(Poster courtesy of the Dollhouse)

Results: Lookout, Writing: Archer


Celebrity Boxing After Dark: Ingénue Fight

Lauren: 30 YO, 5’0 (1.50 m), FCBA Debut, The Dollhouse

Camila: 23 YO, 5’2 (1.59 m), 2-1-0, 2 KO since 2017, Free Agent


Before: Debut for The Dollhouse hopeful Lauren. Scotch singer has been training hard and expresses her confidence in the pre-fight: “My trainer Kristanna Loken and I have been working to get me ready for this fight. Camila’s had 3 fights already this year and won 2 of them. And in case you haven’t noticed, I’m small even for a flyweight, but I am 5 feet of determination and fighting spirit. I believe in myself and I want to give The Dollhouse a debut win so there will be no doubt they signed the right girl.”


“Fighting another rookie is always an adventure,” Camila Mendes says quietly. “you never quite know what you’ll be facing. I envy her for having real management. She knows even if she loses they will back her up. I lose and who knows when I’ll get another fight. I need to win every time I am out there. I have been able to do it twice and I’ll be fighting to make this my third win. It may not be easy, but I will be giving it my best.”

Fight night finds Lauren in a pink sports bra with black trim and tight black trunks (thigh-length) with pink gloves and boots (black laces). Lauren’s dark hair is pulled back into tight braid down her back. Camila is in tight dark blue trunks with a yellow sports bra and white trim. White gloves and boots. Her black hair in a perky ponytail. Polite ring instructions though both fighter fidget and look a bit nervous. Instructions done they tap gloves and adjourn to their respective corners. The bell rings.


R1: Camila out of her corner with aggression as she closes in on a wary Lauren to fire quick shots that sting the rookie to the head. Lauren ducking down and trying to counter. Camila moving around the outside this time striking at Lauren’s flanks and then moving in to attack the body. Lauren trying to concentrate and figure what to do which is slowing down her counter-punching. Lauren gets her jab going late as Camila tries to force her way in close, but is knocked back with some sharp blows to the face and stomach, Lauren looking a bit frustrated, though not discouraged at the bell. Lauren looking quietly pleased knowing she’s won this first round wide.


R2: Lauren takes instruction from trainer Kristanna Loken during break and apparently the instruction was “take the offensive”. Lauren startles Camila with a quick left hook to the stomach and then a fast right uppercut to clip her under the chin. Camila falling back in some disorder as Lauren pursues firing shots into Camila’s torso and then off the sides of her head. Camila in retreat is forced to cover up as Lauren swarms around her swinging away with rookie eagerness as she has her opponent on the run. Camila finally stabilizes behind her jab which slows Lauren down with punches to the head and chest. Lauren keeps up the pressure with steady punching though Camila able to blunt many of these, but Camila’s definitely on the defensive the whole round. Lauren smiling happily as a sweaty, shaken Camila heads for her corner, with an expression that indicates she’s glad this round is over. Lauren wins her first round ever by a wide margin.


R3: Lauren again on the attack in this round. Camila is trying to get back in charge, but takes a hard right to the jaw that swivels her head and puts a tremor in her legs. Lauren again quick to take advantage of a stunned Camila and strikes at the sides of Camila’s head until Camila has taken cover behind her gloves. Lauren then works Camila’s midsection with a steady barrage of hooks with some driving straight left and rights to attack Camila’s breasts. Camila backing away with some skill and manages to keep Lauren at a distance until she can get her jab functioning reliably. Lauren jabbed to the face and body is slowed down, but not stopped as she punches from the middle distance and tries circling to find openings. Camila able to cover Lauren’s circling, but is caught more once by a sudden Lauren feint then finds herself eating a punch to the mouth. Camila again kept mostly on the defense as Lauren wins this round by a comfortable margin, Big smile on the newcomer’s face. Camila looking grumpy.


