BBU Independent Boxing Night
Liz McClarnon vs Eleanor Tomlinson
(5-14, 4 KO vs 2-1, 2 KO)
Results: BBU; Story: Vassago

BEFORE: Liz McClarnon's record doesn't inspire much praise but she's exactly the type of opponent that Eleanor Tomlinson needs to bounce back from a shocking upset at the hands of Lucy Griffiths last summer. The 'Poldark' starlet was supposed to make plenty of noise following her debut win over fellow cast member Heida Reed but run into a wall vs Griffiths that fully exposed her lack of punching resistance. BBU TV's Charlie Webster thinks the redhead simply underestimated the Brighton veteran and she won't make that same mistake here in the Wembley Arena tonight.

Liz McClarnon wears a red bikini set and white gloves. Long blonde hair tied in a curled ponytail. Eleanor Tomlinson wears a silver sports bra, black hotpants and red gloves. Dyed carrot hair loose & straight. The fight is scheduled for ten rounds in the bantamweight division.

Round 1:
Liz has been widely dismissed as punchbag by her fellow peers but she makes a promising start here tonight as she gallops into the redhead's midsection and bends her into early spasms that catches the crowd off guard. Ugh! Liz just keeps on digging and tackles her rival below the elbows with Eleanor unable to find any response until the one minute mark. The 'Poldark' babe is several years the singer's junior but she just can't shake off the early heat and only bounces off the blonde's chin a couple of time before a wild hook on the nose drops her butt-in-ropes allowing McClarnon to build on her advantage. Another quick rally downstairs leaves her gasping in pain and Liz whacks her with an uppercut combo that lets the carrot hair fly all over the place and sinks Tomlinson into more trouble. Only the bell halts the Mersey charge and the London crowd remains muted in response while the former Atomic Kitten singer yells out in delight and looks as pumped for more action as last seen from her during Tony Blair's days in the 10.

Round 2:
"Stupid bytch!", Liz goes on a rampage to tackle the redhead's vulnerable tummy and Eleanor gets the air sucked out of her when the Mersey girl connects with her shots to stagger her in the center of the ring. The response over the top bounces off the blonde's shoulder before a nasty head-butt sinks the younger woman on her heels. McClarnon gets so carried away by her dominance she doesn't even notice the bump that hit Eleanor on the nose and thumps her into the ropes where Tomlinson escapes from more heat at the last moment. She uses the mid-distance spell to force the singer into an otherwise fruitless pursuit but Liz channels her aggression to hassle the hapless redhead around the ring for remainder of the round and Charlie Webster reckons Eleanor is simply lost out there with Liz unwilling to lay down for the beating like everyone inside the Wembley Arena expected.

Round 3:
More bruising shots to the body sink Tomlinson into a state of despair but she simply can't brawl herself out of trouble and Liz nails her on the chin a couple of times to split the high guard as well. She switches her focus upstairs and Eleanor reverts back to her superior agility just to bide her time while her response remains woefully ineffective. Maybe the plan is to wear the Mersey veteran out but even the single punches connect with the redhead's face and leave her completely exposed once she trips back to the corner and allows McClarnon to pour more juice from point-blank range. The guard holds up and the blonde doesn't land as many clean shots as before but she wraps the 'Poldark' babe into all kinds of bother anyway and Charlie can't quite explain it at this stage anymore.

Round 4:
Eleanor finally wins the initial jabbing battle and pierces the singer's solar plexus to force her back before a quick one-two strike splits Liz's mitts and knocks her head around. Tomlinson steps into a right overhand that beats the similar response and spins the blonde's ponytail while a jarring left hand whacks her on the liver area and wobbles onto her heels. Eleanor literally flies into the next shot that slams the Mersey girl on the mouth AND SENDS HER CRASHING DOWN ON HER BACKSIDE!!! Ugh! So much for that Liz dominance now! She gets flushed down by her foe's first meaningful combo of the night and the Wembley Arena audience finds their mojo back immediately!!! However Liz is soooo upset right now she gets up at five and wants a piece of Tomlinson before the referee can even issue the command. A wild scramble enuses in the center of the ring with McClarnon barking in her efforts alas she's no match to the lithe redhead and eats plenty of counter-strikes straight up the alley that slow her down and allow Eleanor to blast her on the exposed chin right at the death. Liz gets rattled back to her heels and the redhead tears a nasty gash over her left eye just as the bell rings to inject more joy into the crowd's reactions.

Round 5:
Fatigue starts to kick in and Liz loses her precision when she tries to beat the younger girl off the bat, she gets staggered in the center of the ring instead once the redhead picks her off in close range and begins to chop into the midsection herself. The blonde's footwork is below par especially compared to the 'Poldark' actress who bunny hops around her and scores easy shots below the elbows while clipping the exposed chin down the stretch. She drags the Mersey veteran into a lenghty back & forth exchange however McClarnon bounces off the guard too often to make an impact anymore and looks visibly out of breath at the bell with Tomlinson punching through her ribcage at will.

Round 6:
Eleanor rattles the blonde with another head-hunting blast early in the sixth and now the gash over the left eye begins to bleed which affects Liz's behaviour and allows the redhead to cash in with more clean shots through the leaky guard. Ugh! The blonde ponytail gets knocked around and the Mersey veteran drops back to the ropes unable to punch herself out of trouble anymore. Meanwile Tomlinson gets vocal as she steers her shots into McClarnon's face and she literally knocks her into a standstill come the second minute. A standing count is ineligible in BBU but Liz moans tell their own story and when the guard collapses alltogether, Eleanor half-spins the yelping prey against the ropes and stuffs her with a low shot on the kidneys. LIZ DROPS TO HER KNEES and almost falls through the ropes but she's in no shape to mount a recovery anymore and gets counted out while kneeling in the corner and sobbing her pain out. KO6 Eleanor Tomlinson!!!

AFTER: Even Charlie Webster doesn't mind the fact the last shot clearly hit the blonde in the kidneys, she was effectively dead on her feet long before that but Eleanor is guilty of making this fight look very competitive which should have never happened in first place. McClarnon dominated the opening three rounds and was on the verge of scoring a huge upset but she just couldn't send the younger foe for the count. Tomlinson rallied back in nice style but did little to inspire elite praise and the verdict is still out whether beating Heida Reed remains her BBU high-water mark going forward. This just wasn't a jaw-dropping performance from the redhead free agent she truly needed and she knows she made it way too difficult for herself as she storms out of the ring moments after the official verdict is announced. Girls like Helen George, Tilly Keeper or Vicky Pattison won't exactly lose too much sleep after studying the Tomlinson tape for the time being.

Final result: Eleanor Tomlinson def. Liz McClarnon KO6.