Christine Bleakley vs Belen Rodriguez
(Lioness Club vs BBU Independent)
(13-7, 12 KO vs 3-0, 3 KO)
Results: BBU; Story: Vassago

BEFORE: Apparently every aspiring BBU lightweight has received the news that veteran Lisa Maffia has emerged as the top candidate on reigning champion Alessandra Ambrosio's hit list. If the recently inactive Maffia can rely on her otherwise impressive reputation then several other seemingly forgotten contenders can do likewise! Enter Christine Bleakley - the Ulster TV presenter better known as Frank Lampard's wife lately. She's always been close but not close enough to that championship opportunity but suddenly it's a now or never situation for the dark-haired stunner.

Equally lost in translation was TV showgirl Belen Rodriguez who performed just that little above casual free agent expectations in her short boxing career so the phone suddenly stopped ringing. She was in line to accept Micaela Schaefer's "stay busy" offer but then decided to swing for the fences and contacted the Lioness Club executives instead. So here she is in Belfast looking for a signature win over a BBU stalwart on hostile territory. She also hopes for favorable reviews from Bleakley's arch-nemesis Denise van Outen in the BBU TV booth. Having the media on your side is never a bad sign even when you're that "foreign girl with a strange accent". Who cares? Boxing ring isn't a lecture club after all!

Christine Bleakley wears a red sports bra, black knickers and white gloves. Long raven-black hair tied in a curled ponytail. Belen Rodriguez wears a light blue bikini set with red trim and red gloves. Long brown hair tied in a sleek ponytail. The fight is scheduled for ten rounds in the lightweight division.

Round 1:
Belen spoiled The Sirens party when she shockingly stopped Pia Miller in her last fight but that happened 15 months ago so it doesn't really matter, right? WRONG! The Argentine stunner RIPS into Bleakley here from the bell and the Irish veteran eats a faceful of leather inside the opening twenty seconds when the tourist splits her mitts with ease and snaps her head back on speed dial. Ugh! Bleakley's knees buckle and she literally gets pounded onto her heels before tripping onto the ropes. Belen gives her no time to recover whatsoever and switches low to thump the exposed ribcage and only then Christine locks a much-needed clinch. But Belen refuses to let go and pulls her right arm from the opponent's grasp to romp into that Irish flesh again! Ugh! The ref decides to take action and applies the house rules to spare Bleakley additional punishment. Belen can't understand that call and is forced to stalk the retreating brunette around thereafter while the crowd jeers the action wholesale because that not what anyone inside the arena signed up for!

Round 2:
Rodriguez cashes in with more juice and Bleakley's footwork just isn't good enough to embrace the showgirl's gung-ho approach. Another rally upstairs splits the mitts but the younger woman settles for a mid-range dispute to avoid getting clinched again. Christine does her best to match the slugging invitation but her punches fail to throw the tourist off her stance and Belen dominates the numbers afterwards forcing Bleakley back. She hauls in less punches when the Irish brunette tries to circle around her but that also affects Christine's performance and leaves her barely grazing the showgirl's guard. Belen remains in control come the final minute and has apparently learned the lesson about this partisan referee calls as well so the tempo slows right down but that's not really gonna benefit the Lionesses here as Bleakley continues to whiff on her offensive efforts and gives coach Mel B. that angry stare when she turns back to her corner.

Round 3:
More eficient mid-range striking from Rodriguez leaves Bleakley groaning in her efforts just to land single punches but she gets outworked in the process and has to yield real estate. The TV showgirl misfires on the pounce though and eats a quick hook on the jaw as Christine rallies with some counter-punches just past the one minute mark. Belen dekes out from her range shortly afterwards but suddenly the Irish lass gets aggressive and leaps with a left hook that clips the tourist on the jaw! Rodriguez fails to regain her stance in time which leads into more Bleakley success as she bumps the younger woman on the jugs and reels her onto the ropes. She leans forward so much that she almost head-butts her but more importantly, she lands a proper gut-checking drive to drop Rodriguez into deep cover for the first time tonight. The Belfast audience enoys that spell and Christine literally steals the round with a feisty push that punishes the Argentine midsection from both sides. That's what the Lioness crew needed here even though Belen remains in high spirits judging by the death stare she gives the local favorite.

Round 4:
Christine tries to double up on that promising previous round and she lands more clean punches during the initial tangle as Belen settles for a largely meaningless jabbing set when she fails to connect with her opponent's temples in a proper manner. The big punches remain at premium though until Bleakley switches low to punish the showgirl's midsection again which forces a quick change of pace from the targeted woman. Belen's footwork isn't of the highest standards here but she escapes the brunette's rush and stuns her with a left cross down the stretch. Both women settle down before the final minute and Denise van Outen wonders when will the tourist blink again; she struggles to split the Irish guard with another effort upstairs though and Christine whacks her downstairs instead which exposes that apparent weakness. Belen circles back in avoidance and rests on the ropes but Bleakley fails to punish her when she skims off the top of her shoulder and gets clinched to run out the clock.

Rounds 5 & 6:
It's the first fight of the season for both women so they're guilty of fitness issues but the Bleakley comeback stalls during the middle stages and Rodriguez seems happy to check her down in mid-range while avoiding those pesky shots to the body. Denise van Outen is convinced the judges will favor the home talent if neccessary so all these toss-up rounds will be marked down as Bleakley's to lose but the Argentine tourist refuses to change her approach. She can't find that head-hunting break-through either and only gives the fellow brunette extra room to connect with single punches. No real damage is done here but the SSE Arena audience cheers literally every single punch landed by their favorite. Belen tries some verbal teasing but Christine's too experienced to fall for it even though she eats a nasty hooking combo on the jaw late in the sixth that seemingly brings the tourist into life again before another clinch neutralizes her momentum.

Round 7:
"We've got it all under control, hun!", Mel B. thinks that Belen has proven to be nothing but a paper tigress until Christine gets clocked with a left hook on the brow ridge that opens a bloody cut early in the seventh. The Irishwoman tries to immediately respond but gets swamped in a head-hunting attack as if the tourist received a fresh injection of confidence, the gruesome exchange rocks Bleakley's head back repeatedly and there goes the Lioness master plan as Belen fires from the hip and bursts into the older brunette's solar plexus. Uh-oh! Christine moans out in pain and wobbles straight into a vicious uppercut on the jaw that SENDS HER CRASHING DOWN ON THE CANVAS!!! Belen quickly struts back to her corner not to give anything away to the hosts but Mrs. Lampard battles back to her feet at seven and shouts back at her foe to indicate she's still doing okay here... however Rodriguez thrives on more head shots when the fight resumes and picks the fellow brunette up the middle before another strike to the body cripples Bleakley onto the ropes. She tries to swing back from behind the guard but gets CRUSHED with a laser overhand that finds the wounded brow ridge and renders the TV presenter numb... Belen cracks another cross on the nose and that's too much for Christine who SLIDES ONTO HER BACKSIDE and simply CANNOT beat the count anymore. KO7 Belen Rodriguez!!!

AFTER: That's probably the end of Christine's championship hopes but she was indeed leading on the cards when Belen flashed those elite skills to knock her out instead. Whether it was the Irish weather or perhaps classic case of shaking off the rust, Belen came through the hiccups and Denise van Outen indicates that taking the scalp of Christine Bleakley does mean a lot to anyone who considers herself a true contender in the 130 lbs division ("Been there myself, folks!").

Final result: Belen Rodriguez def. Christine Bleakley KO7.