Marnie Simpson vs Sayumi Michishige
(Geordie Shore vs Front Street Japan)
(9-1, 9 KO vs 4-1, 4 KO)
Results: BBU; Story: Vassago

BEFORE: The notorious Geordie babe Marnie Simpson decides to revisit the Japanese opposition after scoring three wins over Ayako Hamada's crew back in 2017 & 2018 already. She claims most of her British peers are "damn scared" of her anyway so she has to follow the international route to stay in shape.

Meanwhile Sayumi Michishige's arrival in Europe is overshadowed by questions regarding her stablemate Mikie Hara's intended JMD debut. "That's still planned for September. Be patient! We were busy with Yoko Matsugane's Best of Seven in FCBA so some things had to be delayed!", stable owner Ms Hamada offers her explanation to the BBU media and it seems like Denise van Outen is satisfied with the answer!

Marnie Simpson wears a black bikini set & pink gloves. Long black hair tied in a braid. Sayumi Michishige wears a red bikini set & black gloves. Long black hair tied in a sleek ponytail. The fight is scheduled for ten rounds in the flyweight division.

Round 1:
Sayumi comes forward to connect with several quick jabs as Marnie taunts the Japanese tourist into more aggressive attacks seemingly hoping to catch her with a counter-punching response. However Sayumi finds her groove punching through the Brit's leaky guard and makes her regret the careless approach as she gets wobbled to her heels following more cruel delivery. Marnie struggles to get going and cuts thin air instead which allows Michishige to secure more connection upstairs as she drives the betting favorite onto the ropes and keeps landing more heavy slugs up the middle to drop Simpson behind a tight earmuff. Ugh! Denise van Outen didn't see that coming and it seems like Marnie doesn't exactly enjoy a great deal of support in Bethnal Green after all as Sayumi's first round performance earns her a wild ovation from the British crowd!

Rounds 2 & 3:
Marnie quickly drops the taunting attitude and picks up the jabbing pace to match Sayumi's intensity during the next couple of rounds. However the action is slightly chaotic as the Japanese tourist refuses to back off and responds with her own slugging drive that slowly halts Simpson's progress. The Geordie babe becomes visibly upset when Michishige applies the body assault pressure late in the second and still manages to thump her back to the ropes amid more loud ovations from the audience! Not much luck in the third either, Marnie connects with several single punches but gets outworked over the top outright and just can't stun Sayumi with a meaningful bomb whatsoever. Cue in more Geordie taunts which don't even make Michishige flinch here. She powers into Marnie's body instead and pummels her onto the turnbuckle where she clips her jugs to underline her dominance as well.

Round 4:
Marnie finally lands a proper haymaker on the nose that makes Sayumi gurgle in discomfort and the floodgates open soon afterwards. A steady overhand assault cuts Sayumi below the left eye and makes Simpson go for it in pure swarming fashion! Michishige tries to hang on like she did before but fails to connect with the fellow brunette's flesh and gets outboxed in the center of the ring with Marnie working on speed dial to deliver more head-hunting damage. She tags both temples and wobbles the older girl onto her heels before a nasty harpoon on the solar plexus renders Sayumi breathless on the spot. Ugh! Another quick hook finds the temple and FLOORS MICHISHIGE FOR THE COUNT!!! Hah! Marnie pumps her chest in delight while Ayako Hamada gets vocal in the Front Street Japan corner. Sayumi stays down on one knee until the count reaches eight and she gets up with a steely look in her eyes but she has to yield real estate thereafter anyway as Simpson cranks up the jabbing efforts but runs out of time to blow the Japanese foe away!

Round 5:
Both girls jump into another slugging bash which promises to deliver immediate conclusion and sure enough, Marnie blasts Sayumi on each temple before an uppercut stinger hoofs her high guard away for good. Marnie steps up and twist her body to land a powerful right hook on the nose that makes Sayumi cry out in pain and head for the exit door!!! SHE CRASHES DOWN FLAT ON HER BACK and you can hear that thump off the canvas even in the York Hall parking lot!!! Marnie yells out in delight and makes some gestures aimed at coach Hamada while Sayumi desperately tries to get up here but gravity takes over and leaves her glued to the boards during the count... NINE... TEN... YER OUT!!! KO5 Marnie Simpson!!!

AFTER: The notorious Geordie lass got the job done in the end but looked flat out rusty during the opening three rounds and was perhaps fortunate Sayumi wasn't able to make the most of her early advantage. The power supply remains a little suspect, it might work on the Japanese boxing scene but it's not enough to make impression on the UK market which puts more pressure on Mikie Hara to roll back the Jewels' pride once she finally makes her highly-anticipated JMD debut next month!

Official Result: Marnie Simpson def. Sayumi Michishige KO5.