Minka Kelly vs Meghan Markle
(Lioness Club of America vs FCBA Independent)
(46-22-1, 42 KO vs 10-8, 9 KO)
BWO Rankings: #15 vs #42
Results: Lookout!; Story: Vassago

BEFORE: Boxing World Magazine rates former champion Minka Kelly higher than her own Lioness stable does these days but Nina Dobrev's designated bantamweight status has a lot to do with it in first place. While Minka relies on past glory, one can't overlook her recent slump that has send her into a path of indie opponents while she navigates the back nine of her otherwise elite boxing career.

Meanwhile Meghan Markle thrives on easy exposure ever since officially joining the UK royal family over the summer. She might be gone from the 'Suits' line-up but her FCBA tenure is by no means over and she's not without a shot to upset the underperforming ex-champion tonight according to several pundits. She enjoys a four-fight winning streak and vows to make it five in a row while teasing the LCA entourage with her fake British accent during the introductions. That's arrogance or a safety valve to release some of that winning pressure?

Minka Kelly wears a leopard print bikini top, black panties and red gloves. Long dark brown hair tied in a curled ponytail. Meghan Markle wears a red bikini set and black gloves. Long dark brown hair in loose waves. The fight is scheduled for ten rounds in the bantamweight division.

Round 1:
Meghan wastes little time in pouncing on the fellow brunette and picks her off from point-blank range while Minka's traditional slow start gets her into trouble early on. She struggles to embrace the aggressive jabbing from the fellow California native and bounces off the high guard is a half-hearted response. The counter-punching drill fails to throw Markle off her stance as the younger brunette outworks the former champion and backs her into the ropes down the stretch. Meghan barks in her efforts to shut down shop on the Lioness veteran and whips her backwards with more painfully effective head shots in the dying seconds of a largely one-sided opener.

Round 2:
Minka drops the defensive mindset but that's really due to her opponent's antics more than anything else; both women square off in the center of the ring where Kelly snaps the roya brunette's head back with a spirited attack but then settles down to the body which gives Markle more trouble than she can deal with it. Ugh! Meghan yields real estate but she's not quick enough to escape from Kelly's range and gets thumped butt-in-ropes as the former champion channels her inner wrath. She wraps Markle in a proper head-hunting barrage but always leaves something to bury into that exposed midsection which forces Meghan into desperate clinching come the final minute. Minka tries to shake her off but the stalemate eventually halts her recovery for good.

Round 3:
Meghan avoids the mid-range slugging this time and pounces the older brunette to the body herself which allows the elite bendiness of the former champion to shine through during the opening minute. However Markle remains committed to the aggresive tactics and picks the fellow brunette off with single punches regardless which stymies the intended Lioness recovery. Coach Eva Mendes is visibly upset over letting Markle to run the action from the front and Minka's fortunate enough the royal brunette struggles to carry enough power behind her aerial attack. It's vintage Minka on the boxin dancefloor but Meghan's hardly frightened by this display!

Round 4:
Meghan powers ahead with another quick offensive approach that splits Minka's guard and perhaps Eva Mendes got it wrong during the break when she urged the Lioness brunette to become more aggressive now. Apparently the LCA entourage remains sceptical over Meghan's upset chances but the former 'Suits' starlet gives it her all once she traps Kelly in close range. She thumps a vicious combo to the body before clipping the jaw with a swift uppercut drive and Minka simply struggles to contain the phone booth attack. She wobbles onto her heels but gets beaten for another overhand as Markle's too aggressive to be denied anymore. The Lioness counter-punch bounces off the top of Meghan's shoulder and she follows through on the lips to send Kelly tripping onto the ropes with a whimper. There's no escape from this one as Markle cleans out the leftovers and hauls in more crisp shots to the body that leave the former champion crippled at the bell.

Round 5:
Meghan begins to establish her authority in the ring and outworks the southpaw over the top while Minka dances on her toes just to stay in the exchange. Some experts believe Markle tries to set up that whirlwind haymaker any second now but Kelly digs deep into the Lioness pride factor and sticks too many belting hooks to the body for Meghan to simply ignore them. Ugh! A punishing harpoon double suddenly throws the younger brunette off her stride and allows Kelly to smack a nasty uppercut on the chest followed by a quick uppercut on the jaw. Markle yields real estate in a hurry but fails to adjust her feet before Minka SLAMS a left cross on the eye that dumps the fellow brunette onto the ropes with a loud yelp. Ugh! Minka pounces on the opportunity and wraps Markle in a head-hunting drill but finds more ripping harpoons to the body late on that leave Meghan sagging on jelly knees come the bell.

Round 6:
Nobody expected that late Minka rally in the fifth but suddenly she catches another wind in her southpaw sails and crashes into Markle's body to seek more weak spots below her elbows. Meghan gets caught out with the blitzing stride and can only clinch the charging opponent alas Kelly bumps her onto the ropes and Markle just doesn't have the mobility required to avoid getting laced to the body here. Minka drives in low and rips through the royal midsection to the point the younger brunette gets pinned in the corner... it's the Abs of Mass Destruction straight from Vanessa Hudgens' special feature and Minka pummels the subdued free agent from both flanks to DROP MARKLE ONTO HER BACKSIDE following a relentless drive indeed. Ugh! Meghan never saw this much coming and she struggles to fend off the pain as she tries to grab the ropes in order to get up... she eventually does at eight but bends awkwardly with a loud whimper and hugs her tummy while begging the ref to give more time to recover. Nope, even the House of Windsor connections ain't gonna bail you out here, hun! TKO6 Minka Kelly!!!

AFTER: Shocking result here for most of the audience and even LCA coach Eva Mendes can't believe it! Minka Kelly reached out against the odds and exposed Meghan Markle to the body in a fashion that would make some of the fittest flyweights around the league proud. Meghan almost cries out as she stalks the referee while still looking a little gimpy: "Is it over? Over? Really? Why? I'm still... argghh..." Oh, boy... she won't be smiling much on the plane back to Heathrow...

Meanwhile Minka keeps it low-key in celebrations as she acknowledges that wasn't her best performance by any means. She's not gonna maul many of these girls into exhaustion anymore and she had to rely on some downright aggressive stunts to eventually force a stoppage. One could say she almost exposed Markle's tummy as "soft" by pure accident. Oh well, any slumping former champion will accept the big "W" and simply move on!

Official result: Minka Kelly def. Meghan Markle TKO6.