22 NOVEMBER 2002 LUCY LIU VS SARAH MICHELLE GELLAR


Posted by Simguy on 11/22/2002, 7:03 am.

Before: Liu trying to regain that dominate Hall of Fame form, dogged by criticism following the Salma Hayek fight—bout against well regarded but undersized Sarah Michelle just the ticket. Gellar extra motivated as she says, “Lucy Liu’s a big reason why I’ve been on the outside looking in at flyweight. A lot of people think I can’t be more than a gatekeeper in this division because I can’t handle Lucy and I’ve just got to answer that charge. I’m not going to roll over for her—if she’s going to beat me again, she’s going to have to fight for every point.” Sarah in ponytail, white bikini, white shoes, Lucy in black push up, leopard print boy cut trunks.

R1: Pretty boxing from both skilled technicians. Lots of upperbody sweetness, girls flatfooted, making each other miss. Banding low at the waist, getting their heads below waist level, swaying in close to nudge the opponent in the hips, then swaying out to pick her up on the hook. Lucy a little quicker mitted, more apt to get a piece of Gellar, but nobody’s connecting flush. Tactical first to Double L.

R2: Liu’s seen enough, she’s looking to get a blonde in trouble this round. End of the first minute, aggressive Liu ducks low, hooks the stomach, hooks the jaw and Gellar clatters back on her heels shocked by the sudden power. Liu in cocksure pursuit, hands down, showing that Hamed upperbody sway as she walks Sarah down, swatting at her shots off the thighs, Final minute, Gellar turns the tables—she leads a wide right decoy, staking it all on a short, clipping hook to the chin—Liu steps wrong, nearly pitches forward onto her gave as she reels away hurt. Gellar on the attack, ignores the head, lashes several withering strokes to the Liu midriff—Lucy ooking scorched and achy at the bell, Liu wins the round, but Gellar wins respect—Lucy feeling the sting as Sarah gets the most out of her spare frame.

R3,4,5: Liu breezing to virtual shutouts in all three rounds—she’s embarrassing Sarah with overall agility, using her legs. dancing around the ring, launching slashing attacks with punches from her knees and hips. Curiously, Liu’s not setting down on the shots—she’s elusive, obviously more athletic, but she’s not committing on offense, clearly showing caution in the wake of Gellar’s surprising pop in the second, Sarah unable to get position and score herself, but she’s blocking almost everything and the punches getting through aren’t rocking her. Liu rolling to a 5 love leads seems content to bank rounds en route to a decision.

R6: Gellar breaks up the romp with that wide right hand, short, clanging hooks—Liu loose in the knees as she staggers sideways: she’s wobbly butt. Gellar grim to follow up, jabbing at her girl as Liu flops and bends at the waist, but punching sincerely to the waist. Liu shipping leather in her ribs and tummy—Sarah doing consistent work there to keep the hurt on, Working in close, Gellar’s clipping a nice tight uppercut, rotating her torso, all shoulder on the blows as Lucy rolls with them. Liu recovering late, starts to regain form—she’s sliding back, walking Sarah into the check hook, stepping around with menacing intentions as blonde backs off the gas at the bell.

R7,8: Good quality boxing from both women, and Lucy’s in charge. Liu content to slap and slip, sliding around either Gellar shoulder, leaning away from punches with her hands down to keep the blonde’s connect percentage low. Sarah doggedly attacking, swiping away with both mitts to the midsection—she’s landing the harder, more determined shots, but she just can’t make up for Lucy’s consummate ring generalship. Both rounds to Liu close—Gellar patiently working the body but she’s running out of minutes.

R9: Liu leaps in an early left, looking to cash in Sarah with a single flying uppercut, but Sarah blocks with the right, turns over a counter left hook on the chin and has Liu stepping in fence post holes moments in. Gellar disciplined, going right back to the body whenever Liu’s hurt0bitter efts and rights slash back and forth across belly meat as Lucy stoops forward hurt behind her mitts, Liu struggling, baby-stepping forward, gloves at her face—Gellar’s eating her up with lathering body work! Sarah showing a Chris Byrd look as she licks and strokes multiple hooks, then picks Liu up between the gloves a little right uppercut, then bats away with more hooks. Liu staggering forward, eating—Gellar stepping back, curling around the side, keeping up a steady peppering of her opponent and THE REF STEPS IN! Lucy glassy eyed, wobbly, but coherent, sobs in protest and Sarah Michelle Gellar bounds away the TKO9 Winner!

After: Cover of BLONDE! magazine—Gellar waxing away on Liu with the headline, FALLEN ANGEL: GELLAR CRUSHES LIU IN (! Gellar blubbering with glee—leaps around the ring, then can’t stop herself from pulling Lucy around the perimeter for a shabby walk of sham. Liu definitely scalded in the ninth, groggy as Gellar puts her on display, but this upsets leaves a bitter taste in the Asian dynamo’s mouth. Liu won 7 of 9 rounds, several by shutout, but the reluctance to bear down on Sarah was a mistake. “I’ve waited years for this,” bubbles a giggly Sarah Michelle in triumph, “Lucy really devastated me he first time we met and it was so disappointing to see a flyweight that fast, hitting that hard, I didn’t know if I could ever catch up, but now I’ve done it! I want Mish Williams. I know I can beat any 110 pounder in the world, and it as well be the champ!”


Reposted by Archer 7/29/21