Yasmin Verheijen vs Rachael Finch
(Lioness Club vs Wildetime Boxing)
(5-3, 5 KO vs 2-1, 2 KO)
Results: BBU; Story: Vassago

BEFORE: Lioness Club is riding a strong Dutch wave following the arrival of Romee Strijd but her compatriot Yasmin Verheijen is ready to steal the show in Macau tonight as she enters the undercard battle full of confidence: "I'm really glad I got this big opportunity but I'm looking at even BIGGER things next so watch out!" (laughs). The exotic pageant beauty enjoys the support of Girls Friday cast-off Jessica Michibata who's rumoured to be looking at the Far East boxing options herself but since Australia has competitive Asia & Pacific connections it's no surprise that former ACB lightweight champion Rachael Finch has agreed to fight the Dutch brunette on otherwise neutral territory.

Finch hasn't graced the ring since a KO7 punchout of Sirens' Danielle Robertson in August 2017 but BBU TV's Charlie Webster claims she still poses too much of a threat to be considered a mere gatekeeping test. The Queensland native might be the most dangerous floater available right now and one can only wonder where Verheijen goes next from here since she suffered a nasty defeat at the hands of Ann-Kathrin Brommel back in November so Finch is anything but a classic bounce back-type of opponent.

Yasmin Verheijen wears a black bikini set & orange gloves. Long dark brown hair straight. Rachael Finch wears a red bikini set & golden gloves. Long dark brown hair in loose waves. The fight is scheduled for ten rounds in the lightweight division.

Round 1:
But girls realize this is an elite opportunity in the making but Yasmin wants it MORE in the early stages as she drives her mitts into the model's midsection and bends her into early spasms while working furiously around the liver area in particular. She leans on the fellow brunette so much she almost head-butts her in the process but the crisp attack maintains it's course and reels Finch onto her heels. The Aussie models answers back with a quick overhand but it doesn't throw Yasmin off balance at all and she drives the older girl onto the ropes where Rachael can only clinch her into safety. Following a brief respite Yasmin resumes the midsection assault that also clips the jugs and keeps the former ACB champion shut down for remainder of the round.

Round 2:
More of the same in the second but Yasmin's attack bounce off Rachael's guard more often and drop her into bendy defense once the model finally finds her range down the stretch. It's point-blank range execution as Finch rattles the Dutch girl upstairs and nails her on each temple with a vicious hooking effort. Yasmin tries to show some nifty footwork but Rachael sticks more leather on the cheeks and glues her to the spot following a cruel belter under the left elbow. Ugh! Yasmin wobbles forward and eats a jug muggin' series herself before Rachael blasts her with another vicious cross on the jaw to underline her recovery.

Round 3:
Back & forth we go again and it's time for Yasmin to land some head shots in close range as she drifts away from the body assault to focus her efforts upstairs. Finch escapes the initial burst and shows more mobility than expected which forces the Dutch pageant to chase her down thereafter. However Verheijen's pursuit ends in disaster when she walks into a left/right combo from the back foot that allows the Aussie model to crank it up and trap the younger foe on the ropes. She literally pummels Yasmin up the middle and lifts her jugs in the process before another belting shot on the tummy bends the targeted woman into spasms. Verheijen prevents more damage when she clinches the fellow brunette late but Rachael still sticks her mitts into her midriff and secures a clear round on the cards.

Round 4:
Yasmin gets stunned with a quick left/right combo on the nose and has no time to react when Rachael blasts her on the liver area to drop the pageant winner into loud spasms seconds into the fourth! A drilling uppercut follows before a left hook on the brow ridge SENDS THE DUTCH BRUNETTE CRASHING DOWN onto her backside a split second later! How about that! Finch rolls some ACB championship tape to emerge as the genuine bully in the ring but Yasmin gets back onto her feet at seven fuelled by some wild screams from buddy Michibata in her corner. She tries to respond immediately but struggles to neutralize Rachael's furious attack and gets backed into the ropes where she eats a steady gut-checking drive that softens her up even further according to Charlie Webster in the booth. Finch looks set to chop her down before she gets whacked on the groin herself but the ref somehow didn't see that and the late push for a stunning Australian victory ends up in a lenghty clinch as Verheijen battles for survival against the odds.

