MANDY MOORE VS MICHELLE RYAN
Results: Lookout Writing: Archer
Mandy: 33 YO, 5’10 (1.78 m), 26-33-0 (17 KO) since 2004, Foxfire Boxing
Michelle: 33 YO, 5’7 (1.70 m), (FCBA: 9-6-0, 6 KO) since 2010, Girls Friday

Before: “It’s actually a relief to fight a welterweight who isn’t a supermodel or whatever they call themselves now,” said Mandy Moore. “Michelle a little short for a welter, but I know she makes up for it in determination. That’s the sort of welter I want because I do not consider myself out of the title race. This fight is important to me.”

Michelle Ryan looks annoyed: “I am not your stepping stone, Mandy. I have plans to be in contention too and knocking your block off would do wonders for that. Yes, I’m shorter than you, but I’ve got more to give you than ‘determination’. I got the punching power to knock you out of your trunks! You’re going to get more from me in this fight than you ever bargained for.”

“I really don’t like being threatened!” Mandy snaps.

“Oh, it’s no threat. It’s a promise!” fires back Michelle.

Two are still giving each other hostile looks when they meet in the ring on fight night. Michelle is first to the ring in a black sports bra with gold trim and short black trunks with a gold stripe down the side. Hair pulled back in a simple ponytail. Mandy arrives in a high-waisted retro bikini with halter top. Black with white polka dots. White gloves and boots with black laces. Hair in a ponytail with a white bow at top. Hostile glares during the instructions, but Mandy and Michelle keep their tempers long enough to get through this formality and back to their corners. Both standing there pounding gloves together in eagerness to go. The bell rings…

R1: Mandy seems cautious coming out of corner. Michelle not reckless, but she does move forward with more speed than her opponent. Pays for Michelle as she is able to get some quick shots to Mandy’s midsection then pops her in the chin with an uppercut. Mandy jabbing back, trying to bob and weave, but Michelle staying with her to keep up the steady head punching. Mandy hunching up, but still getting rights and lefts bouncing off her noggin. Mandy trying to jab back to Michelle’s face, but not really discouraging her. Mandy in constant movement, trying to find a path to counterattack, but Michelle keeping her busy ducking those shots to the head. Late in the round, Michelle tries some hooks to the belly and ribs. Mandy even more defensive, but not able to force Michelle back. Rounds ends in a wide win on points for the Girls Friday boxer.

R2: Michelle doing her best to keep Mandy on the defensive as she returns to working the Foxfire fighter’s midsection. Mandy can’t really deploy her jab very effectively as she is hunched up from the constant impacts on her stomach and ribs. Mandy finally forced to just back away and circle, but Michelle not about to let her escape. Mandy does getting enough distance to get some good jabs into Michelle’s chin and that does slow her for a time. However Michelle quickly comes back in, trying to keep close and reduce Mandy’s ability to use the jab. Michelle also using the close in work to pummel Mandy’s chest. Mandy goaded into going to Michelle’s boobs, but this allows Michelle to get some uppercuts into Mandy’s chin. Mandy starting to look discouraged as the round ends in Michelle Ryan’s second straight round won wide. Michelle looking understandably pleased with herself.

R3: Rachel Nichols speaks in low, urgent tones during the break and, sure enough, Mandy comes out very aggressively this round., Michelle Ryan finds herself banged hard to the head, body and boobies. Mandy trying to move more quickly as she then used hard straight rights and lefts to head and body to jolt Michelle and keep her from setting her feet to punch. Michelle counterattacks by trying to get up close and hammering Mandy to the body with short rights and lefts fired up into her body. Mandy has trouble answering these close-in punches and takes some heavy hits to ribcage and breasts. However, Mandy drops back just enough to deploy jab and pound Michelle’s face. Michelle lurching back with angry red lumps all over face and a dazed look in her eyes. Mandy adds some vengeful hooks to the bustline to put the hurt on Michelle’s hooters. Michelle brings her own jab into play and there is a nice exchange of jabs to the bell with Mandy winning a close round.

