Pretty Little Punchers

Before: No secret what Claire and Shay will be wearing for the Halloween PPV., they are more than happy to appear in costume for the pre-fight. Claire’s in a flamboyant “Rhinestone Cowgirl” look:  pink leather sports bra with white “western” stitching, over it is a gaudy pink and white vest with pink shirts with white “western” stitchings. Pink and white cowboy hat and boots sparkling with rhinestones.

“It’s Halloween, time for me to show off my playful side,:” Claire says, adding with a mischievous smile, “I imagine there are a good number of people who around here who don’t think I’ve got one. But, as you can see, I show off as much glitter as anyone from the PLP. I have already beaten Troian Bellisario. I thought it was time to crush the first title shot ever offered to Shay Mitchell. You don’t have to thank me Shay, just kiss my cowboy boots after I have beaten you down.”

Shay Mitchell is wearing her “Barbarella” costume from the 2012 PLL Halloween episode: a silvery white one-piece with black trim, silver thigh-boots and a short silver cape. She smiles good naturally through Claire’s jibes.

“Kissing your cowboy boots? Well, you better watch out, Claire, maybe you’ll be the one putting her lips to my silver boots here.” (She points to her boots. Claire wrinkles her nose). “Oh well, I do appreciate this opportunity. I want to win, but don’t think you’ll crush my spirit of I don’t. Lucy Hale got us our first flyweight title. I want to be the Puncher who gets us our first bantamweight title!”

“You won’t be getting it from me!” Claire says with assurance. Shay just smiles but there is a glinting of determination in her dark eyes.

Come the night of the PPV,  slight costume modifications for the actual, Claire hands off the cowboy hat and vest to an attendant, while Shay hands off her cape and is wearing high laced, silver boots, though not thigh-highs. Pink gloves white laces for Claire. Silver gloves with black laces for Shay. Claire’s blonde hair pulled back in a simple ponytail. Shay’s brunette locks in a French braid down her back. Claire smiling and confident. Shay a mixture of tension and eagerness. Ring instructions done, gloves swiped and the two rivals back in their corners. The bell rings...

R1:  The champ out of her corner full of slick Claire Danes footwork and feints that have Shay Mitchell struggling to content with. Claire seems to be taking special delight in drawing Shay off balance or looking the wrong way, then bringing one of those pink gloves smacking into Shay’s exotic features. Shay continuing to struggle as the round progresses, does manage to get a hard counters into Claire’s chin and shake momentarily. Claire quickly recovers, but she seems content to finish the round from long distance, still keeping Shay off balance and unable to mount much in the way of offense. Not a sweep, but Claire does score a wide win on the judge’s cards for this opening stanza.

R2: Shay trying to show her offense with a charging attack on Claire to open this round. Shay just charging in, banging Claire’s midsection just above the waistband of her pink shorts until she has her tipped forward. Then Shay brings uppercuts into Claire’s head and face. Claire quickly gets her jab going, trying to punch the challenger back. Shay not budging and the two get into a crowd-pleasing battle in so close they are all but touching sweaty foreheads. Shay working hard to make her punches count as she strikes Claire’s body over and over. However Claire is hitting back with equal power to Shay’s body. Then Claire gets some quick shots into Shay’s forehead and eyebrows. This makes her want to raise her high guard and gives Claire the chance to dig shots into Shay’s belly. Shay backing up, but still fighting though her offensive momentum fades as time runs out on the round. Claire wins a close, hard-fought round.

R3:  Shay right back at Claire Danes, but she takes a less direct approach this time. She closes with Claire, then circles and then reverses. Claire is the one caught off balance this time and Shay goes right after her chin with overhand rights and lefts. Claire stung, tries to fall back under cover of her jab, but Shay quick on her feet is able to cut off the ring on Claire. Claire now attacked to the belly and doubled up. Claire trying to work her way around Shay, but can’t seem to do it. Shay now banging punches off Claire’s head and trying to keep the champ boxed in. Shay can’t get Claire back to the ropes, but she does work her over quite nicely down to the bell and wins the round wide.