Round 5:
Rachael's really upset over that low blow in the previous round but she can't quite land those pesky combos anymore as Yasmin responds in a slugging fashion herself to snap her rival's head back in a feisty exchange in the middle of the ring. These pageants winners are supposed to be soft but Yasmin shows her evil edge and thumps the Aussie jug to stall Rachael's progress before another lenghty clinch allows her to catch more breath. Finch slips out of the stalemate but gets beaten for a quick overhand and then sinks on soft knees when Yasmin bursts through her nostrils with a heavy left/right combo. Ugh! Finch trips backwards but escapes a follow up strike and circles back into safety while the clock runs out moments later.

Round 6:
Both women trade more point-blank range blows in the center of the ring until Yasmin bends her foe sideways following another gut shot out of the ordinary, The change-up drive reels Finch onto her heels and allthough she lands a couple of hooks on the younger brunette's lips, she gets stuffed with an uppercut on the boobs and lowers her guard just enough for Yasmin to WHACK her with a brutal hook on the nose. Ugh! Rachael sinks on jelly knees on the spot and only whimpers her struggle when she gets pounded back to the ropes shortly afterwards. Yasmin moves into a higher gear and rocks the Aussie head back while enforcing a couple of significant lumps to build on the previous total. She drops Finch into an earmuff over but still drills the exposed ribcage and has the fellow brunette moaning at the bell.

Round 7:
Rachael shows signs of wear & tear now and gets outworked in another slugging drive where she gets stuffed on her heels upon initial impact already. She begins to groan again but just can't stop the Dutch charge as Yasmin barks in her efforts while delivering the heat up the middle. She crashes into the Aussie rack but finally finds the knockdown success when she SMOKED her target with an uppercut double on the chin just shy of the one-minute mark! FINCH GOES DOWN ON HER BUM and needs the standard eight count to recover but looks extremely worse to wear as she struggles to catch her breath. She tries to push off and beat Yasmin to the punch but those orange mitts simply carve more bruises into her pretty face before another gut shot pulls the plug on the oxygen supply. She cries out in pain while sliding forward and Verheijen finishes her off with another uppercut on the solar plexus THAT DROPS THE AUSSIE DOWN ONTO HER KNEES. Rachael bends her head against the canvas and simply can't stay off all fours as the count passes her by! KO7 Yasmin Verheijen!!!

AFTER: Yasmin leaps over the fallen opponent but then pins her heel against her back to put Rachael face down for keeps. She waves her arms above her head and tries to increase the noise level inside the MGM Macau. This wasn't a clear cut victory but a very useful test against a dangerous rival which paves the way for even bigger things like she announced before the fight: "Huh! That was fun! But I'll have even more fun pounding the crap out of Hailey Clauson next! I'm ready to really make some noise again as - let's face it - Alessandra Ambrosio needs to be removed from the throne sooner rather than later. This will be tough but I think I can do it! I'm like the new Lioness lightweight leader and... and... oh my, I need to catch my breath!" (laughs).

Yasmin finally removes her foot from Rachael's back but Jessica Michibata is right beside her and taunts the fallen Aussie into a fight herself: "I'll give you time to recover but I want to bust your chops next, bytch! You deserve it like no one else!" Jessica refuses to confirm the rumours after the upcoming Jewels event back in Japan and poor Rachael actually crawls back to her corner so she doesn't respond to the challenger either. However Charlie Webster grabs a word with Wildetime's trainer Tania Zaetta during the commercial break and reports that Michibata would be a suitable target for the Queensland model going forward!

Final result: Yasmin Verheijen def. Rachael Finch KO7.