R4: Camila shoots off her stool at the bell and goes plowing into Lauren punching like her arms her arms are piston rods. Lauren clearly taken off guard by the blitz attack is driven back into her own corner as Camila hammers her at the waistline to tip her forward. Then Camila bangs her hard to the chin with uppercuts and Lauren is thrown back into the turnbuckle.


“CLINCH! CLINCH!” Kristanna Loken’s voice rings out and Lauren quickly wraps Camila up in what looks more like a bear hug. Camila not liking this, tries to throw Lauren to the canvas, but referee gets in to restore order. Camila seems fired up now and wants to fight in close. Lauren determined not to be pushed back, accepts battle and there is a flurry of punches exchanged. However Camila blunts and ducks most of Lauren’s punches while landing a good number of her own to Lauren’s head and body. Lauren now has to fall back and Camila lands a bell-ringer to the temple that turns Lauren’s legs to rubber as she flounders back. Camila now working to cut off the ring and herd Lauren to the ropes. Lauren fighting back, but she is slowly being pushed along the strands. Camila not quite able to trap her, but Lauren looks woozy after the bell. Grim smile of satisfaction on Camila’s face as she is finally back on the cards with a round won wide.


R5: Lauren tries to shake off that last round and moves out fast to clash with Camila at center ring. Lauren shows a nice left feint to the stomach while bringing a solid right cross into Camila’s jaw. Camila is momentarily stunned and Lauren quick to go to the chin, but can only land a quick uppie before Camila has it protected. Lauren then goes to the stomach. Camila pulls back quickly which causes Lauren to lurch forward off-balance. Camila fires back with her own right cross to the jaw and blasting follow-up left hook to the chin. LAUREN FALLS TO ALL FOURS! Lauren falls forward as Camila skips out of the way and heads for the neutral corner. Lauren shuddering as she crouches there, but then hears the count and makes a great effort to stand. She makes it at “NINE!” Lauren standing there does not look good, but when referee questions her about continuing she insists: “I’M NOT QUITTING!” Referee lets her have her ay and waves Camila back in. Very quickly ringsiders realize Lauren made a mistake. She is moving sluggishly to counter Camila who drives her backwards with merciless shots to the head. Lauren trying to get her gloves up to stop Camila’s rampage, but Camila brushing them aside to knock Lauren’s head around in an alarming fashion. Lauren sliding along the ropes, but won’t go down as Camila just punches away in a growing frenzy to put the stubborn Scot on the canvas. THE REF JUMPS IN! Crowd applauds as the official cradles Lauren in his arms and bears her to safety.


Camila Mendes wipes her sweaty forehead with her right arm and then waves to the crowd which cheers her winning bout. 

THE WINNER: CAMILA MENDES DEFEATS LAUREN MAYBERRY TKO5


After: “I am glad the ref stopped the fight when he did,” Camila tells press. “I just wanted her go down and stay down, but she wouldn’t go down. I am not here to hurt anyone. Lauren showed she’s got the basics and a lot of heart. I hurt her in the 4th and then finished her off in the 5th, but I wouldn’t call it an easy win at all. She’s little but she can punch big. I’m probably lucky to have met her so early in her career before she really starts to learn her stuff. Of course, by then, I should have learned my stuff too. So it should make for a good fight.”


Lauren Mayberry understandably sad at the setback: “I really thought I was beating her, but she turned it around in the 4th and it went downhill from there. Kristanna says I should think of this as ‘learning experience’. The main thing I feel I’ve learned is what a sour taste losing leaves in your mouth. It’s not something I want to taste again any time soon! Next time will be different!”


Good rookie fight while it lasted. Lauren Mayberry did show some skills and she was able to dominate Camila Mendes in R2 and R3, but once Camila was able to shake her up in R4 she wasn’t able to recover in time and got finished in R5. Good work by Camila Mendes. It’s never easy for an unmanaged fighter in the FCBA, but she has helped her cause by winning 3 of her first 4 bouts. We look forward to seeing where both of these fighters go in their next fights.