BEFORE: Ilary Blasi suffered a nasty debut beating from the high-flying compatriot Elisabetta Gregoraci last month and things don't get much easier for the blonde TV showgirl as she takes on Girls Friday's Jessica Michibata tonight with several rumours swirling around Rome that Michibata might well be eyeing the Gregoraci test herself in case of taking Ilary's scalp. Girls Friday's head trainer Lauren Berlingeri refuses to address those rumours but Kate Abdo reckons it's unneccessary for the Newcastle-based stable to shoot for one of the hardest punching lightweights yet even though Jessica has beaten another tough Italian Miriam Leone on her debut last year.

There's an exceptionally hostile atmosphere inside the Palaogliata Arena tonight as Ilary's husband Francesco Totti remains a football God in this part of the world and Michibata's decision to fight the TV showgirl in her backyard indicates she's not afraid of the battling the toughest odds despite Blasi's less than impressive debut showing last month. The only way is up!

Ilary Blasi wears a crimson bikini set and yellow gloves. Long blonde hair tied in a sleek ponytail. Jessica Michibata wears a light blue bikini set and black gloves. Long dark brown hair tied in a sleek ponytail. The fight is scheduled for ten rounds in the lightweight division.

Round 1:
The entire crowd roars the blonde into immediate action and Ilary feels the responsibility on her shoulders so she wastes no time in attacking the brunette who has last fought in May of last year. If there's any chance Jessica has some ring rust on her, the time to expose that is right now and Ilary tees off from both flanks to split the brunette's guard during the opening minute as both women trade solid shots in the center of the ring. Michibata is just that little slower in execution which helps the Italian's cause and the crowd really gets animated when a vicious left hook nails the tourist on the nose which is then followed by a hectic assault to the body as Blasi tries to pound her opponent back to the ropes. Jessica does well to clinch the blonde showgirl though and almost half-turns her into the tunbuckle but a nasty hook on the liver area results in a quick separation and Ilary fends off the looming stalemate before adding more clean shots on the brunette's chest which folds the model on the ropes come the bell.

Round 2:
Lauren Berlingeri reminds her girl that Ilary's chin is a little suspect, the news of her BBU debut being delayed through a broken jaw inflicted by Belen Rodriguez last year made the headlines across the channel alright but Jessica doesn't have the speed to match the blonde's furious aggressive strategy early in this bout. She's forced to accept the mid-range slugging but gets picked off repeatedly upstairs and if only Ilary could land a proper combo then the partisan crowd would have something to really be proud of. Kate Abdo reckons that Blasi's strikes lack the strenght displayed by the likes of Elisabetta Gregoraci and Melissa Satta but the sheer amount of pressure keeps Michibata subdued through six minutes of action.

Round 3:
Jessica finally wins the opening tangle as she scythes a nasty hook across the blonde's lips but Blasi remains glued to her body thereafter after switching her targets to keep the pressure on the Asian model. Michibata tries to bump her off with her jugs but eats a quick hook on the chin and must yield real estate as Ilary shows no signs of backing off from her aggressive stance. She misses with most of her punches in this round and Michibata seemingly refuses to engage in a war of attrition as she ponders how long can the Italian showgirl go on like that? It's no a bad idea according to Kate Abdo as Blasi's durability remains a great unknown however the scorecards lean towards an Italian whitewash at this stage. Girls Friday coach Lauren Berlingeri shows no sign of nerves at all as the Palaogliato crowd roars in delight and Ilary affords herself a huge smile at the bell, this is by far her best showing to date including all these sparring fights that made the Rai Sports highlights last year.

Round 4:
Jessica's stubborn defense allows her to embrace more swings from the blonde and Kate Abdo notices how few of Ilary's punches actually find the target in the opening minute of the fourth. Sometimes a world-class defense gets lost in all the BBU aggression but Jessica's only career defeat came at the hands of a classic power puncher Krystal Forscutt and Blasi just doesn't have that sort of weapon at her disposal which had been noticed before. Still, the blonde showgirl charges ahead seemingly not taking the stamina factor into consideration and as she bounces off the brunette's high guard repeatedly, she loses her sharp edge and gets caught with a counterpunching rally late in the final minute with Michibata picking out her shots to a much successful degree. It's quality over quantity and Blasi looks a little puzzled at the bell with her foe not showing any battle scars despite plenty of opportunity.

Round 5:
The girls slug it out again and Jessica's improved mobility leads into Ilary losing her balance a couple of times but the rapid fire payback doesn't spoil the Italian party as Jessica seemingly wants to wear the older girl out physically before making the ultimate move. Blasi keeps hassling the model across the canvas but lacks the initial touch and becomes woefully ineffective now which somewhat calms the hitherto rampant applause. Coach Berlingeri's shouts can now be heard inside the arena and it's a veteran-like performance from Michibata who waltzes around Blasi's rushing attempts rendering them incomplete before looping a nasty hooking set deep into the final minute; that catches the blonde on the nose and makes her gurgle in anger but Jessica still has the last laugh - or punch even - as she blasts the stranded girl on the solar plexus right at the bell.

