AMANDA RIGHETTI (34 y/o, 5 ft 8, W: 70, L: 26) VS Jennifer Lawrence (26 y/o, 5 ft 8, W: 24, L: 12)
(Words: Bonzo / Results: Lookout!)

Preparation: Lawrence taking seasoned advice from veteran Charlize Theron pre-Righetti, spending the weekend looking at videos of Charlize's two previous fights against Big Rigs, then working on the techniques Charlize has devised to help Jen deal with her foe the week after. In Theron’s two fights (2011 & 2012) she lost by a decision, then in 2012 Theron defended the welterweight championship from challenger Amanda with a stunning KO6. “Our second fight is key here,” Charlize explains, referencing Righetti's early knockdown destined to be setting the stage for a change of champions until Theron's legs made all the difference. “She wants you standing right there in front of her where she can hit you…she wants to brawl, but you gotta make it a leg show…dance her into defeat is what I did.”

Before: Righetti coming fresh off a devastating title fight loss to champion Kate Upton who (temporarily?) derailed her plans to enter her hall-of-fame home stretch as the welterweight’s division-wide queen at the last PPV in merciless fashion. This next fight sees Amanda in rare soul-searching mode, the stunning R8 knockout via Upton’s fists highlighting the troubles to expand her erstwhile dominance to the division’s new model superstars. Lawrence offering a welcome diversion…J-Law’s not a natural campaigner at welter, but blonde actress has the grit and self-confidence to meet Rigs in the 130 to 135 pound range. Jenn – herself returning from a lightweight contender fight loss to Mary Elizabeth Winstead – pounces at the opportunity to challenge ‘Manda, especially after last month’s setback: “I’m pretty much curious as hell to find out how I match up with her. There’s a lot of talk ‘bout her, but I remember she’s a natural lightweight-ish girl, so I’m not intimidated. She’s sensitive to twisted power, and that’s where I’m out to get her. Or maybe she’s just vulnerable when she’s facing hotter blondes, you know, getting a little bit weak at the knees! From the videos, it’s totally obvious Righetti can be hit and brought down with right hands; she's been on the canvas several times from rights. The big problem with her is making her stay down,” she grins. – Righetti seasoned, quiet in her response, “Once a while I always relish the chance to compete against lightweights…the footwork, the quicker hands, that’s rarely seen at welter…it’s a great test.” – Blonde Jen in a pale, soft blue bikini with underwire cups and full coverage bottom; gloves/shoes match her blue hue. Redhead Righetti’s chosen a white one-piece, with blood red gloves and black as night shoes; the referee for this fight is Yvonne Strahovski – putting in some of the required rounds for the FCBA’s “intern referee program” designed to help develop better officials. Yvonne’s in black bike shorts with a striped top tied up under her bosom and black trainers.

R1: Girls circling close aggressively – it’s a match-up of jabs from the start…Rigs very upright, straight, spinning a short left from the shoulder, tok-tok, circling-with the blonde – Lawrence faster, doin’ little forward jumps, her upper body twitching up/down, from side to side, the jab darting forward in aggressive spots. Amanda leggy, but oddly restrained…she’s giving up the middle of the ring to J-Law, fighting off the ropes in sturdy, but rigid stance. Lawrence’s jab gets more harmful in the second minute, as she’s using her legs/spunk to move in, move out, her lefts diggin’, bouncin’ off Righetti’s skull…Jenn wins the speed game early. Lawrence­: focused, hard-eyed, taking wide, confident steps from mid-ring towards her foe, while Rigs stays in a box, her arms in earmuff, sitting there tight. J-Law so agile, ramming her fists under Amanda’s elbows/arms, avoiding ‘Manda’s firm counter straights via head movement, leg show…it’s Lawrence workin’ sturdy with a wide base and low center of gravity, dictating the first round in a rare shutout against a peculiarly cautious Righetti.

