Nina Dobrev vs. Laura Pausini (Results: Lookout. Words: Wiz)

BEFORE:

Study in contrasts in this one. Dobrev, a former bantamweight champion who is marching toward the Hall of Fame against a 47-year-old carting an 0-27 FCBA record into the ring. But, Laura Pausini is clearly not worried about any of that. "This is a no-lose situation for me," says Laura with a smile. "If I lose, well, that's what everyone expects. But, if I win, it's going to be a big story. So, I go in with no pressure. And, I AM going to win."

"I know what everyone thinks," says Nina with a smile. "She's a tomato can and an easy win. But, this is the FCBA. Nothing is guaranteed here. She has a punch. And she has a puncher's chance if I'm not at the top of my game. Bad news for Laura is, I WILL be."

ROUND ONE:

As ever, Laura wants to get physical early. But, Neens has anticipated same, and she's not having any. Instead, the Bulgarian beauty is working the jab and the feet. She's quicker than Laura, and she's taking full advantage of that, getting the jab in her face, following on with right hands, slipping rejoinders, dipping out of range before bouncing forward for a quick flurry and another reset. It's excellent stuff from Dobrev and no surprise, frankly, as we've seen Nina do this kind of thing before. For Pausini's part, she's game as always, trying to close and bang, bring her power to bear. But, what she manages to land is all one shot stuff. She can't get anything much put together. Thus, when the bell rings, it's Dobrev and it's wide in the first, giving Nina the 10-9 lead.

ROUND TWO:

Laura making an adjustment. She's stalking now, not just coming forward, and it makes a difference. Dobrev's still moving, jabbing, but now Pausini's cutting the ring, getting off in combination when she can bring Nina to battle. The bigger problem for the younger brunette, though, is that she's spending too much time playing defense here. Gone are the quick forward sallies and combinations. Now, it's all retreat, as she tries to find open canvas while the Italian pressures smartly and effectively. As the round goes on, Laura takes more and more control, backing up Dobrev, landing hard shot to both head and body. All of a sudden, Nina's getting much the worst of things as the Italian looks for big shots. She finds a few, but doesn't manage to hurt her rival. At the bell, however, it's Laura wide and we're even at 19.

ROUND THREE:

Same again. Pausini stalking and Dobrev moving. But, Nina's not forgetting about her offense now. She's getting punches put together at times, especially when she's in open ocean. But, when Pausini's able to close her down and get in her grill, it's Laura who's in command, forcing Neens to the defensive over and over again with hard, heavy shot. Once again, the older woman is looking for big shots to put an end to this thing, as, obviously, the later rounds are unlikely to be her friend in this one. But, Dobrev is cautious. She's not taking chances, playing solid D, making things as tough as she can on the Italian, and it works, after a fashion. As the round winds down, it becomes clear that, while Laura's scoring plenty, she's not close to ending the proceedings. At the bell, what IS close is the scorecards. But, Pausini's grabbed the points to pull into the 29-28 lead.

ROUND FOUR:

More stalking from Pausini. Neens moving, jabbing, looking for space, banging back when Laura cuts the ring and gets off. It's good stuff from both brunettes, with the older, once again, getting just a bit more done than the younger. About a minute in, Laura backs Dobrev up with a hard right hand, steps forward, and, BOOM! Right hand counter, Nina and Pausini is hurt! Italian covers up and the Bulgarian lets the hands go, DROPPING PAUSINI TO HER BACK with a five-punch combination. Nina steps over Italian wreckage on her way to a neutral corner, where she stands, looking almost bored as the referee counts down on the fallen Pausini. Laura never moves at all as the numbers get larger and the count passes her by. It's OVER! And your winner by KO4 is Nina Dobrev.

AFTER:

Nina matter-of-fact in the post fight. "It was just a matter of not getting sloppy for me," the former champion says. "I'm better than she is, and we both know it. So, this was the inevitable result. Now, it's on to getting MY bantamweight titles back."