Round 6:
Ilary begins to struggle for breath now as she fails to set up another quick tangle and has to cover up behind a tight earmuff when the model deploys a high swinging tactics and threatens to carve her mean intentions on the otherwise pretty Italian face. Blasi gets trapped on her heels and succumbs to the Asian onslaught with Jessica blasting quick cross hooks to succeed in her aggression. She then switches downstairs and whoops the showgirl's ribcage driving her back to the ropes. The Rome audience gets really worried now as Michibata rains punches in the phone booth-like exchange that soon turns into a Japanese landslide with Ilary unable to stretch her elbows anymore. Jessica leans on her subdued rival and drills several nasty shots around the liver area and breadbasket which really takes the air out of the blonde's lungs come the bell.

Round 7:
Blasi really starts to hurt now as she fails to match Michibata's agile approach and after faking a left hook upstairs, the Japanese model wrenches the blonde on the guts and bends her forward into an uppercut barrage that cleans out the impressive Italian rack. Ilary slides against Jessica's waist and bumps her chin against her shoulder but gets wrapped in a jabbing assault wholesale and soon finds herself trapped on the ropes again. Michibata methodically stalks her to the body; she doesn't get carried away in her supreme position at all and keeps chipping away at the Italian's cracked defense until a loud scream indicates the TV showgirl is really running on empty. Another quick bump on the jugs makes Blasi squeal and the final twenty odd seconds is all about Jessica's best JMD impression as she squeezes the life out of the blonde's rack and renders her completely breathless at the bell. Ugh! Ilary hugs her aching guts and looks down at her cleavage but she walks gingerly back to her corner and looks very much worse to wear at this crucial stage of the fight.

Round 8:
There's not much fuel left in the Italian tank and Jessica finally is in a position to complete the mauling job. She whacks the slow moving showgirl around the elbows and immediately splits her gloves when Blasi trembles forward amid more painful yelps. A quick rack muggin' drops the blonde's coverage for good so Michibata can blast a left/right combo on the nose that whips the hapless Italian on her heels before a chin-busting uppercut makes Blasi hit the jelly mode... She desperately tries to stay on her feet but only grabs the ropes with her right arm and fails to escape a left hook that burts a bloody patch on her brow ridge AND SENDS HER DOWN ON THE CANVAS!!! The Palaogliato Arena is silenced and Jessica nods back to coach Berlingeri in approval while the referee tries to salvage some of the local pride. The count is very slow indeed and a woozy looking Blasi makes it back to her feet at eight but she can barely keep her gloves in tact anymore and gets devoured by the brunette's subsequent attack. Ilary's a hot mess right now and just soaks up the leather abuse along the ropes with the Japanese tourist threatening to turn her lights out... Uh-oh, the Italian's arms go numb after a quick while and she grunts in absolute agony when her wounded brow ridge gets plastered with another left/right combo... AND THAT IS ENOUGH as the ref jumps in to prevent a serious injury... Ilary almost slides through his embrace with her eyes closed and she's been truly battered senseless here in the eight... No question about your winner... TKO8 Jessica Michibata in come-from-behind fashion.

AFTER: The Girls Friday entourage can very much follow the famous 'Veni, Vidi, Vici' pattern as Jessica Michibata claims her second Italian scalp of her still young BBU career. She's fallen miles behind on the scorecards early on but kept her composure and stormed back to almost punch Ilary's lights out which indicates Lauren Berlingeri does things a little differently with her Asian protegee. Usually it's all-in for most of the BBU girls most of the time but there's every chance Jessica develops into a durable powerhouse that will be notoriously difficult to overcome in the money rounds if neccessary. Of course that's no cure for classic powerpunchers like Forscutt and Gregoraci and that's why both Jessica and Lauren refuse to answer the questions about a potential blockbuster fight against Flavio Briatore's wife. Or about Jessica's chances to rise to the BBU lightweight title picture in the foreseeable future.

While the rumours about Claire Cooper sound somewhat foolish in wake of this impressive victory on a hostile territory, the in-house lightweight pecking order is one thing that can prevent Michibata from taking full advantage of her unquestionable Top 10 prospects. After all, girls like Monika Pietrasinska, Kelly Gale and Sara Sampaio are equally as hungry for success and are few years younger than the Japanese hot shot. Will that work against Michibata on the long haul? Even Kate Abdo can't solve that riddle right now.

Meanwhile it's a bitter-sweet ending for the Italian crowd who witnessed an impressive victory for Martina Stella on the undercard but would have preferred to see Francesco Totti's wife emerge victorious in the Main Event instead. While it's way too early to call Ilary's prospects a bust, she clearly lacks the big punch neccessary to put away her subdued opponents. That could yet come back to haunt the TV showgirl more than the Belen Rodriguez sparring fight injury delay.

Final result: Jessica Michibata def. Ilary Blasi TKO8.