Samara Weaving vs Ariel Kaplan
(BronzedOz Boxing vs ACB Free Agent)
(2-0, 2 KO vs 1-0, 1 KO)
Results: BBU; Story: Vassago

BEFORE: It's another installment of the "Home & Away" and "Neighbours" rivalry and a proper blonde vs brunette clash to boot. Samara Weaving claims that she deserves all the headlines which Bonnie Sveen currently benefits from but first she needs to take care of Ariel Kaplan who made a successful beach boxing debut last August. Still, Samara's one of the tallest flyweights around the country and presents all the tools that can make her a worthy contender to future stardom in both ACB and BBU. The Adelaide-born blonde has smashed long-time "Home & Away" nemesis Rhiannon Fish on her debut and backed that up with impressive punchout of veteran Jeanette Biedermann a couple of months ago. However "Green & Gold" magazine's Sarah Cumming thinks that Ariel flashed real promise in blasting out Ivy Latimer on the beach and shouldn't be considered a heavy underdog considering the height & reach disadvantage.
Samara Weaving wears a red bikini with white trim, matching red knickers and gloves. Long blonde hair straight.
Ariel Kaplan wears a turquoise bikini set and black gloves. Long dark brown hair tied in a sleek ponytail. The fight is scheduled for ten rounds in the flyweight division.

Round 1:
Both girls waste little time connecting with the heavy punches but Samara's reach advatage plays a major part in her early dominance as she loops crisp hooks upstairs and catches the younger actress a little too often for comfort. Ariel tries to stamp her authority in the ring any which way she can but gets outworked in mid distance and lacks the physical numbers to match the blonde's intensity. To make matters worse, she gets cut up around the lips as Weaving really means business here and is no strager to grudge ideas. The early cut only fuels her aggression as she reels the helpless brunette back to the ropes and truly intends to knock her head off with another hooking rally that Kaplan eventually withstands without further damage... but only just!

Round 2:
Sarah Cumming claims Samara is the Oz version of Samia Ghadie - that ought to raise an eye-brow or two back in the UK - and Ariel can't find any solace in mid-rage again; she gets wrapped up in a steady aerial attack and only if Samara really wanted to switch her targets, she could have punched a hole in the brunette's confidence on the spot. The trigger-happy slugging is always Weaving's favorite playground and down the stretch Ariel is just happy to circle back in avoidance. She tries to think of a back-up plan as she fails to enforce the close range stance but the menacing blonde keeps her foot on the gas and finds more punishing hooks that sway Kaplan's ponytail back & forth come the bell.

Round 3:
It's safe to say Samara is a vast upgrade in competition over Ivy Latimer but Ariel's grit and determination earn her a staunch support from the Sydney audience. Either this or Weaving's Adelaide background is really that unpopular around the area. The blonde sticks more promising hooks into the brunette's face but Kaplan digs deep into her midsection and slows Samara's progress for a change; a quick switch on the boobs seems accidental but Ariel clips some jug repeatedly thereafter and almost nails the older actress on the ear with a wild swing. However Samara dances around that effort and delivers a cross hook on the nasal ridge that bends Ariel to the side before a quick double combo finds the temples and DROPS HER ON THE KNEES in lightning quick fashion! Ugh! Not many people in the stands saw this coming and Ariel got exposed badly right there! Weaving does have a heavy punch for a flyweight and she enjoyed this knockdown bonus to the point she yells out at the kneeling brunette and has to be wrestled back to her corner by the ref. This brief delay allows Kaplan to recover a little quicker, she's up at five and vows to storm right back into contention but she just can't work out how to neutralize Samara's reach advantage and soon soaks up another aerial assault that smacks her back to the ropes in hectic retreat. Weaving drives along the waist line to drop the brunette's guard and signs off her charge with a belting hook on the liver area. Ugh! That really takes the wind out of Kaplan's sails and she's walking gingerly back to her corner feeling all the pain in the world right now.

Round 4:
Samara's out for the kill and my oh my, is she impressive here or what? Ariel tries to bide her time following that knockdown but she doesn't find any lagging back in mid-distance and gets repeatedly picked off from point-blank range instead. Weaving slices through her guard with relentless precision and soon hands the smaller girl a set of bruises that would be suitable for a full ten rounder - and we're not even at half-distance yet! It's obvious Ariel's fighting spirit begins to desert her and she can't keep her gloves in tact come the final minute anymore. Samara backs her into the ropes and swivels that dark ponytail back & forth until Ariel's yelps are truly too loud to handle anymore, she drops her guard too low one time too many and another stinging hook on the ear bends her over the ropes and leaves Weaving with a delightful harpoon punch to the liver area THAT SENDS KAPLAN SPAWLING DOWN ON THE CANVAS AGAIN! "She's frickin' done!", the blonde tells the ref before strutting back to coach Nicky Whelan but maybe there's a glimmer of hope for the fallen youngster? Well, Ariel sits up at six but finds it oh so difficult to catch her breath here.. she makes a really gallant effort to scamper back onto her feet at nine... nine and a half but she looks hurt and fails to raise her gloves when ordered to by the man in charge. Nope, this girl is a goner and it's TKO4 Samara Weaving in bruising fashion!!!

AFTER: Ariel's head drops down between her shoulders when the ref calls the bout off but few moments later she looks more relieved than upset about the verdict. She never looked comfortable out there and giving away three inches to her opponent was like jumping extra fences at the Grand National. Some things are just not meant to be and the otherwise determined brunette found out about it the hard way!
Meanwhile nobody can accuse Samara of lacking confidence, she allows the mentally absent Ariel to be escorted back to the locker room only because she's got a bigger fish to fry soon... she grabs the announcer's mic and openly lays down the gauntlet to the winner of the Browning/Sveen title dispute. She wants the straps and wants it bad! Heck, she can blow the both of them out of the water given the chance. Just give her that chance!
The Sydney audience applauds... finally! One always recognizes true amazons of the ring... even if they come from Adelaide. Does Samia Ghadie approve any of this? Sarah Cumming would like to know that and sets up a business meeting with fellow TV anchor Denise van Outen sometime next week. Like it or not, Samara is ready to roll and that should make the sparks fly on both hemispheres sooner rather than later! Watch this space!

Final result: Samara Weaving def. Ariel Kaplan TKO4.