Louise Hazel vs Victoria Pendleton
(Track & Field vs Track Cycling/Horse Racing)
(0-1 vs 1-0, 1 KO)
Results: BBU; Story: Vassago

BEFORE: BBU returns to the Manchester Velodrome and this is one place Victoria Pendleton knows like the back of her hand. The former track cycling mega star enjoyed a successful BBU debut when she stopped Ivet Lalova during the Olympic Trials in Rio de Janeiro but there's no place like home especially when heptathlete Louise Hazel agreed to fight her in a special sportswomen boxing contest tonight.

Hazel's BBU debut wasn't as successful as Pendleton's since she succumbed to Laci Kay Somers but the desire to finally emerge from the shadows of Jessica Ennis (officially retired now) and Katrina Johnson-Thompson fuels her return to the ring; the Velodrome crowd obviously supports their former sweetheart Victoria and we have special guest Laura Kenny up in the stands to make sure Pendleton maintains her winning record tonight. The odds are otherwise stacked against Hazel but BBU TV's Anna Woolhouse believes the outcome of this fight isn't decided before the opening bell by any means!

Louise Hazel wears a black sports bra, white knickers and red gloves. Long black hair straight. Victoria Pendleton wears a red sports bra, black hotpants and blue gloves. Long dark brown hair tied in a curly ponytail. The fight is scheduled for ten rounds in the bantamweight division.

Round 1:
Hazel wants to make the most out of her slightly superior reach and tackles the fellow brunette to the body; the gung-ho nature of this opening attack leaves Pendleton surprised and wobbling under the head hunting barrage. Several BBU pundits have questioned whether Hazel escapes the glorified punchbag status but she's out there to prove them wrong in the first round as she splits Victoria's gloves repeatedly and bullies her back to the ropes down the stretch. Victoria swings from the back foot hoping to land a noteworthy punch that would halt the Londonder's charge but she can't find a way through the high guard and caves in behind a desperate earmuff as the track & field hottie keeps pounding away at her. Louise can't maintain the dominant accuracy as we enter the third minute but still prevents Pendleton from sticking her foot in the door to run away with the round unscathed.

Round 2:
Victoria's five years older than her opponent and nobody expected her to dominate the footwork department but that poor opening round has switched her approach to mid-distance which forces a hectic jabbing pursuit from the heptathlete. However Louise can't quite find the rhythm and grazes the guard more often then not which in turn opens the door for Pendleton to embark on a counter-punching journey for most of the round. Louise still stands tall and refuses to apply a more swarming approach - she might learn to regret that according to Anna Woolhouse - whereas Victoria settles into a single-hand swingning from the back foot and a visibly improved mobility to stay away from the potential jabbing rush. This leads into a cagey albeit anemic dispute thereafter with neither woman trying to be more aggressive.

Round 3:
Louise tries to resume the close range success she enjoyed in the opener but she bounces off the older brunette's guard this time and eats a quick counter-punching strike on the nose that wobbles her to the side much easily than even Anna Woolhouse expected. Pendleton notices the defensive hole and nails her rival with another quick left/right combo and hauls in a vicious shot to the solar plexus that trips a yelping Hazel back to the ropes. Ugh! That was almost too easy for the former Olympic champion who lasers in with more hooks and snaps Louise's head back & forth. This leather flurry fuels the support in the stands and Victoria settles into a proper head-hunting bash which Hazel has no answer for. You can see Laura Kenny getting animated out there as well as Pendleton gets vocal in her efforts to knock the younger woman down but the punching power simply isn't there and the clock eventually saves Hazel from immediate disaster. Still, that was a very promising round for the velodrome star who exposed her opponent's suspicious resistance and should only build on from here!

Round 4:
Hazel realizes she got rattled in the previous round and tries to jump the gun on Pendleton's aggressive approach but she misfires over the top and gets clobbered on the nose with a vicious left/right combo! Ouch! She winces in pain and drops on her heels on the spot as Victoria BLASTS her with a nasty left cross on the brow ridge moments later... AND DOWN GOES HAZEL!!! The heptathlon starlet's bum hits the canvas first and she just slides on her back while covering her face behind both gloves. That's a real sucker punch for all ye track & field hopes but the Manchester crowd absolutely loves it! The count reaches seven before Hazel makes a somewhat sluggish recovery and she looks shaken up by the experience. Pendleton notices that wobbly shape of her rival and zooms in with more head-hunting shots that simply wreck Louise's high guard aside. Uh-oh. The heptathlete gets pummelled back to the ropes where she tries to clinch the older woman but Victoria hammers in more facial juice and tears the skin under Hazel's right eye. The aches and yelps are only getting louder as well and Louise is literally saved by the bell while soaking up heavy punishment in the corner. She drops to her knees at the bell and looks anything but ready to continue here. Victoria gives her a really long stare and smirks: "You're done yet?" There's no answer coming back...

Round 5:
Louise doesn't quit on her stool but she's a walking punchbag now and gets wrapped in a nasty jabbing assault early in the fifth. It's all crashing against the Londoner's face here during the opening minute but Pendleton is wary enough to bury a hook deep into her rival's navel followed by a quick uppercut on the chin. Hazel's defense has gone AWOL and she shrieks into a standstill while the former Olympic champion BLASTS her straight on the mouth... and there's the gumshield flying off!!! Louise's eyes bawl out to the orbit before SHE SLIDES DOWN ON HER BACK and remains motionless with eyes closed during a slow but otherwise unneccessary count. It's all over here in the fifth! KO5 Victoria Pendleton!!!

AFTER: There's a rampant ovation inside the Velodrome here as if Samia Ghadie herself blasted out one of these tawdry Scousers but Victoria has every right to call this place her second home. Laura Kenny comes down from the stands to embrace her former cycling teammate and even Anna Woolhouse wants to know whether Pendleton has more BBU outings up her sleeve. There's little chance the Cardiff-based organization can afford a Jessica Ennis appearance fee but it's apparent that the 37 year old remains in top physical shape which must be credited to her horse racing tenure: "Yeah, I'm not exactly retired from professinal competition", she tells Ms Woolhouse, "Yeah, I've heard that Jess is widely considered as the golden girl but does she have the guts to put the boxing gloves on? I don't think so! Besides, it doesn't matter! I don't have anything to prove anymore... well, maybe! BBU is too much fun for me not to consider another try. Just find me a proper opponent!" (laughs).

Final result: Victoria Pendleton def. Louise Hazel KO5.