3 AUGUST 2003 LUCY LIU VS KELLY RIPA REMATCH

BOXING AFTER DARK

(Thanks to FightFan for this repost)

Posted by simguy on 8/3/2003, 7:18 am

Before: Kelly loving Liu's torment - blonde gets all the concessions in negotiation as Lucy gives away the farm, including weight, just to get the return engagement. Ripa doing everything letter perfect in the first fight, stunning Liu early, beating her to the body, then mopping her up before Lucy could really get on track - something similar will be needed to put two consecutive L's on the Amazin' Asian's record. Lucy in red bikini, black shoes, Kelly in black push up, neon teal surfer chick bikini bottoms, black shoes.

During R1: Liu showing respect, dancing and posing well outside, using every inch of ring. Ripa step-stalking, hands up, biting on Liu's twitching feints - Kelly can't body up much this round. Not much contact - some hissing lead rights, jump-away snatching hooks from Liu - couple of dip and thump hooks to the rib or hip from Ripa - Lucy's getting her way.

R2: Kelly spitting stubby jabs, straight right hands, maneuvers Liu to the ropes and lands that shivering straight arm hook hard on taut golden-brown body. Liu huddled against the ropes, crouching, straightening into compact counter-uppercuts, all leg - Ripa riding her guard up on Lucy to jostle, then banging her flanks, turning over clubbing blows to the chin. Lucy trading at a steady with Kelly, but blonde doing a nice job keeping her in one place, touching the body consistently - Kelly gets her way to even up the cards.

R3,4: Liu sends a message - walking straight into Ripa midring, shouldering up, going cheek to cheek and deliberately slugging it out with Kelly on the inside. Brawny stuff toe to toe, shoulders and biceps grinding in ropey clinches, girls pulling each other off balance and punching gut. Good hustle in clusters - both putting punches together in one another's breadbaskets while hunching forward, then shoulder-bumping the opponent back a step. And Liu's getting the better of it - she's coming forward strong, then stepping out, picking Kelly up with little lead left uppercuts to tit or chin, catching Kelly with curling rights on the jaw, then sliding around the left flank while the blonde catches up. Liu scowling at the bell to end the fourth, making eye contact after beating Kelly at her own game for 2 rounds.

R5: Liu's back to boxing, now in complete control of tempo and terms of engagement. Lucy hands down, lunging in with wide looping left hooks from the knee, falling off to the side, then jumping back in with sudden lead rights. Kelly tentative, weight on her back leg - she's waiting too much, getting mesmerized and down the stretch it costs her. Liu freezes Kelly with a feint, then jumps in that low-angle left uppercut flat on the chin - Ripa taking pop, stomping back on her heels - she hits the ropes all a-quiver. Liu hopping forward, stoops to haul the right hand square to the midsection, twists out of the crouch to put the hook on top and Ripa sits into the ropes a helpless vixen at the bell.

R6: Liu breaks her blonde down. Slashing in and out attacks - Liu fearless now, hands at her sides as she walks in, jolts Kelly with abrupt uppercuts from either side, dropping her hands after landing and striding forward as Ripa collapses. Kelly taking flush bombs on her chin and reeling away, hitting the ropes to remain upright. Ripa loose and unfocused on her receipts - Liu able to weave the punches with undulating torso movement, then lifting a mitt off her knee to sock Kelly's dented chin. All adds up: down the stretch, Liu slips and leans away from a series of tired Ripa shots - then rings blonde up the left uppercut, push, step-in, right uppercut, dropping Kelly to her buttocks at the ropes. Liu standing in between Kelly's legs, staring down at the bell.

R7: Lucy midring, reaches under Kelly's arms, bodies her to the ropes - brazen Liu wants to take this thing back inside! Ripa shows heart, muscling Lucy's back to the ropes, getting her head under Liu's chin, using her shoulders and arms to push Lucy's limbs out of the way - blonde able to get work done this round. Liu basically countering supple off the ropes, presenting her left side, looking to twist up with sudden rights - Ripa keeping her cheek on Liu's left shoulder, hooking her belly, clubbing her hip and back right hands, occasionally bodying her into the ropes to punch up into the lungs with authority.

R8: Shutout Liu - easy breezy boxing with a nonstop torrent of trash. Liu drawing boos as she drops her hands, bends forward at the waist, makes Ripa miss half a dozen chopping shots, then skips away without punching. Lucy with the odd swiping, slapping shot, landing and escaping without receipt - she fights like this, there's not much Ripa can do about it.

R9: Liu stubbornly going back inside! Lucy reaching under Kelly's arms, struggling with her, pushing and straining - Kelly able to get underneath, put her shoulder in Lucy's chest and get busy to the breadbasket once again. Liu holding her own, easing back half a step to let Ripa fall into the right uppercut, but Kelly just a punching machine with her head on Liu, dipping either shoulder, turning her hips as she thumps away at taut brown midriff for points.

R10: Liu stuns Kelly that crazy lead left uppercut, knuckles the shoulders to get Ripa baby-stepping backwards, jumps in the right uppercut off the thigh, hops forward and sweeps a clocking sidearm right hard to the jaw to send blonde reeling to the ropes. Bad, bad Lucy Liu beat down the rest of the way - Ripa wide-eyed and forlorn with hurt - sitting in the ropes, sliding to her right as vengeful Liu takes what's hers. Ripa getting jacked up between her mitts, repeatedly rocked, sent skittering along the ropes, but she hangs tough, curvy legs refusing to give way despite the punishment. Liu so careful, blasting Kelly, but giving a second to recover - no question Lucy wants to put as much as she can on this girl by taking her the route. Comes back UD10 Lucy Liu.

After: Liu sees Kelly's beating, and raises. Ripa all busted up after 10, badly shook by Liu's unorthodox power punching - it's the difference between the previous bout and this. Liu showing the acrobatics and sweet sock as usual, but her body punching's come a long way, sending a message to a tough division that LL can hang with the best on the inside. "It's a part of Lucy's game that she's going to have to develop if she's going to make a go of it at bantam," says one pundit. "You can't finesse a strong 120 pounder all night long, especially if they think they can beat you downstairs."

Sim Guy

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