Una Healy vs Minka Kelly

(Team Europe vs Team USA)
(25-12, 19 KO vs 1-0, 1 KO)
Results: Lookout!; Story: Vassago

BEFORE: It's usually all about Una Healy, a Top 3 ranked BBU bantamweight of all-time even according to non-Irish fans however Team USA brings their biggest star of the show to the ring next! Former unified bantamweight world champion Minka Kelly graces the Ryder Cup line-up for the second time in her career having dispatched January Jones in a forgotten classic six years ago. Minka might well be slumping back in the States with Nina Dobrev taking over her divisional LCA Alpha status lately but she enters this contest fresh from stopping Meghan Markle and that result made all the headlines in the UK for very well known reasons. You take the royal scalp as Ryder Cup rehearsal then you're getting more press coverage than Cheryl Cole!

Since Minka has Irish roots this feels like an unofficial St. Patrick's Day showdown so Denise van Outen leads the PR campaign to book a rematch between these two next March already! Minka's almost too polite to decline this idea and Una realizes this could be the one scalp she takes with her to the BBU Hall of Fame one day!

Mutual respect between the two champions is visible and even the notorious Paris-Bercy crowd calms down a little during the introductions. Malika Menard received a free pass for the Main Event based on the hosting venue but this IS the most important bout of the entire card and it's not even close!

Una Healy wears a neon green bikini set and golden gloves. Long dyed blonde hair tied in a sleek ponytail. Minka Kelly wears a leopard print bikini top, black hotpants and red gloves. Long dark brown hair tied in a sleek ponytail. The fight is scheduled for ten rounds in the bantamweight division.

Round 1:
Minka's mysterious scouting efforts aside, this is all about Una in the early going. Nobody can tell what Minka saw on the tape but she lets the redhead (oh wait, she's blonde now) run the show with a steady jabbing offense that produces plenty of smoke but little genuine fire. Minka's been accused of sluggish starts before so this is nothing new but that mobility and elusiveness remain top notch and too much even for a BBU legend. Una huffs and puffs her way around the ring but it's a lesson in avoidance from Minka who barely thows a punch - and when she does she almost puts the Irish lass into stand-by mode. Duke & weave action follows with Una still on the front foot but unable to deliver a sustained drive during a cagey opening round.

Round 2:
More 'Money Floyd'-like action from Minka who weathers the early Irish storm before blasting the former BBU champion with a cross-hooking double. Una shows more urgency in response but keeps bouncing off the American's guard too often to stamp her authority on this duell and Kelly soon begins to hassle her around when Eva Mendes tells her to stop fooling around. Indeed, Lioness Club of America has brought the full coaching set with Claudia Schiffer enjoying a VIP lounge time with Hayley Atwell for the time being. Minka winks back to the ref as she traps Una in a hectic clinch alas she then thumps the blonde to the body and beats her for a quick punch upstairs. She rallies into a jabbing contention come the final minute and Healy has to really show some wheels to escape the looming counter. Minka realizes she's being given too much respect here and backs off while Una tries to pump herself up with bandmates Mollie King and Rochelle Humes during the interval.

Round 3:
Minka catches the blonde with a wild hook early in the third and simply takes off now that she has the Irish lass trapped in close range. She thumps a nasty series to the body and powers through with an uppercut blast that drops Healy into immediate clinch. It looks like a classic slugfest was never on the blonde's menu here but Kelly still dominates the phone booth struggle and whacks the singer to the body so much Una can't catch her breath at all. She yelps in discomfort while getting dragged to the post where Minka simply turns her around and keeps digging juice to the ribcage. Ugh! FCBA slump counts for nothing when you're allowed to deliver all the heat against an opponent who's not used to getting bullied around. Minka cleans out shop and leaves Una gasping for air at the bell.

Round 4:
More of the same in the fourth, Minka enforces the close range drill via supreme mobility and it sure helps Una is only several months her junior. She stacks the blonde up in the corner after a largely one-sided exchange and it's almost like Una's too spooked to go for it! This allows the brunette to cash in with a midsection blast alas Healy finally breaks free into the open when Kelly jars her right hand against her hip. A quick uppercut stuns the American and enables Team Europe to cheer a bit louder once Una connects with more uppercuts. She clips the brunette's jugs in the process and drops her back to the center of the ring with a crisp overhand that makes Eva Mendes very angry in the US corner. Minka tries to hassle the blonde back to the corner but gets beaten for another hooking combo and has to think better off it. Una's too experienced to fall for the pursuit so both women circle around each other for remainder of the round.

