Fiona Wade vs Samia Ghadie
("Emmerdale" vs "Coronation Street")
(2-2, 2 KO vs 28-34, 23 KO)
Results: BBU; Story: Vassago

BEFORE: There's a reason why Samia Ghadie is the most experienced BBU fighter of all time and Fiona Wade only joins the long list of women who simply want to beat up the attractive Beevers' veteran. The classic Emmerdale vs Coronation Street rivalry isn't a mere excuse to put these hot babes in the ring together but BBU TV's Georgie Thompson accuses Fiona of being a little desperate in targeting the Manchester actress. However one has to point out that Fiona has joined the Emmerdale cast while in her mid 30s and tonight's contest actually inches her closer to the dream fight vs Roxanne Pallett the BBU fans hope to witness before the year is over. And like Samia or not, she's still the most valuable soap opera benchmark this side of Michelle Keegan and her otherwise successful FCBA crossover career. Fiona openly questions Samia's boxing skills but is forced to admit the Corrie blonde draws the bigger viewing numbers which is also evident inside the Cardiff Arena tonight based on the level of applause.

Fiona Wade wears a black bikini set and white gloves. Raven-black hair long & straight. Samia Ghadie wears a yellow bikini set with red trim and red gloves. Dark blonde hair wrapped in a loose bun at the back of her head. The fight is scheduled for ten rounds in the flyweight division.

Round 1:
No fight featuring Samia Ghadie lacks fireworks and this one follows a familiar pattern as Fiona jumps into a trigger-happy assault seemingly trying to knock the Corrie girl down with her opening drive. She head hunts the blonde with several hooks but Samia does really well to avoid the rush and counters the brunette with a quick uppercut series that results in both women dishing out punishment in ultra close range. They almost clash heads in the proccess before Samia's uppercut plan eventually comes to the fore. She nails Fiona with a couple of knee-rattling shots and drops her on the heels; another quick hook finds the right eye and knocks the brunette back to the ropes where Samia shows some nifty footwork to trap the Emmerdale babe in a tough spot. Wade's high guard just isn't good enough as the Beevers veteran picks her off repeatedly and leaves some early bruises on the otherwise pretty face. Fiona begins to moan her troubles out but manages to lock her rival into a late clinch even though the round is basically lost for her at this stage.

Round 2:
More high-octane action from both women; Samia looks to secure another early uppercut success but this time Fiona makes her head hunting plan work and she stuns the blonde with a quick hook on the ear followed by a piercing shot on the mouth that immediately knocks Ghadie on her heels. Still, the Corrie babe tries to swing one from the back foot only to find thin air and Wade cashes in with more crisp hooks from point-blank range. She reels Samia onto the ropes where she turns the tables on the younger foe and blasts her across the face in numbers. Ugh! Samia's pretty face develops a small gash under the left eye but more worryingly, she just can't escape the brunette's heat and bellows out into a punchbag mode come the final minute. That's a familiar sight from years gone by since Ghadie has taken a lot of punishment on both sides of the Atlantic and there's no doubt Fiona really wants to beat her up tonight. Bell saves the blonde Mancunian from more misery but she avoids looking her foe in the eye thereafter which suggests those Wade punches found their mark.

Round 3:
Fiona wants to pick up where she left off but Samia is no stranger to brawling herself out of trouble - even if sometimes she got roughed up even worse in the proccess. Both women tangle in the center of the ring and Fiona's head snaps back under the recovery drive from the Corrie veteran, she sticks a belting hook to the body which cripples the brunette before a quick uppercut rally brings Ghadie back into contention. She fails to reel Wade into the ropes though and has to chase her around as the Emmerdale actress develops a circling retreat for the first time tonight. And Samia wants to trap her in a tough spot real bad. The production drops down the stretch but you can't accuse these girls of lacking a competitive spark. In the end they both seem a little tired of the chase & run tactics and mutually agree to give it another try after the interval.

Round 4:
Samia is just that little bit quicker in the fourth but Fiona owns the accuracy and rattles the blonde while landing less punches. She thumps the Mancunian across the nose several times and makes the younger girl think better off it when her own recovery drive fails to produce the results this time. Still, Fiona prevents her from escaping into a mid-distance solace and allthough she can't land that true haymaker, she profits from a bad step which leaves Ghadie stumbling to the side. A belting hook finds the liver area and throws the blonde sideways on the spot. The high guard is slow to materialize and Wade cuts her up with a spirited drive in the final minute. A couple of left hooks punish the brow ridge and a scything cross squashes the lips to boot. Ugh! Samia wobbles back against the turnbuckle and soaks up more juice as Fiona pounds away at her ribcage and leaves her yelping out in pain at the bell.

