Emily VanCamp vs. Minka Kelly (Unified Bantamweight Championship)
(Words: Front Street / Results: Lookout!)

BEFORE:

Former stablemates have clashed once before, and the result was the closest of decisions, a one-point victory for the blonde Canadian via a lone 10-8 round in a fight that ended up at five rounds apiece. No reason to suspect things won't be just as nip-and-tuck this time around. After all, Kelly is a former bantamweight champion with a career winning percentage north of 71, and VanCamp, whose career victory percentage is also a Hall Of Fame-like 71-plus is now on her third run with the bantamweight straps. In short, these are two of the most elite fighters in the 120-pound division and, while both of them are aware of the other's bonafides, both also clearly expect to come out on top.

"The last time," says a hard-eyed Minka, "I was the better fighter and she got lucky in the third round. Tonight, she'll need more than a trunk full of rabbits feet to stop me from getting MY title back."

"See," says Emily with a smile, "This is why I needed to do this. I beat Minka's ass ONCE, but she's apparently forgotten about that, or somehow convinced herself it really didn't happen. Tonight, though, I'm going to clarify all that for her, clarify why I'M still here at Lookout! and she's out of here, why I'M champion and she's not. And, it all comes down to this. I'm the better woman. I proved it once, and I'll prove it again."

ROUND ONE:

Cue recon. Yes, these two know one another well, having not only fought once before but also shared a stable and myriad training sessions. But, as such, both are well aware of how the other operates and both expect some trickery and deceit. They're looking for some new wrinkles, something unexpected, some traps being laid. And, so, there's recon. Minka, rather than look to work forward stays at range. Emily, rather than looking to work to middle distance, stays at range. They're working carefully, looking for any signs of being baited, feeling one another out, seeing if everything they remember is still there. For two and a half minutes, there's little exchanged but jabs. Down the stretch, though, things get hot and heavy, as flurry leads to flurry and both blonde and brunette land some heavy leather. At the bell, they're still going and the referee is forced to leap between them and send them to their corners. It's close, but it's Emily who grabs the 10-9 lead.

ROUND TWO:

Now, the ladies are getting into their fight plans. Minka wants to step to behind the left jab. Em wants a little distance, looks to angle, keep off square, put punches together, and score points in the mid-range. Fighters countering one another well. All that familiarity means they know one another well. But, it's been nearly two years since they shared a stable. And, there's something Em's forgotten, something Minka held in reserve in the first...RIGHT HAND LEAD! Emily gets caught flush and staggered and Minka lets go a VICIOUS combination and DOWN GOES VANCAMP! Champ dropped to her back as the challenger skips over her downed body to a neutral corner. Kelly waiting as the count mounts, almost tasting the gold...only to be disappointed. The blonde is on her feet at nine. Referee gives her the mandatory and waives on Minka. Who gets out nearly two years of frustration in the nearly two minutes that remain in the round. She hammers Emily with everything in the arsenal, trapping the champ on the ropes and absolutely abusing her. Somehow, VanCamp stays on her feet to the bell, but, when it rings, it's Minka who's grabbed the 10-8 round and the lead, 19-18.

ROUND THREE:

If you wonder why Emily VanCamp is now a three-time champion, simply refer to this round. The blonde was routed in the second and is scuffed and unsteady when the third starts. Minka's coming forward looking to finish or at least clean up. And, Emily wouldn't seem to be in any position to do much about it. Except, she is. VanCamp clinches. And clinches. And clinches. Every time Minka steps to, Emily ties her up, wrestles around with her, hooks her head, pins her arms, anything she can do to slow the brunette down. Kelly frustrated, shoving VanCamp off, complaining to the referee, who responds by warning Emily. And, the champion responds by ignoring him. She's playing for time, and she's doing it well, keeping Minka at bay, staying in the round, banging enough body in the clinches to offset what Minka's doing coming forward. By the bell, Kelly is beside herself and VanCamp's legs are about back. The cards show the round even, meaning Minka's lead remains a single point, 29-28.

