Emmanuelle Vaugier vs Jennifer Metcalfe
(FCBA Free Agent vs Lookout! Atlantic Boxing)
(2-0, 1 KO vs 12-11, 11 KO)
Results: BBU; Story: Vassago

BEFORE: Former Odds & Ends member Emmanuelle Vaugier extends her celebrity boxing career in Europe where she's defeated Laura Pausini and Natalie Gumede before which makes her a genuine gatekeeping threat even at the age of 41 according to BBU TV's Denise van Outen. On the other hand Hollyoaks' Jennifer Metcalfe remains a crowd-favorite in the UK and she intends to take down the Canadian in Cardiff Arena tonight to kick-start her up & down BBU career.

Emmanuelle Vaugier wears a white bikini top, red hotpants and red gloves. Long dark brown hair in loose waves. Jennifer Metcalfe wears a black bikini set with red trim and golden gloves. Long dark brown hair straight. The fight is scheduled for ten rounds in the bantamweight division.

Round 1:
Both women circle around each other and refuse to pull the trigger early but Jennifer eventually jumps on the jabbing route to force the Canadian into some action. The punches fails to deliver the heat during the initial exchange and Vaugier's guard contains whatever Metcalfe attempts here before hooking up with a wild swing over the top that stuns the British lass and drops her behind a tight cover down the stretch. The Canadian isn't best known for her slugging qualities but she pounces on the opportunity and thumps the younger brunette up the middle with Metcalfe struggling to halt her progress. Emmanuelle eventually pounds the cumbersome opponent towards the ropes where Jennifer finally finds some agility and escapes getting trapped in the corner at the last second. However she's forced to yield more real estate as the Canadian stalks her with another jabbing rush for remainder of the round.

Round 2:
Emmanuelle is a veteran of 27 FCBA fights and uses that to her advantage as she weathers the early Metcalfe storm in the second; most of the Hollyoaks brunette's punches only find the high guard and forearms and that's a sign of woeful execution that might not be good enough against such an experienced opponent. Truth be told, Metcalfe is seven years younger than Vaugier but that makes little difference when you can't land your strikes and Emmanuelle eventually triggers another successful counter-punching assault to stun the British actress on her heels. She dominates the subsequent close range tussle and even though Jennifer lands some crisp shots on the body, her footwork isn't up to the task and Vaugier breaks her resilience come the final minute. She thumps the Hollyoaks girl back to the ropes where she sinks her with a drilling hook on the liver area and runs away with a late body assault flurry.

Round 3:
The Lookout Atlantic's manager Nicole Richie doesn't look all that happy in the stands but Jennifer is well aware of the struggles too. She ignites more speed into her movements and doesn't rush in with another series which triggers a slow start to the third round with Emmanuelle hardly bothering to do something about it. The Cardiff audience doesn't like this game of cat & mouse here but there's no real breakthough in action until Metcalfe finally jumps in with the head-hunting route to catch the older brunette with a nasty hook on the brow ridge. She fails to deliver a proper combo though and Vaugier bumps her off in close range before blasting her to the body again. Ugh! Jennifer gets caught on the liver area and wobbles forward however she manages to lock a stubborn clinch before the Canadian can blast her with another cruel punch. The wrestling struggle continues deep into the third minute but Vaugier secures the last laught anyway as she pounds the otherwise hapless foe to the body and leaves Metcalfe moaning at the bell.

Round 4:
The Canadian veteran develops a cheeky smile on her face during the break and she probably didn't expect this fight to offer so much upside so quickly with the Hollyoaks brunette struggling to mount a decent series thru nine minutes of action. However the brief lack of mental awareness allows Metcalfe to finally cash in with a proper drive and she camps inside the Canadian's tummy early in the fourth before a seemingly wayward elbow pierces the solar plexus to stagger the victim on her heels. Jennifer unloads a nice uppercut to wobble Vaugier back to the ropes and before the Canadian veteran can plant her feet properly again, she gets BLASTED with a left cross on the brow ridge that immediately begins to swell upon suffering a flesh damage. Ugh! Emmanuelle didn't expect that but she's outsmarted herself and now Jennifer rallies into firm contention with more punches upstairs that dissect the guard and require Vaugier seeking a clinch in the dying seconds of the round.

