BBU International from Cannes
Berenice Marlohe vs Bianca Balti
(France vs Italy)
(5-13, 5 KO vs 2-3, 2 KO)
Results: BBU; Story: Vassago

BEFORE: The Cannes Film Festival might have been postponed but Berenice Marlohe's return to the ring is not as the French Riviera hosts a special BBU International bout with Italian model Bianca Balti accepting the challenge. Balti suffered three tough losses last year which probably removed her from imminient elite contention but Marlohe's win over the out-of-form Jessica Michibata back in October 2018 doesn't exactly make her the odds-on favourite versus the leggy model tonight. This being said, Berenice enjoys the local crowd support and vows to "shatter Bianca's glass chin" which suggests we're up for a real nasty battle in the ring between the two brunettes!

Berenice Marlohe wears a black bikini top, crimson hotpants & silver gloves. Long dark brown hair in loose waves. Bianca Balti wears a black bikini set & red gloves. Long dark brown hair loose & straight. The fight is scheduled for ten rounds in the lightweight division.

Round 1:
Berenice comes in hot and splits Bianca's high guard through some high-tempo jabs that reach the target far too often during the opening exchange. The Italian model loops her response wide off the mark and gets outworked in close range where she struggles to stretch her elbows enabling Marlohe to cash in with more attacks. Berenice backs her opponent onto the ropes and Bianca shows subpar defense in the early stages and has to clinch the older brunette but still gets whacked across the boobs as the French actress seeks more damage. She shakes Balti off and pounds more jugs before a scything left cross finds the nose and bends the Italian into spasms right at the bell.

Round 2:
More attacks from the local favorite who keeps blowing through the Italian's guard and glues her to the spot in the center of the ring. Maybe those three straight losses have really dented Bianca's confidence as she struggles to embrace the French heat and gets backed onto the ropes again! Ugh! Berenice nails her over the top and begins to rattle her head back & forth until she switches her targets and plugs her in the solar plexus which swiftly breaks the fellow brunette's resistance! BIANCA TAKE A KNEE!!! The Cannes audience roars in delight as the leggy model just can't stop getting whitewashed here but Berenice wants more and taunts the kneeling for during the count that reaches seven before Balti gets back upright. Marlohe runs across the canvas to resume the point-blank range attacks but fails to land that haymaker that would probably blow the model away for good. Balti finds a late respite with another clinching stalemate but she's totally off the boil here after six minutes.

Round 3:
Berenice smells blood and tries to knock more crap out of the subdued Italian who lands a couple of half-hearted shots from behind the guard but spends majority of the opening minute simply dancing around in avoidance. Marlohe gets vocal in her jabbing pursuit but Balti shows some speed and avoids getting trapped on the ropes for a change before looping more pesky hooks into the fellow brunette's face. The action evens out during the second minute but Marlohe remains committed to blasting Bianca up the middle and glues her mitts into her face. Bianca withstands this attack and belts the actress from the inside before plugging more leather into her guts which leads into a lenghty clinch to close out the round.

Round 4:
Berenice wins the opening exchange but bounces off Bianca's high guard too often thereafter which allows the Italian to smack her to the body instead. Bianca struggled to stretch her elbows before but she finds Marlohe's midsection easy to punish this time; she turns her around with a nasty harpoon and clips her jaw with a swift uppercut afterwards. Berenice tries to slug her way back but gets clinched and bounced off; she gets stuck on her heels and fails to register a nasty left hook that tears a small gash over her right eye on the spot! Ugh! Berenice wobbles back onto the ropes with a loud whimper and suddenly Balti drops the hammer landing a couple of monster shots on each temple before she scythes her across the mouth to boot! Uh-oh! Berenice grabs the ropes in order to stay upright but the younger brunette pummels her up the middle and rocks her head back & forth before blasting another cross on the chin THAT SLIDES MARLOHE ONTO HER BACKSIDE just seconds before the bell. Huh! Talk about a knockdown against the run of play here! Berenice still gets up at six and the clock expires moments later anyway but we have ourselves a proper fight now!

Round 5:
Marlohe seeks immediate redemption but Balti neutralizes her in mid-range before blasting her upstairs and suddenly the French high-guard looks vulnerable as the Italian hits the speed dial. She glues the former Bond girl to the spot and nails her with a cross-hooking menace that Berenice simply can't embrace anymore. She stumbles to the side with a loud whimper and eats a brutal harpoon on the exposed liver area THAT FOLDS HER DOWN ON THE CANVAS a split second later!!! Disaster for the local fans as Berenice seems genuinely hurting right now. She gets up at eight and still hugs her midriff. The ref gives her some extra time to recover but Bianca is all over her once the fight is resumed. She lands a right hook on the chin and loops the follow up on the ear before cracking a nasty uppercut flush on the chin! That last punch LIFTS MARLOHE OFF HER FEET and sends her crashing down on her back with eyes closed!!! Uh-oh!!! Even the slowest of counts won't save the French pride anymore as Bianca Balti jumps away as KO5 victrix!!!

AFTER: The Italian model had no business winning this fight after the opening couple of rounds but once she connected with her shots the ugly truth about Berenice Marlohe's punching resistance was revealed. This bout wasn't decided by whom punches harder but who can soak up more punishment and Bianca ultimately could handle a lot more! Berenice cemented her status as wiley but hittable veteran and while she might earn herself several opportunities going forward, it's Bianca who can possibly settle down as the dangerous gatekeeper in the lightweight division. She fell to similar elite contenders Izabel Goulart and Belen Rodriguez last year but owns a curious upside and shouldn't be dismissed as mere free agent cannon fodder in the foreseeable future.

Official Result: Bianca Balti def. Berenice Marlohe KO5.