Round 5:
This is like a classic FCBA bout for Minka now but Una's happy enough to avoid carnage rather than push for a Ryder Cup clinching point. Too early for that, folks! The back & forth exchange lures Una into another close range trap but she digs deep into the brunette's body and bumps her off in jug-to-jug contact before hauling a left cross on the temple. Kelly steps back but is too slow for the Irish rush that nails her across the lips one more time. Healy jumps on the slugging route and finally abandons the defensive mindset which meets immediate reaction from the audience. Even Minka's bendiness fails to embrace the heat and drops her butt-in-ropes with Una raining punches up the middle. She knocks Kelly's head around but lands the best combo when she punishes the midriff to cripple the American into spasms. Ugh! Una's left hand carves bruises on the exposed ribcage before a feisty hook from the other side bends the older woman across the ropes for a good measure. Team Europe rallies strong at half-distance which leaves Minka checking for structural damage once the bell halts the Irish charge.

Round 6:
Una comes flying in up the middle but gets blocked off during the opening minute and has to bail out of close range when Minka nails her with a cross-hooking double instead. However the momentum stays with the blonde who tries to smack the brunette from the back foot even though that's a risky plan according to Denise van Outen in the booth. It doesn't matter, Rochelle Humes urges her bandmate to cash in with a slugging blast so both women trade hectic punches that Una appears to have under control UNTIL she gets stunned with a cross on the nose. Ugh! That's not a bone-breaker by any means however Kelly racks up three quick shots on the follow up and BELTS the Irish woman with a cruel shot on the liver area. Una's feet get tangled up in her effort to yield real estate and that's what Minka pounces on moments later when she NAILS the singer on the jaw with a monster hook! AND DOWN GOES UNA!!! That vicious hook caught her while she sagged on the heels and the gravity did the rest! Disaster for Team Europe as Healy hits the deck HARD with her bums! Ugh! She seems stunned rather than physically hurt and recovers back to her feet at seven with the clock coming to her rescue moments later. However that cheeky smile is back on Minka's face next and Eva Mendes eyeballs the European entourage to see if they know the writing is on the wall now!

Round 7:
There's no choice but to rally for the win now alas Una's hectic pursuit meets a crushing reaity-check when Minka unloads the counter-punching wrath on her early in the seventh. For every blonde punch, the brunette cashes in with a quick double or tripple to render the former two-time BBU champion immobile come the one-minute mark, This is too precise, too ruthless and too draining even for such an elite fighter like Una. She develops a nasty swelling around the lips when Minka picks her off and rocks her head back & forth with the gloves heading south... Una wobbles to her heels one last time and gets whacked on the boobs to send her lungs into emergency mode... she scowls out her loudest and Minka pulls out of the last shot since HEALY COLLAPSES TO HER KNEES regardless. She bends her head against the canvas and gets duly counted out to secure Team USA's maiden point tonight! KO7 Minka Kelly!!!

AFTER: Minka is almost too polite here as she helps Una to her feet before raising her arm in the air. The crowd gives the two veterans a standing ovation and Denise van Outen agrees they deserved it alright! However Eva Mendes barks in anger while Rochelle Humes and Mollie King remain stone-faced in the opposite corner. Well, maybe all the grudge stuff will be saved for that St. Paddy Day rematch next year? Whatever the case, Minka and Una actually share a quick laugh and hug before separating back to their camps. "Don't give me that look, Eva! They didn't invite you to box here!", "Oh, c'mon! We need to win this! Spare me this kiss & cry stuff!"

It's been a fight worthy of it's promise even though Una seemed a little too respectful in the early stages. She unloaded a promising attack when she finally let it loose so there's hope the still unconfirmed rematch will raise the stakes for this particular match-up. However Minka's FCBA career isn't quite over yet and some backstage rumours link her to a high-profile opportunity next month already. Denise van Outen is proud to grab that scoop even before the American pundits and grins like a Cheshire cat when she confirms it in a private conversation with Minka during the post-event VIP party.

Official Result: Minka Kelly def. Una Healy KO7.
Ryder Cup: Team Europe 2 Team USA 1.