Post by Lookout! Boxing on Aug 26, 2017 at 1:27am

Demi Lovato versus Scarlett Johansson

(Words: Front Street / Results: Lookout!)

BEFORE:

Interesting bantam battle between tactical, hard-hitting ScarJo and physical Demi. Lovato giving up plenty of experience here to the blonde, a seventy-fight veteran with five titles in two divisions plus JMD, but if the sturdy brunette's worried about that, she's not showing it. "Scarlett's top shelf," says the Demi with a nod. "No question about it. But, here's the thing. Demi Lovato's top shelf now, too, and it's time people recognize it."

For her part, Johansson showing her rival some grudging respect. "She's not the best girl I've ever been in with, that's for sure," says the smiling blonde. "But, she's not the worst, either."

ROUND ONE:

Lovato aggressive early. She wants to work forward behind the jab, get physical with the blonde immediately. Mistake. ScarJo knows how to box. ScarJo loves to box. ScarJo is also a southpaw, which complicates everything especially early. Result of Demi's aggression is lots and lots of leather hammering into Lovato's face. It's mostly ScarJo dropping jabs off her right shoulder. These slow Demi and set her up for follow on right hands. Those stop the brunette, leaving her open for even more leather from the blonde. All round, this is what happens. Lovato continues trying to come forward, and ScarJo slows her, stops her, hits her some more. Lather. Rinse. Repeat. Lovato frustrated, getting touched up in a big way and unable to do much about it. At the bell, it's Johansson wide in the first and, as ScarJo walks back to her corner up 10-9, Demi walks back to hers needing to make some adjustments.

ROUND TWO:

Demi makes her adjustment. She's not coming forward now. Instead, she sets up and range and is willing to box with. ScarJo has a slight reach advantage, but Lovato plays the geometry well and is able to give as good as she gets early. She's adjusting to the southpaw style nicely, and, after about the first minute, the brunette begins getting the better of the exchanges. Half way through, she begins backing Scarlett up with hard shot. All of a sudden, Johansson's on her back foot and Lovato's now able to grab some canvas, but slowly, organically. She's not forcing it now, and, ironically, that's enabling her to do it. For her part, ScarJo now out of sorts. She wants to fight lead, work the jab, but now she's being forced to the defensive and the counter and the younger woman's taken control of the fight. At the bell, it's Demi solid and we're even at 19.

ROUND THREE:

Adjustment, ScarJo. Blonde begins double-tapping the jab. And, it makes a ton of difference. She disrupts Demi's rhythm with it, stops her from advancing, sets her up for follow-on left hands, and puts her on her back foot with them. That quickly, Scarlett's back in control of this thing. Demi's taking lots of hard, accurate fire, and the blonde's got everything working in her favor. Lovato tries to turn the tide, trying to get something going again and again, but her offense comes only in small bursts, as she's spending too much time covering up from solid flurries by the blonde. In the final minute of the round, ScarJo really letting the hands go. Lovato's backed up repeatedly, shaken once or twice by hard lefts to the head. At the bell, Demi's actually backed to the ropes in a tight guard and can be nothing but relieved when it rings. It's ScarJo wide and Johansson back in the lead at 29-28.

ROUND FOUR:

One of the many problems you run into when you're in the ring with a veteran champion like Scarlett Johansson is that when she gets rolling, it's awfully tough to slow that train down. Sometimes, the only thing you can do is try your best not to get run over as it speeds down the tracks. And, that's where Demi finds herself in the third, because the ScarJo train is all fueled up and bearing down on her at high speed. Johansson's a machine for three solid minutes, those double-tap jabs setting everything else up. Lovato's taking shell from everywhere, and, all she can do is give ground, fire back in spots, try, again, to avoid getting run down. In the end, those efforts, if nothing else, are successful. Lovato's shaken a couple of times, but she avoids getting hurt, and, when the bell rings, she's standing. But, she's lost it wide again, and ScarJo is now up 39-37.

ROUND FIVE:

Lovato's corner has seen enough of this game and they want a change made. It happens immediately. The brunette's going to force the pace again, coming forward like she did in the first. This time, she's keeping the guard up to aid her efforts to pressure the older woman. ScarJo's popping jabs, throwing hard lefts behind them, looking to keep Demi at range, but, Lovato's able to work past those defenses, get in side, and start working some body. Problem for Demi is that Scarlett's comfortable here as well. She'll bang inside if that's what you want, and, that's exactly what she does in response. Result is the best two-way round of the fight so far, with blonde and brunette working upstairs and down, scoring with both hands, landing solid, accurate leather for most of the three minutes. At the bell, there's not much in it. In fact, there's nothing at all. The round is a draw, and, at the half, it's Johansson up 49-47.

ROUND SIX:

Lovato right back forward. She may not have won the last round, but she didn't take a licking in it either, so this is the strategy of choice. ScarJo again works to keep the brunette off, but, when she gets inside, makes with the body shots and the hooks to the head. Thirty seconds in. BOOM! A short right uppercut and Scarlett's HURT! Johansson wobbles, actually grabs Lovato to avoid going down! Demi shoves the older woman off and goes to work, bringing those heavy hands to bear. ScarJo in full retreat, immediately backed to the ropes where the brunette lets her have it with both hands. Lovato landing absolute BOMBS that wobble the blonde's legs again and again. Somehow the blonde manages to stay on her feet, and, just as amazingly, the referee does not step in to stop all of this, so Johansson survives to the bell, but she's a shelled wreck on her way back to the corner. It's Lovato wide in the sixth, and the blonde's lead is now 58-57.

ROUND SEVEN:

Demi moving in for the kill. Scarlett on shaky-legs, but still crafty. She's giving ground behind her jab, moving as best she can, trying to slow down Lovato's on-rushing offensive. But. Demi's the train now, and there's nothing the blonde can do to slow it down. She can, again, just try not to get run over. But Lovato's all about making that an impossible task. Demi's squaring up the blonde, backing her up, piling on the heavy leather. Scarlett shaken AGAIN about a minute in via a short right hook. Shortly after, Johansson rope bound again, taking a thumping, trying to fight back, but only able to do so here and there. In between, it's all Demi, who's just hammering away at the blonde as the referee looks in closely. Just after the two minute mark it's ANOTHER RIGHT UPPIE! Lovato snaps back ScarJo's head and then steps aside as the blonde crashes past her right shoulder to the canvas. Scarlett is DOWN! And Scarlett is OUT! The blonde unmoving as the count passes her by. It's OVER! And your winner by KO7 is Demi Lovato!

AFTER:

Demi nodding to the camera as the post-fight interview begins. "THIS is what I've been saying. THIS. I can beat girls like her. Top-level girls. Championship-level girls. This stuff isn't a fluke. This isn't unusual. This is who I am now. I'm Demi Lovato, and I'm as good as any bantam in the FCBA. That's just reality. Get used to it."