R2: Lawrence combative, trying to hold, expand that mid-ring turf now…her left jab’s pumping the way forward, clubbing Manda’s skull/guard. Righetti urged into tight position, her feet bobbin’ on the ropeside spot, her left foot in forward aspect… but Amanda rolls out of the configuration to her left to POUND Jenn via wicked, rippin’ left hooks in behind the blonde’s elbow. Lawrence – still loose, aggressive, in forward motion – attempts to power through with tik-tokking short, straight jabwork to Righetti’s chest, but eventually circles out of range, wincing from those shots into her side. Amanda SLINGS her upper torso forward to toss the left uppercut against a startled Jenn’s mouth…uh, oh, and the blonde’s hurt! Lawrence’s suddenly foggy, tripping backwards…and Righetti stalks her via the bob and weave, burying firm, straight lefts in J-Law’s ribcage as Lawrence patters backward. Amanda’s found a familiar rhythm now, and it’s called beatdown at the ropes…redhead strongly planted, sturdy, sloshing those jabs to Jennifer’s guard, ramming cruel hooks under her arms/flanks, but the right hand’s still not really in play. Action moves to various ropeside positions…it’s Amanda now from the mid-ring stand, her left leg forward, with Jenn answering long-range hooks toward Rigs’s ribs/abs just to show she’s still there. Last stretch: final initiative sees Righetti’s right hand coming thru for the first time, whipping the blonde’s left cheekbone to roaring effect just before the bell…blonde slumps back into ropes, wandering to her corner breathlessly, now firmly introduced to Righetti’s power.

R3: Righetti attempts to consolidate, immediately backing up her blonde at the ropes, those striking jabs rolling freely to J-Law’s mouth/neck/tits as Jennifer tries to tie up hectically, panting and gasping in pain. Amanda looks dominant, confident – her strength’s just overpowering J-Law right now, the thick, rhythmic jabs, the hammering body rights…she’s got Lawrence tenderized, a little intimidated, her legs rickety. Righetti bends her knees, starts chopping left and right hooks to the breadbasket, socking the blonde onto her heels punch by punch, as Jennifer topples back butt-on-ropes, digging in tight with her mitts at temple as Rigs goes to work, chop, chop. Lawrence under steady pressure throughout round, but she stays composed, holing up in her earmuff stances, answering to Rigs’ flanks when she’s close. Down the stretch…early in the third minute, ‘Manda seemingly moves into finishing cadences, picking apart Jenn’s mitts via a straight right, just stepping-to her girl, when Lawrence bursts, erupting into tuff left uppercuts to Righetti’s sternum…Righetti feels the effect, but powers through, jerks the right hand back to Jenn’s neck, but Lawrence ducks low, sneaking another left uppercut to Amanda’s tits…finally, she’s got Righetti hurt! Jenn’s eyes widening…her instincts kick in: she rips a short, fast right hand ALL THE WAY ACROSS AMANDA’S JAW, and Righetti closes her eyes in shock, those strong, sturdy legs now wobbly, tottering backwards…and J-Law twitches into her best right hand yet, tagging the chin in clean, firm fashion AGAIN! And…Amanda’s on her butt! Redhead stumbles backward from the two powerful uppercuts, her legs no longer supporting the weight…she sits down near the ropes, shaking her head in disbelief as Lawrence bellows, raising her hand – but Rigs ain’t done! Righetti takes a dizzy, punch-drunk five count – and it’s all J-Law from there, ripping her fists into Amanda’s strong mid-section, mobbing the earmuff guard with drifting right hands. Righetti still leggy, moving out and away from Lawrence, but suffering, punched onto her heels by Jennifer’s slick power a few times to the crowd’s ooh-ing and aaah-ing, getting stalked backwards until the bell.

R4: Lawrence explosive off the bell, surging ahead, while Amanda’s backtracking, organizing a flat-footed, nervous stance, her hands up…Jennifer walks Righetti down, pumping left stick! Lawrence assertive, keeping her knuckles at chest, trying to punish Rigs via more overhand rights, playing push and shove with her girl, droving her to the ropes. Lawrence: she pumps the left, then covering up, exploding into bruising right hands to tits/gut/core, designed to wick away Amanda’s power supply. Second minute…Jenn’s still encroaching, but Righetti’s starting to fade her rights, answering with a stronger poke herself, tracking some of Lawrence’s incoming jabs, catching J-Law to the mouth/chin two, three times. Rigs successfully slows things down – she’s trying to break up Jennifer’s rhythm, tying up around Lawrence’s shoulders/elbows, stepping into her big-girl, deliberately being a little sloppy. Down the stretch, girls fighting on close, contested quarters, embedding strong body hooks in torso-to-torso tussle when Lawrence bobs backward a bit, side-steps a long Righetti left, then leans in again to catch Amanda upside the jawline via a straight hook, whup! Righetti’s hurrrrrrt! Redhead baby-steps away, knees ramshackle, looking whupped…she’s damaged goods! Lawrence snarls, pusssheeees Rigs into them ropes with a HEALTHY shove to jugs, covering up, gets back to work via the long, sidearm hooks, left and right, to the body, punching her girl upright into better position, tugging another right against guard/mouth that splits Amanda’s mitts…Righetti’s on the friggin’ edge! Jennifer stays close, tagging Rigs’ guard with the right hook again and again, bam, bam, but Amanda’s robust legs won’t give way...Lawrence pushes off at bell big-girl, looking very pleased now.