Round 5:
Emmanuelle drops the overly cautious approach and for once tries to beat the English lass for the opening punch in up-tempo fashion but both women charge at each other, they clash heads and lose their composure for a moment. Jennifer recovers first and drives a left hook into the Canadian's mouth before a laser of a left hook finds the liver AND BENDS VAUGIER INTO SPASMS!!! Uh-oh! The Canadian veteran wobbles forward with a whimper but fails to secure a clinch and gets picked off with a flurry of head-hunting leather down the stretch. She drops back to the ropes but doesn't have the agility to escape into mid-distance safety so gets wrapped in a furious leather bash with Metcalfe yelling at her to fuel her effort. The relentless pounding eventually FORCES VAUGIER TO TAKE A KNEE even if that looked slightly intentional. Jennifer signals to Nicole Richie she's got things under full control now but Emmanuelle is anything but damaged here and beats the count with room to spare. However she refuses to engage in more close range tussling and spends the remainder of the round in constant retreat.

Round 6:
Denise van Outen believes the Canadian woman can snap Metcalfe's momentum at any time and the knockdown in the fifth shouldn't be considered a turning point of this fight at all. The early action in the sixth seemingly proves that as Vaugier is the one making all the nose when she dissects Jennifer's guard in a feisty close range pursuit. Both women dish out heavy punishment but Emmanuelle's right brow ridge begins to swell more visibly now and could actually affect her vision down the stretch. This is almost a classic swarming display but neither woman has enough stamina to maintain the high-octane drill and they eventually settle for a clinch with Metcalfe driving her foe butt-in-ropes during the wrestling struggle. Emmanuelle lands some crisp shots to the body but she lacks the intensity and the round concludes with a lenghty stalemate on the ropes.

Round 7:
Metcalfe uncorks a nasty left hook straight on Vaugier's wounded brow ridge and wobbles her behind a high earmuff during the initial tangle however she quickly switches downstairs where she pierces the older brunette's solar plexus and the Canadian tourist is guilty of some leaky defence here all of the sudden. She tries to swing one from the back foot but misses and Jennifer hauls in another vicious hook on the wounded brow ridge that bursts the older actress into an extended shrieking madness. Uh-oh! The swelling has gotten even worse and Emmanuelle disappears behind a high earmuff but she gets rattled to the body and Metcalfe finds another gear in her victory pursuit. She pummels the aching rival back to the ropes and drills her breadbasket so frequently that Vaugier's resistance gives up the ghost AND SHE'S FORCED DOWN ONTO HER KNEES come the two minute mark. This time it looks more serious than before and the brow ridge injury doesn't help at all either. Vaugier tries to swallow some tears and as she's up at eight and a change, she looks to be in all kinds of bother. She glances over the top of the referee's shoulder and admits she can't see much through the right eye. The referee takes a long pause before making the decision but calls it a day with Vaugier suffering too much damage around the eye. TKO7 Jennifer Metcalfe in slightly controversial fashion!!!

AFTER: Emmanuelle doesn't contest the decision which probably proves that her brow ridge injury will take several days to heal up. However her health status is the last thing on Nicole Richie's mind; the notorious Lookout! Atlantic manager makes her way to the ring where she parades with the victorious Jennifer and later confirms that Leilani Dowding is the preferred option going forward. There's always the Hollyoaks Special to be dealt with come the new year and Metcalfe suggests money dispute was the reason behind it getting delayed this season: "There's too much drama involved but at the end of the day Gemma Bissix and Claire Cooper of all people wanted too much cash! It's not like they're the real stars of the show anymore! Not with me around the place!"

Final result: Jennifer Metcalfe def. Emmanuelle Vaugier TKO7.