R4: Michelle comes right back at Mandy this round and it set off a blazing exchange of head punching, Mandy knocks Michelle’s head onto her should with a smashing right to the head, but Michelle on sheer instinct brings her answering right cracking into Mandy’s jaw. Mandy shudders and TOPPLES ONTO HER SIDE. Michelle standing there blinking in surprise at seeing Mandy down, Referee has to order her to the neutral corner. Mandy on all fours crawling towards the nearby ropes as referee starts to count. Mandy badly shaken, but still showing determination climbs the strands until she up and has beaten the count. Michelle not pleased to see Mandy back up and hurries back in to finish the job. Mandy’s got a big swelling lump on her jaw, but has regained her senses sufficiently to battle back as Michelle tries to press in. Michelle finds herself unable to land a knockout punch, but does do a good job working over Mandy’s body. Mandy looking achy, but defiant after the bell, but it’s Michelle who has won the round wide and has a knockdown to boot!

R5: Mandy responding to the knockdown by hammering Michelle aggressively in the belly and rib cage. Michelle struggling to get at Mandy’s head, gets careless and Mandy gets a hard right cross into Michelle’s temple. Michelle stumbling back and landing hard on her butt! MICHELLE RYAN IS DOWN! Michelle shaking her head in shock as Mandy goes to neutral corner and watches the count. Michelle prudently takes an 8-count before rising. She seems more than willing to fight as Mandy is waved back in. Sure enough, Michelle tries to re-establish herself with a fresh attack on Mandy’s head, but Mandy ducking and dodging, then popping up to uppercut Michelle’s chest and then her chin. Michelle slows down, but keeps her jab to the bell, However Mandy Moore has answered Michelle Ryan’s knockdown with one of her own as she wins the round wide.

R6: Michelle trying to strike back at Mandy, but the elusive Foxfire welter is now able to keep ducking Michelle’s head shots. Worse for Michelle, Mandy is consistently getting her to the chin and clearly putting spinning showers of stars in her brain. Michelle growing sluggish and erratic in her counters. Signal to Mandy to start pounding Michelle hard to the body and making her back into the ropes. Michelle desperately trying to keep her gloves up, but Mandy sending a criss-cross series of right and lefts into Michelle’s weakly guarded jaw. Then Mandy drops to her knees and shoots up with an uppercut that lifts Michelle at least two inches off the canvas. Even more surprisingly, Michelle’s trunks drop to her ankles! (She is wearing a gray cotton thong under the trunks so no need to go to the “Swan Lake” tape). Michelle then pitches forward onto her face, legs straight, arms at her sides and mouth kissing the canvas. Referee does the count, but it is a mere formality. Michelle Ryan is done for the night.
THE WINNER: MANDY MOORE DEFEATS MICHELLE RYAN (KO6)

After: Mandy just can’t resist going over and planting a boot on Michelle’s thong bared butt and doing a muscle pose. Most of crowd loves it, though some Michelle Ryan fans boo, Mandy doesn’t seem to mind.

“I have to admit her losing her trunks at the end was a surprise,” Mandy breathlessly tells press, “but wasn’t it cool? Michelle thought she had me after the 4th, but I came back and knocked her down—then I knocked her out. This is my best fight in a long.”

Michelle Ryan not able to address press until next day says: “I have no idea what happened either. Yes, it was humiliating, but I happen to think I have a very nice derriere. The humiliation was in losing to Mandy Moore. I don’t know who my next opponent will be, but I promise they are going to be paying for my losing to Mandy!”

Mandy Moore scores an important win for her, one that should allow her stay in the mix for the suddenly crowded ranks of welterweight contenders. Disappointing outcome for Michelle Ryan, but losing to a former champ not all that a setback. We don’t know the secret of Foxfire’s training methods, but their fighters seem to have a toughness that allows them to hang in where lesser fighters might have been finished off early. Still, there are a lot of good young welterweights ahead of Mandy on the welterweight ladder. Getting passed any of them will only get harder, the higher she rises, but this is good news to welterweight fans who can look forward to fresh competition in their favorite division.