R4: Claire not about to put up with such treatment from an opponent, goes zipping right at Shay at the opening of the round. Shay is surprised by the blitz tactics, but manages to use a desperate jab to keep from being thrown back into her own corner, Intense toe to toe action as Claire seeks to suppress Shay by hammering her arms and shoulders as well as her body. Shay jabbing back at Claire’s body and trying to ride it out. Shay is also working to circle out of the restricted confines of her corner and she is eventually able to slip through. Claire in hot pursuit to mid-ring, but then gets some powerful uppercuts to the jaw and chin as Shay goes on the attack. Claire now the one jabbing desperately as Shay roars back with fierce punching to body and slipping in a shot to the head whenever she spots an opening. Claire struggling to right the ship, but Shay’s maintaining a very high degree of pressure. Claire jabs back, finally forcing Shay to drop back and take a breath. Claire then uses footwork to keep out of danger, but Shay is hard on her trail. Claire able to narrow the margin, but Shay still wins the round close.

R5: Shay continues her pressure tactics this round, though she is trying to use feints and dodges to get openings. However the old pro Claire Danes is seeing through the feints and greeting Shay with a flashing barrage of jabs. Claire lets Shay’s offensive sputter out and swiftly strikes back with clouts to Shay’s midsection. Shay stumbling back, doubled up and Claire flashes out with a crashing right over Shay’s drooping gloves to her jaw, SHAY CRASHES TO THE CANVAS! Shay sprawling on her face, looking up with a blank look on her face and clearly wondering how she got here. Claire trots off to the neutral corner as referee starts counting. Shay hears the numbers and struggles to get to her feet. She makes it just ahead of “…NINE!” Shay looks pale with a swollen lump on her jaw, but she insists she can continue and Claire is waved back in. Shay just going face in gloves and staying away from the ropes to finish out the round. Claire circling around, banging Shay’s body to drain as much energy as she can out of the brunette. Round goes to Claire Danes wide with the knockdown.

R6:  Shay all but collapsing on her stool she gets there after the knockdown round. PLP trainer Nia Peeples and her corner crew work intensely on their fighter. However Shay still looking pale and drained as she comes out. Nothing Claire Danes loves more than a hurting opponent. She comes loping in to torment the battered brunette. Shay finds herself being punched from all directions by her blonde nemesis, but she does manage to keep up a steady defensive posture and not do anything desperate. Shay’s jabbing starts to become more effective as the round goes on with Claire getting pasted on the mouth at one point and actually bopped on the nose in another. Hardly finishing punches, but the stung Claire is looking annoyed at such resistance. Claire wins the round comfortably, but she looks displeased that Shay looks better at the end of the round than she did at the start.

R7: Cue the Shay Mitchell comeback. Shay is quick off her stool and right into Claire at the opening bell. Claire forced to fight with intensity as the brunette comes roaring in with another wave of hard punching to the body. Claire trying to circle away from this pressure while banging punches off Shay’s head, but Shay stays with the champ and hammers away. Then Shay starts some circling of her own, moving in and out as well, and she is rewarded by some nice banging punches to the Danes jaw.  Claire recoiling,  but comes back with some hard shots into Shay’s body. Back and forth action slowly moves out to center with little slacking in the pace. Shay not giving Ckaire any chance to rest, Claire looking grim as she uses her jab to try to keep Shay back, but can’t seem to discourage the brunette. Crowd is loving this action and cheer bith fighters on as the action rages to the bell. Round comes back Shay Mitchell—close.