R5: Girls start trading blunt, brutal uppercuts mid-ring, struggling for position, both planted thick, wide-legged…Jennifer whacks-with, rolling her shoulders into the punches, but she’s the first to blink, wince when one of Righetti’s overhand rights THWACKS on her left temple! Poor blonde: her eyelashes batting fast, she’s slowly circling away from Amanda’s pressure, floating to ropeside position on her back heels…Amanda extends via the long jab, hammering ‘em, plop, plop…Lawrence still trusting her legs, but she’s getting caught here, finally settling into a tight earmuff, her butt propped by the corner turnbuckle, tying up on ‘Manda’s upper body in pain whenever she can. Righetti’s legwork not yet as smooth, dominant as before the knockdown, but she’s agitated by Jenn’s slugfest mentality, doing proper damage to Jenn’s ribs/arms/tits via powerful inside straights to the bod. Later, J-Law trades back and joins the fun: blonde so gutsy tonight, answering with accurate, off-rope counter hooks…she’s stinging ‘Manda on her jawline/cheeks, spooking the redhead to extend into longer-range jabs. Girls stalk each other in circles during rare moments of calm…mid-ring action slower, both girls wary of getting caught off their guard now. Down the stretch, Righetti’s jabs outmatch Jennifer’s…Lawrence doesn’t want to give ground, but the whipping punches slowly batter her into reverse, have her wincing in pain when Amanda’s thudding lefts rip into her sides/ribs/tits. Righetti works atop of Lawrence at ropes, stocking up on body hooks, the blonde still writhing under her furiously at the bell, only wiggling free with help from the ref as ‘Manda stays in her face, acting cocky.

R6: Righetti so aggressive now, the right hand at temple, BASHIN’ her way forward via the jab, jab, jab…but Lawrence’s not shying away, so both girls lean, spin their bodies forward from wide, solid stances as Jennifer still tries to match Big Rigs for firepower! Righetti: cool, jab-based, rhythmic work to the body/guard, body/guard, working from mid-ring, creating space – Lawrence: fierce look, rotating the torso, punching loose, limber, WILD whacks, really leaning forward close to target ‘Manda’s tits/core, her swinging rights swirling by Righetti’s skull/face…prompting ‘Manda to let go, too, with both girls letting those fists roll! When J-Law misses a drifting right, Amanda sucks a counter uppercut to Jennifer’s jawline that WILTS the blonde into the ropes, her face blank, flabbergasted. Blonde girl stoops forward off-ropes from that point, rag-dolled, but she’s STILL countering via blunt rights! Girls trade rudely – and Jen strikes back: a straight counter right TOSSES Amanda’s head aside in distortion but as girls fall into a wet clinch, Righetti jerks two, three CRUDE jabs floating thru Lawrence’s mitts to her mouth/nose…sneaky power working in delay…and good God, suddenly J-Law’s eyes roll back, her torso tilting backward a little sleepily…she’s grrrrrroggy! Amanda steps-to with a snarl, pounds the Lawrence chest via a straight, long jab left as if she wanted to deflate a tire, hounding her blonde horizontally to ropes, then starts tagging J-Law’s jaw with wide rights from the hips! First punch turns Lawrence’s upper body into rubber, second one has her dropping the hands, the third one drops her for good! Poor blonde BLOWN onto her back … Jennifer lying rigid, those long, sexy legs stretching out forever, hands at her side, while her head just lolls back and forth as she’s mumbling incoherent words, that slightly bewildered look of consternation on her face…she just got brawled out via a KO6 Amanda Righetti!

After: Righetti pleased with her performance tonight, but uncommonly indifferent to J-Law’s post-knockout state. “She gave me a good fight, but once we both got our hands rolling, I had no doubts about the outcome. I kinda provoked her there a bit, to be honest, which is something I rarely do, but it worked, got her to commit." Ringside, Charlize is furious with Lawrence…”You didn’t use your legs, stupid. You only fought her fight, let her brawl you out”, she lectures to an only semi-conscious J-Law brought around on her stool, looking absent.