ROUND FOUR:

Minka more aggressive now. She wants to take the fight to the blonde, but, again, Emily is frustrating her efforts. This time, though, the blonde is doing it not by clinching, but by boxing. VanCamp a master at angles and distance, and she's creating exactly what she wants of both, keeping Minka at middle distances, where Em is so effective. Kelly's seen this before, however, and, after about half a round of taking the worst of things, she begins squaring the champion up using her own excellent footwork, and, then, she starts coming forward behind the left jab, moving VanCamp backward, getting her out of position, and, as a result, taking over the round. From the mid-point on, it's all Kelly, who keeps the blonde on the back foot and the defensive for the entire ninety seconds. At the bell, though, what were, basically, two rounds in one merge on the score cards into a second straight draw. Minka still leads by one, 39-38.

ROUND FIVE:

Kelly's found what she wants and she continues executing it. She keeps Emily going backward, by continuing to come forward behind the left jab. When VanCamp seems to be getting a bit too comfortable, Minka tosses in some right hand leads, and Emily's right back in retreat. VanCamp is trying desperately to manage things, but she can't get it done. Minka's just too aggressive and too effective. She's landing heavy shot with both hands, and the champion can't stabilize her front or slow the challenger down. Result is a near-nightmare round for Emily, who spends all of it in retreat, trying to find a way to use the counter to stem the Kelly tide. For Minka's part, she piles up the hurt and piles on the points, working both head and body, enjoying an almost complete domination of the bantamweight champ. At the bell, it's Minka wide and the cards stand at 49-47.

ROUND SIX:

Minka continues to pressure Emily, backing her up, making her fight off the back foot. Champ can't seem to get things turned around, and Kelly's rolling up point as a result. BOOM! Minka's HURT! A BLISTERING counter from Emily about a minute in and everything turns 180! VanCamp manages to get the feet set and walk Minka into a right hand. Kelly stumbles, nearly goes down, and Emily immediately switches to the offensive. VanCamp all OVER her rival, battering Minka backward, trapping her on the ropes, and having at her with everything in the arsenal. Kelly in serious trouble. Referee looking in intently, but the veteran brunette's doing enough to keep him at bay. Emily, meanwhile, is doing everything else, giving Minka a thorough thrashing right to the bell. When it rings, VanCamp's grabbed the round wide and cut Kelly's lead to 58-57.

ROUND SEVEN:

Emily looking to press the advantage early, but she's met with stiff resistance from Minka. Kelly stops VanCamp cold with heavy shot and is quickly back to her own offensive, having apparently shaken off the damage from the last stanza. In fact, it's like round six never happened, because Kelly's right back to coming forward and forcing Emily back. VanCamp's again on the back foot, unable to hold canvas or do much more than counter while Minka's the one controlling both the pace and the action. For two solid minutes, Kelly takes the fight to VanCamp. Then, Emily catches her with another of those right hand counters and DOWN GOES MINKA! Kelly dropped to her fine posterior via that perfectly-placed right hand! Crowd going nuts as Emily goes to a neutral corner and waits. Minka pounding the canvas in frustration, gets to her feet at eight, takes the mandatory, and ON COMES EMILY. VanCamp all OVER Kelly for the remainder of the round, again hammering away on the ropes like she did at the end of the sixth. Again, Minka makes it to the bell, but VanCamp grabs the round 10-8 and the lead 67-66.

ROUND EIGHT:

Emily again wants to clean up, and, again, she meets solid resistance from Minka. Kelly unable to completely stem the tide this time, though. VanCamp is slowly able to grab canvas. It's a fighting retreat for the brunette, but a retreat nonetheless, as Em is determined to clean up this time around. Minka makes her pay a price, landing solid shot in counter, but the blonde champion keeps coming, keeps forcing Kelly back. Two minutes in, BOOM! It's a short right hook from Emily and Minka's hurt again! Kelly covers up and Emily lets the hands go and DOWN GOES MINKA! A straight right hand blows Kelly to her back. VanCamp quickly to a neutral corner, watching as the referee counts and Minka rolls to her belly. Kelly tries valiantly to push up to hands and knees but can't get there! She sinks back to the mat each time until, finally, the count passes her by. It's OVER! And your winner by KO8 and STILL Unified Bantamweight Champion is Emily VanCamp!

AFTER:

Emily looking scuffed in the post-fight, but she's also plenty triumphant. "Yes, she gave me a fight," the champion admits. "And, I knew she would. But, as I told you, there's a reason I stayed at Lookout! and she went. There's a reason I'm champion and she's not. And it's that I'm the better fighter, as I just proved. Again."