R8: Slower start to the action in this round and observers start to wonder if Claire and Shay used up their energy reserves last round. Shay and Claire exchanging probing shots as they get close to each other, but then Shay suddenly erupts in another charge forward. She swats hard lefts and rights into Claire’s head sending the veteran falling back on shaky legs. Claire quickly recovers but now Shay is hammering Claire’s midsection with an all-out storm of leather. Claire hunching up now gets her side ribs pounded as she is able to respond with only a weak jab. Shay driving hard forces Claire towards the ropes, but the veteran is able to slip passed her and it’s a Shay hounding Claire around the ring. Claire not panicking by any means, but she seems unwilling to risk getting in more toe to toe action with Shay who seems to be gathering steam as the round progresses. Claire able to survive the round, but the sweat is dripping off her drooping body as she trudges back to her corner. Shay looking comparatively energetic and smiling as she goes to her corner. Shay wins round by a wide margin.

R9: Claire slow and cautious as the round gets started. Shay showing more energy as she works her way around Claire. Steady, probing punching for Shay, but then she ups the pace and moves hooking hard into Danes stomach. Claire trying to use upper body movement to make herself less of a target, but Shay able to anticipate the moves and maintain her leather bombardment. Claire hunching up more and more which is diminishing her counters. Then Shay’s steady body attack finally pays off as the sheer accumulation of damage to her torso begins to make Claire shudder from each new incoming belly punch. Then Shay muscles in and starts driving uppercuts behind Claire’s weakening gloves. Claire’s head getting knocked back again and again like some bobble-head doll! Shay throws everything she has into these uppies AND CLAIRE DANES COLLAPSES! Again it’s not one uppercut to the chin, but the accumulation that suddenly overwhelms the champion. Claire just collapses forward into Shay’s startled arms and they sort of dance together as Shay tries to back away. Claire just slides down the front of Shay’s silver onme piece and actually ends up with her face on Shay’s silver boot tops before Shay steps back. Claire stretched out of the canvas as Shay retreats to the neutral corner. Referee counts. Claire raises her head and tries to push herself up. She reaches her knees, but it is too late.

“…NINE!....TEN!...YER OUT!”

THE WINNER AND NEW FCBA BANTAMWEIGHT CHAMPION SHAY MITCHELL KO9!

After: Shay sagging back against turnbuckle a look of shock on her face. Then her PLP teammates: Lucy Hale, Ashley Benson, Troian Bellisario, Sasha Pieterse, Leah Pipes, Danielle Campbell, Hayley Atwell, Danielle Harris, Autumn Reeser, and Nia Peeples: the whole PLP staff and fighters are crowding around their second FCBA title holder.

“Oh, this is so wonderful!” Shay chokes out as happy tears run down her cheeks. “I wanted to do my best against Claire Danes and it turned out my best was good enough to beat her! I joked about her kissing my boots, but when I saw her land on them—it was all like a dream come true! Oh, if I’m dreaming I don’t want to wake up!”

But Shay Mitchell not dreaming and soon enough she is showing off the Bantamweight Title Belt. She looks over to see Claire Danes looking stunned and bewildered being tended on her stool. Impulsively she goes over to Claire.

“I just wanted to thank you for giving me this title shot and telling you how much I respect you as a champion,”: Shay says sincerely.

“Take care of that belt,” Claire says, “I expect to get it back and I want it looking as good as when you got it.”

“I can do that,” Shay said sincerely.

“Now please get out of my sight. I would like to forget this fight and I can’t do that with you standing there all happy and victorious,” Claire said, but with a hint of a smile.

“I said my piece, I’m going—but I tell you what—I am never going to forget this fight,: Shay said cherfully and turned away.

Mish Williams suddenly appeared in the ring: “Well that was sickening. You going soft on us?”

Claire looked up at her: “Sometimes you just have to say what you’re thinking. Now get me out of here, I got a title I got to start planning to win back…”

Very exciting fight and possibly an historic one in the career of Pretty Little Puncher Shay Mitchell. She had to be considered the underdog in this fight, but she proved she could get up from a knockdown and still beat a strong veteran in Claire Danes. Not a happy night for Claire Danes and it’s got to start talk among observers that time is at last catching up her. Yet, we think Dabes will merely regard this as a setback and she’s had them before. She will be determined to come back, but can see? That should be a most interesting question as the old year ends and a new one starts to draw near.