Sayumi Michishige vs Keisha Buchanan
(Front Street Japan vs Lioness Club)
(1-0, 1 KO vs 7-12, 7 KO)
Results: BBU; Story: Vassago

BEFORE: Front Street Japan owner Ayako Hamada speaks very highly of Sayumi Michishige and brands her as the hottest flyweight prospect in the Land of the Rising Sun these days. Sayumi made quick work of Katherine Jenkins on her debut back in October but now faces a much tougher test in another BBU veteran, Keisha Buchanan. The former Sugababes member's career looked to be on the ropes eighteen months ago but she bounced back knocking out both Samantha Jade and Sandy Moelling last year to indicate she's still got some juice left in the tank.

Sayumi Michishige wears a red bikini set and black gloves. Long black hair tied in a sleek ponytail. Keisha Buchanan wears a black one-piece swimsuit with golden trim and golden gloves. Dyed light brown hair tied in a long, curly ponytail. The fight is scheduled for ten rounds in the flyweight division.

Round 1:
The home crowd support gives Sayumi plenty of confidence in the opening round and she outworks the British singer in a close range tussle while whipping several crisp shots upstairs. Keisha's head snaps back repeatedly during a feisty exchange but most of the meaningful punches come from the Japanese girl who jabs really well from the front (left) leg and reels the older singer into a desperate earmuff cover come the final minute. Keisha does well to avoid getting backed into the ropes but she really struggles to match Michishige's intensity and looks clearly rusty here following a lenghty spell on the sidelines.

Round 2:
More of the same in the second, Sayumi outworks her opponent in a hectic jabbing exchange in the center of the ring while Keisha reverts into single punch assault that bounces off the Japanese forearms. Sayumi prefers the close range stance and shows a versatile touch by blasting the older singer across the breadbasket which catches Buchanan off guard and drops her into a series of spasms. Still, the former Sugababe refuses to yield real estate and throws several strikes from the back foot. Michishige dekes away from them and hauls in more head hunting response which earns her more applause from the Tokyo Dome audience. Both women keep firing away in high demand for the remainder of the round but Michishige's supreme precision allows her to nick it on points - even if Keisha would be required to impress the local judges in far significant fashion anyway.

Round 3:
Buchanan topples the younger singer in another furious jabbing exchange to open the third and Michishige surprisingly backs off from the phone booth-like approach and lets the British lass to hassle her down for a while before mounting a spirited comeback. Both women clash heads in a furious attempt to beat the other for another jabbing tangle and the brief stoppage takes the sting right out of the action which leads into a lenghty back & forth teasing between the two of them. Front Street Japan coach Kei Mizutani doesn't look worried by this change of tune in the ring however Lioness Club's Mel B. urges Keisha to be more active in the dying seconds since any coin-toss round will probably be given to the Asian heroine in first place.

Round 4:
The clash of heads in the third has really forced both women back and the see-saw teasing lingers on until the second minute when Sayumi jumps forward and smacks a left hook straight into Keisha's jaw! Ugh! That catches the older singer napping AGAIN and she gets wrapped into a nasty jabbing rush thereafter with the Japanese singer really harvesting through her guts in speed dial fashion. Buchanan remains firm on her feet but wobbles back & forth and finally loses her balance which sends her spinning into the ropes when the younger woman smacks another left hook on the jaw. Keisha fails to punch herself back into safety anymore and disappears behind a tight earmuff while Sayumi cleans out her midsection and leaves the entire Lioness camp scratching their heads in disbelief.

Round 5:
Keisha could really use going after the otherwise slender-build opponent; BBU TV's Kate Abdo reckons that the British lass has the supreme punch and she's a true upgrade in opposition over Katherine Jenkins whom Sayumi destroyed last fall. However the half-hearted approach results in another fruitless opening period while the Asian brunette just thrives on her counter-punching drill and stacks the older singer behind another earmuff defense. Just how frustrating is that? Mel B. is ready to rip her hair out as she witnesses another lukewarm offensive struggle from her protegee and no wonder the Tokyo Dome is chanting Sayumi's name at half-distance since the local heroine has chopped Buchanan's midriff into a mush and leaves her gasping for air at the bell.

Round 6:
A naughty pep talk from coach Mel B. forces Keisha into some aggressive action early in the sixth but Sayumi's confidence has rocketed sky-high by now and she fends off the English heat before looping more counter-punching juice that smacks the older singer's head back & forth. Keisha gets backed onto her heels and soaks up more close range punishment while the local heroine unloads from both sides and tears up her high guard wholesale. Ugh! Buchanan begins to choke on her spasms as she gets pummelled to the ropes where she wobbles on jelly knees and allows Michishige to land all the big punches at will. The anguished spasms are getting louder and louder and they only fuel Sayumi's desire to secure a famous victory tonight but she just runs out of time to get the job done. Still, she leaves Keisha yelping her heart out and shaking her head in frustration; even coach Mel B. looks all out of sorts as the writing's definitely on the wall for the Lioness tourists now.

Round 7:
Buchanan is physically unable to compete anymore and gets wrapped into another leather frenzy early in the seventh which enables Michishige to chop her guts into jelly one more time. The older singer just bends forward and rests against the top of the fellow brunette's shoulder but Sayumi just lays into her like a training sack and pounds back to the neutral corner where Keisha spits out her mouthpiece and leans against the ropes indicating her departure via a painful plea to her coach... MEL B. THROWS IN THE TOWEL!!! This was getting downright painful to watch and allthough Keisha avoided a knockdown all night, she was running on empty come the seventh round and stood no chance of mounting a proper comeback. TKO7 Sayumi Michishige!!!

AFTER: The verdict is still out on the victorious Japanese singer, she didn't exactly repeat her blitzkrieg assault from the Jenkins debut but, admittedly, Keisha - a former bantamweight - was always intended to provide a much harder test for the Front Street Japan prospect. And Sayumi really battered her senseless even if the core strenght of her punches won't impress the usual elite contenders. This is still a work in progress for Ayako Hamada and her crew - on the other hand former BBU champion Mikie Hara remains under contract and there's no reason to send Michishige to the UK as the heir apparent just yet. However there's an awkward silence around Hara's schedule right now and Kate Abdo thinks most of her flyweight peers are simply scared of her potential. That's a debate for another day though as we keep our focus on the remaining line-up of the International Jewels card.

Final result: Sayumi Michishige def. Keisha Buchanan TKO7 (Corner Stoppage).