'Bastille Day' Boxing from Cannes
Berenice Marlohe vs Nabilla Benattia
(5-14, 5 KO vs 4-2, 4 KO)
Results: BBU; Story: Vassago

BEFORE: We are live in Cannes on the French Riviera for another edition of the annual Bastille Day boxing event. Veteran Berenice Marlohe is 0-2 in the showpiece event having lost to Malika Menard in 2014 and Laetitia Casta in 2017 but third time is the charm for a reason! Meanwhile Nabilla Benattia has finally been granted the big opportunity on national stage - perhaps knocking out Malika Menard on the Dubai sands back in January convinced the right people she is the real star of the moment.

BBU TV's Georgie Thompson still believes Nabilla should make another run at the JMDD title and the exotic 29-year old doesn't rule out such an attempt once she "sends Berenice back to Paris with a broken jaw".

The former Bond girl Marlohe admits she's a little past-prime these days but she can still expose Benattia as "overhyped bimbo she totally is". This comment makes Georgie Thompson giggle but Nabilla has overheard it which leads into an angry verbal rant during the introductions.

Berenice Marlohe wears a navy blue bikini set & silver gloves. Long dark brown hair tied in a curled ponytail. Nabilla Benattia wears a black bikini set & red gloves. Long black hair tied in a sleek ponytail. The fight is scheduled for ten rounds in the lightweight division.

Round 1:
Nabilla gets down to work quickly and powers ahead with a nasty jabbing drive that splits the older brunette's guard and knocks her back upon impact. Berenice tries to swing back over the top but just can't match Nabilla's intensity and has to yield real estate as the younger woman keeps pounding away at her up the middle. Berenice runs out of space and gets trapped on the ropes at the one-minute mark while Benattia laces her up with more slugging power and gets vocal as she snaps Marlohe's head back. Ugh! Talk about making a quick statement here as Nabilla thumps the older brunette into a proper standstill and punishes her to the body at will late on to underline her dominance. No wonder Berenice gives her a long stare after the bell.

Round 2:
Berenice tries to respond with some slugging power but doesn't really throw Nabilla off her charge. Both women exchange several crisp punches in the center of the ring before Benattia loops a wicked hook into the older woman's ear and slumps her into visible discomfort. Marlohe tries to land some body shots in the process but still gets outworked from the inside and ends up hugging the ropes as Nabilla powers ahead with a much better execution during the second minute. She pins Marlohe onto the turnbuckle and keeps crashing into her body as she notices the increased yelping volume whenever she goes there. Berenice tries to clinch her in the closing stages but eats a brutal uppercut on the jaw right at the bell and almost goes down amid some wild cheers from the Cannes audience.

Round 3:
Berenice lands a couple of nasty hooks into Nabilla's temples and escapes a proper response as the younger brunette struggles to find her range for a change. She shoots over Marlohe's head and gets thumped by a wild jackhammer on the mouth that finally sends her into a circling retreat. Berenice tries to cash in on her moment and hassles her around the area but the exotic brunette shows superior footwork and escapes further trouble. Berenice taunts her verbally but only adds single-hand production thereafter and gets dragged into a body-busting charge when Benattia mounts a late recovery in the final minute. Only a stray elbow in the chest prevents Nabilla from making her charge work as Berenice also belts her in the groin that sparks another verbal tirade between the two Frenchwomen.

Round 4:
Nabilla applies the slugging pressure and splits Berenice's high guard before drilling her on the nose with a nasty piledriver. The older woman tries to hang on but sucumbs to her opponent's power when she begins to leak blood from a gash across the nasal ridge. She clips Benattia's rack with a quick uppercut drive but then eats a wild overhand on the nose again and descends into loud spasms that only fuel Nabilla's charge. The exotic model cranks up the jabbing volume and thumps the actress onto the ropes where she adds more body assault to cripple Marlohe into spasms again. Berenice tries to swing from behind the guard but Nabilla stays on top of her game and delivers so many crisp shots into her midsection that it breaks Marlohe's resilience and leaves her gasping for air at the bell. She then heads back to her corner hugging the aching ribcage as if the nasal ridge wound wasn't enough to worry about already!

Round 5:
Berenice is slow to get up for the fifth while Nabilla smokes her with the initial approach to tear another small gash across her cheek. Ugh! The body assault worked so well for the younger brunette but she decides to knock Berenice's head off and piles on more leather while the older woman's high-guard collapses underneath the barrage! Uh-oh! Berenice gets blasted on the temple and half-spins to meet a jaw-crushing uppercut while Benattia still has time to add another booming hook on the left ear that pulls the plug outright!!! DOWN GOES MARLOHE!!! The proud actress slumps to her side with eyes closed and remains motionless during the count as Nabilla gets to celebrate with her fans early. She knows it's all over and she's not wrong! KO5 Nabilla Benattia!!!

AFTER: Nabilla climbs the ropes and blows kisses to the audience before walking back to the defeated opponent; she plants her foot on Berenice's tummy and poses for cameras for the next two minutes until the brunette underneath her heel actually begins to regain her whereabouts. The French audience has seen a proper KO to crown this year's Bastille Day even though Elodie Yung remains bitter on social media that her intended clash versus Clara Morgane got delayed again!

Nabilla is then asked by Georgie Thompson what are her upcoming plans and whether JMDD remains a viable option: "Of course it does! I'm ready to beat some PageThree models even if I have to travel to Liverpool or what have you there. Bring it on! I can put these babies (points at her 36D set) against anyone Katie Price selects from her slutty chart. Just give me a call, hun!" (winks).

Official Result: Nabilla Benattia def. Berenice Marlohe KO5.