(Results: Lookout!, Words: Caspian)

2. Joanne Peh vs Felicia Chin

Joanne:
(36, 5'8, FCBA Debut, Free Agent)

Felicia:
(36, 5'6, FCBA Debut, Free Agent)

BEFORE:
Up next is a pair of celebrities pushing 40, both Joanne Peh and Felicia Chin waving excitedly and energetically to their myriad of supporters as they walk into the arena, the two veteran actresses still looking fantastically fit in their colourful bikini tops and beach towels wrapped around their waists.

It’s reminiscent of some of their more (infamous) body of work, with the two actresses sharing a well-documented rivalry both on and off the small screen, having been labelled by the press as two parts of the Seven Princesses of Mediacorp back in their heyday.

“Well, I can see the comparisons. But to be honest, we’re both very different people,” Felicia says first. “Joanne has her own style and expectations, and I’ve learned to accept that. Let’s just say this is the first time we’ve come to blows in a physical manner,” the short-haired actress says with a sly smile.

“Felicia’s always had a mind of her own, even on set,” Joanne says next. “We’ve done our fair share of television shows together, and I think we’ve both earned a break from acting. When I heard about this boxing event for charity and that Chin was signed up as a participant, I said ‘Yes’ immediately. It’ll be interesting to test ourselves for real this time.”

Ladies climb into the ring and square off in the middle for the referee’s preamble. Joanne is wearing a white bikini top, pink briefs and red gloves, whilst Felicia is going for a rainbow coloured bikini top and bottom, white gloves. There’s a dull smack of leather as they touch gloves, almost unwillingly, and then return to their corners to await the bell. Referee waves his hand and HERE WE GO with ten rounds of Bantamweight action!

ROUND 1:
Surprisingly (or perhaps, not), both ladies CLASH immediately in the center, striding forward at the same pace and with the same intentions as they send shockwaves into each other’s arms the moment the bell rings. Clearly some bad blood here between both women as they let loose their punches as though they need to get some baggage off their chest. First minute sees wild striking and repeated melees erupt as they each try to get the better of the other, gloves shoved up into the chin or dull smacks sent echoing to the body, but ultimately, it’s Felicia who prevails, who sends a snap uppercut into Peh’s chin, finally pushing her back across the middle mark. Rest of the round, Peh realises she can’t compete like this for ten more rounds, raises her guard to block the more lively attacks from Felicia, and the round ends clearly in her opponent’s favour.

ROUND 2:
That two-inch height advantage might prove to be the difference here, allowing Peh to go on the offensive with jab combos whilst keeping a safe distance from her opponent. Chin of course is smarter than that, knows better than to charge in straight at a fresher foe. Instead, she’s taking her time, staying away and jabbing back only when she sees a clear opening. Both ladies land shots to the face as a result, repeatedly throwing their heads backwards with each scruffing blow to the nose or lips. Whilst Peh had expected herself to dominate this round with her shoulder length advantage, she finds herself on the losing end as Chin relentlessly pressures her backwards, scoring points off her tummy and chest as she simply takes more swipes than her counterpart, and the end result is Peh looking forlorned at the sound of the bell - that’s two rounds she’s lost in a row now, with the rest of the fight still to go.

ROUND 3:
Felicia, however, is herself pushing 40, and decides to take a breather in the third. Fine by Peh, who circles about, catching her breath as well. But it’s Peh who gains her confidence faster, and begins pressing in and landing multiple jab combos to Felicia’s arms, testing her resolve. It dawns on the taller actress that her counterpart is out of breath and unable to torture her like last time, so HERE COMES PEH, I guess, who rushes in to make up for lost time as she peppers Chin’s body and arms with multiple attacks. Chin’s left groaning, covering up, as her body takes a beating in turn, her arms focused on protecting her head but leaving the rest of her frame wide open to abuse. Peh mops up with ease, pressing in but not fully, and runs away with points wide this round.

ROUND 4:
More of the same as Felicia looks like she’s on a downward spiral after the first two successful rounds - what the hell’s going on here as Chin gets battered backwards, her head thrown to the side as Joanne lands another one-two combination straight to the nostrils. Chin finally digs deep and fires back in the second minute, almost landing a stiff shot across the bow IF it’d landed clean. Instead, Joanna weaved backwards on instinct, then punted a hook across her face as sweet payback, the impact driving Chin to the left and stumbling into the ropes! Chin has to survive another minute here with her back to the top rope, and Joanne’s doing her best to send her down herself: left-right chops to her tummy and bigger hooks sent across her arms, but Felicia wisely clinches up with her rival at the most opportune moments, drawing the time down second by agonising second as the referee is forced to separate the girls repeatedly. Round ends and Felicia manages to survive, though by a slim margin.

ROUND 5:
A burst of energy and pent-up rage sees Felicia staging a comeback in the first minute, literally surprising Joanne with a sudden bash to the middle of her face during an early exchange. Peh grunting, shocked, but fends off more devastating blows by swinging her arms wildly towards Chin in her retreat. Rest of the first minute sees a more cautious dance as Chin tries to press her attack, hound Peh backwards with more forward swipes and blows. Peh, however, gets into the groove a little better, safely bobbing and weaving at a distance before landing her own long jabs into Felicia’s face. That reach advantage means Chin has to cover a longer distance in order for her shots to land, and the rest of the round, unfortunately, sees her staying back and goading Peh to come towards her. Bell rings and Felicia’s managed to take a round for herself, from her earlier offense, though we wouldn’t exactly call it a proper comeback.

ROUND 6:
Ladies pushing 40 and it shows: chests heaving and sweat-slicked skin glistening under the afternoon sun, as they meet again in the center for a final throwdown. Both ladies are effectively tied in points, as per our calculations, and that would explain their explosive action in the center of the ring, Felicia first blasting a straight hand to the middle of Peh’s arms, followed by a hook that lands clean on the side of Peh’s head, rattling her. Peh, however, came into this fight to brawl as well, taking the initial shockwave in her stride, then rattling her own hook into the arms, which wobbles Chin and leaves her gagging. More tepid combos are rapidly sent into Chin’s face, knocking her head back, and suddenly, it’s Felicia who looks groggy as hell! Last few seconds of the first minute and Peh’s dominating the exchange, wading in and slamming shots all over Chin’s face and body, until finally, a swipe across her chin sends the poor actress DOWN TO THE CANVAS! It’s a KNOCKDOWN for Joanne Peh, who huffs and puffs by the ropes, taking a much needed breather but thankful her effort has finally paid off! And paid off indeed it has, as Chin’s laid out on her back, her eyes squeezed shut as she makes no move to recover. The referee patiently counts her out from above, but the only movement is her head swaying side to side on the canvas - he hits the 10-count and IT’S ALL OVER!

Official Decision: Joanne Peh defeats Felicia Chin via KO6!

AFTER:
Joanne Peh tiredly raises a hand high, acknowledging the cheers of the crowds, who’d been anticipating such a clash between these two heavenly princesses ever since they debuted on their local television screens.

Peh lording over Chin in victory, however, cockily posing at the head of her laid-out body, even driving a foot into her belly when Felicia attempted to crawl out of the ring and back to the safety of her fight team. Nosiree, as Peh pins her down and poses for the money shot - the tabloids definitely picking up this rivalry in the local magazines the following week!