Miami Open Tennis Boxing
Donna Vekic (WTA #55) vs Camila Giorgi (WTA #64)
(Croatia vs Italy)

BEFORE: Lanky blonde Donna Vekic has all the physical tools to become an elite WTA force however the mental aspect of her performance usually gets it the way leaving her on the brink of breaking out into stardom without actually doing so... yet. Meanwhile Camila Giorgi is an ultra-aggressive operator plagued with suspicious coaching and the very same mental hiccups that Vekic is so familiar with. She can beat anyone on a good day but these days are simply nowhere to be seen on a regular basis.

The humid Key Biscayne setting down in Florida suggests both girls will slug it out in mindless fashion as defense is a word missing from their vocabulary. Vekic owns the supreme height & reach but Giorgi has enough power to knock her out with a single drive according to most WTA experts moonlightning on boxing duty tonight.

Donna Vekic wears a salmon-colored one-piece swimsuit and black gloves. Long blonde hair tied in a braid. Camila Giorgi wears a turquoise basque top, black knickers and red gloves. Long dark blonde hair tied in a braid. The fight is scheduled for ten rounds in the welterweight division.

Round 1:
Donna wants to use her supreme numbers as early as possible and even though Camila tries to match her intensity during the initial tangle, she gets repeatedly picked off who allows the Croatian to split her mitts from afar and knock her backwards upon the steady impact. Ugh! Giorgi wobbles to the side once she soaks up the left/right combo on the mouth and simply has to yield real estate thereafter as Vekic keeps piling more pressure up the middle. Camila shows her mobile side to avoid most of the hassling in the second minute but then gets caught out with a left hook on the brow ridge and slides back onto the ropes where Vekic continues with the head-hunting push until the bell finally interrupts her. She bounced off the Italian's high guard too often to really hurt her but she yells out in delight regardless.

Round 2:
Camila tries the speedy route to bang some quick leather underneath alas Donna stands tall and WHACKS her over the top which immediately spins the blonde braid around. Huh! Camila sinks on her knees and eats more head-hunting menace as she gets dominated in close range again before checking out to trigger a hectic pursuit from the Croatian. Donna really feels at home using her superior reach and Giorgi's aggressive approach is neutralized wholesale since she can't make anything happen from afar. Vekic doesn't fall for the jabbing tease and stings the reeling Italian on the mouth before a left hook cuts the older blonde up around the eye. Camila has to apply a desperate earmuff simply to survive the power assault as Vekic barks in her efforts to underline her dominance with a knockdown but there's a reason she's not exactly WTA elite so Giorgi escapes further punishment in the dying seconds.

Round 3:
Vekic remains focused on punishing the hitherto cumbersome Italian but becomes a little too careless following the initial left/eight combo and allows Giorgi to fire back underneath with some crisp punches drilling the Croatian's midsection during the opening minute. Camila almost crashes head head into the fellow blonde's torso as she wobbles her back and NAILS with a belting punch on the liver area that makes Donna wince in pain. Giorgi settles down in the phone booth stance and rips more brutal hooks to the body to finally stuff the taller woman on her heels. Vekic tries to swing from the back foot but fails to stretch her elbows with the Italian literally sitting on her lap so she wrestles the charging spitfire onto the ropes where she actually eats another harpoon on the liver area that keeps Giorgi on top of the action. Donna becomes too hittable while riding the ropes deep and Camila bends her to the side right at the bell when she pierces her solar plexus to sign off a noteworthy revivial.

Round 4:
There's still hope for the Italian fans as Camila tries to charge up Donna's gut but a booming left hand on the swollen brow ridge knocks her back and she gets beaten for a swinging reply when she grazes the top of the Croatian's shoulder while eating a bullet on the nose THAT SENDS HER CRASHING DOWN ON HER BACKSIDE in a flush! Huh! Donna teases some raw power right there and Giorgi needs the whole eight to shake it off. She tries to keep her game face on but Vekic's all over her to trigger a familiar hussle around the ring. One needs more time to recover from such a knockdown blast and even a high-octane aggressor like Camila thinks better off it. Donna's footwork remains an issue so she can't quite track the reeling opponent down but she scores easy artistic impression value as Giorgi appears more than shaken up during the hectic retreat. She eventually gets backed into the turnbuckle where Vekic connects with more head shots and the Italian guard collapses badly in the dying seconds which affects the swollen eye as Camila complains about it during the break.

Round 5:
The swelling around Giorgi's eye gets significantly worse following another high-tempo slugfest in the opening minute and Vekic really digs deep to punish the brave Italian. Camila simply won't - or can't - revert into a counter-punching response and soaks up too many strikes over the top as the Croatian cranks it up to expose the inferior defense. Ugh! Camila begins to gurgle in discomfort as she wilts under the point-blank range assault and stumbles to the side with a whimper which then enables Donna to slam a quick harpoon to the exposed liver and FLOOR THE FELLOW BLONDE ON THE SPOT! Camila kneels down and bends her head against the canvas as she can't stop moaning her heart out. She tries to recover at eight but appears very shake on her legs and the sweeling around the eye just grows bigger and bigger so the ref calls the fight OFF to protect the outclassed girl. TKO5 Donna Vekic!!!

AFTER: It's a disappointing loss for Camila who simply couldn't overcome the Croatian's superior reach and leaked way too many punches tonight to prevent a rather gruesome stoppage. She was in for a facial rearrangement according to several WTA pundits if the fight crossed the half-distance mark and while Donna remains too erratic and otherwise vulnerable on defense, she won't be bothered much by 5'6" opposition if she doesn't get blasted on her heels early. Camila couldn't do that tonight and succumbed to a supreme raw power instead. Donna probably wouldn't be so fortunate if she faced the likes of Maria Sharapova or Victoria Azarenka though!

Official result: Donna Vekic def. Camila Giorgi TKO5.