Round 5:
Georgie Thompson thinks that Fiona is on the verge of breaking Samia's resilience here but she is proven wrong when the Corrie babe rocks the older woman with a vicious left cross on the chin! Booyah! Wade just got caught out by a single punch and she can't shake it off in time to prevent Samia from pounding her back to the ropes in another see-saw moment. Gasping for a respite the older actress tries to sink the charging blonde with a proper hooking combo but misfires badly and eats a stunner of a left hook on the eye that makes her yelp "Oh, Gawd!" before Ghadie goes to town on a facial reconstruction plan. She destroys Fiona's high guard and makes her bleed from both nostrils in a sudden rage of fury THAT PUTS THE BRUNETTE DOWN on her backside just past the two minute mark. That was ugly if you're an Emmerdale fan but Samia found some nasty juice basically unseen since the glory days of the Mr. Marcus Invitational. Fiona needs all the time she can buy and she's up at eight before getting her nasal injury patched-up. That gives her some extra time to recover and Samia is plain upset over that decision. She demands a stoppage call outright but gets lectured instead and the brunette recovers just enough strenght to escape the Ghadie leather pursuit in the closing seconds.

Round 6:
Samia takes no prisoners with another aggressive leap however Fiona's defense withstands the early tangle and a lucky punch buries the blonde on her heels when it slams the liver area. Ugh! Samia leans forward and tries to connect with more hooks but finds it difficult to breath all of the sudden and gets blitzed with a quick uppercut combo that fuels Wade's comeback. The brunette might be *this* close to a serious nasal injury but she follows a grudge script and tries to beat Ghadie up at all cost. She wraps the blonde in a heavy jabbing assault before drilling some tummy and clipping the enhanced breasts in the proccess. Samia goes back to a scattershot survival mode and fails to punch herself free; both women wrestle for a while in the center of the ring since the fight settles down in another phone booth-like exchange and it's an outright war of attrition come the final minute. Wade loses the endurance sting and eats another double combo on the nose but then pierces Samia's solar plexus and bends her into a nasty uppercut on the jaw. Uh-oh! The Corrie veteran screams out her loudest of the night yet and when she raises her head again, there's a vicious left hook from Fiona that LIFTS HER OFF THE CANVAS and drops flat on her back! My oh my, that was a killer shot from the raven-haired cougar and Samia's in tatters here as she tries to recover from it. The clock is her best friend now and allthough she looks vulnerable at best when she gets up at eight, there's no time for Fiona to blow her away anymore. What a lucky escape! The misty look in the blonde's eyes warranted a stoppage according to some fans but it's Samia Ghadie of all people, folks! She gets the benefit of the doubt when battling a free agent with a measly four fights on the record. No matter how angry Fiona is right now, this flyweight war isn't over!

Round 7:
Samia's aching badly as she rises for the seventh but manages to avoid the initial hooking approach from Fiona who unloads a quick follow up only to find the blonde's hook drilling her on the nose in a desperate fashion... the intended follow up shoots over Samia's shoulder and the Corrie babe turns from the hip to BLAST the brunette on the jaw! Uh-oh... Fiona is ROCKED and wobbles forward with a whimper while the Mancunian rips a left cross on the wounded nose one more time... one last time even as WADE COLLAPSES ON HER RIGHT SIDE with eyes closed... the blood spills from both nostrils and she only mumbles her intention to keep fighting but makes no attempt to lift herself off the heap. Ugh! Even the Beevers veteran can't quite believe it and just slides onto her stool looking utterly finished herself. This was too close to call until the very last moment! KO7 Samia Ghadie!!!

AFTER: This was a brutal battle between two flyweight veterans and as Fiona is stretched off the ring, Samia still hasn't gotten up as she tries to catch her breath. Her lumped up face has seen many better days but the final outcome of this bitter feud is definitely worth the price. Beevers coach Denise Lewis drags her off the stool so she can parade around the ring and dwell on the Cardiff audience cheers and Georgie Thompson admits the Corrie babe still can sell out any arena around the country. While the results have been largely disappointing over the last few years, Samia remains a fan favorite which warrants her status as one of BBU's most popular fighters. It's so obvious we haven't seen the last of her but the imminient schedule remains unknown and even coach Lewis refuses to reveal the details: "You know, Samia can fight everyone! The phone will ring soon, it's not a question of "if" but "when". Let's be honest, all these girls are simply jealous of her looks and the status of BBU pin-up girl. Only Michelle Keegan can actually match her in the glamour department but she's too busy stealing the show over in America right now - and we're so proud of her as well! However Samia will keep leading the way in BBU for the time being. I know everyone's excited to hear that!" (winks).

Final result: Samia Ghadie def. Fiona Wade KO7.