Diletta Leotta vs. Robyn Lawley 

(Results: Lookout. Words: Wiz)

BEFORE:

Battle among the top contenders in the welter division could end up being an unofficial title shot eliminator, considering Leotta's coming off an impressive win over Hannah Ferguson and Lawley has been running roughshod through the division since signing with Sceej. And, both women are showing plenty of confidence heading into this one. "She's big and she's dangerous for sure," says Diletta with a smile. "But. I'm BETTER. And, that's what I'm about to prove."

"What Diletta forgets," says Robyn with a smile. "Is that we've fought before. And, that did NOT go well for her."

ROUND ONE:

Lawley is called "Godzilla" for a reason. She's heavier than anyone else in the FCBA, but the biggest problem isn't giving up weight. That can be overcome in a lot of ways, as heavyweights like Tyson and Frazier proved. But. Height is another thing entirely. Standing a shade above 6'2", Lawley has reach on everybody...and its significant. And, it's also off-putting, especially for other tall girls like Diletta, who are NOT used to giving away five inches to an opponent. Thus, there's an adjustment curve...and, even though Leotta's been in with Lawley before, the adjustment period is still clearly necessary as the Italian is unable to get to spots and get anything going for almost the entirety of the round. Instead, it's Robyn at range, snapping that long left in Leotta's face, then dropping hard, heavy rights behind it. The Italian is never hurt, but she absolutely takes a thumping before finally getting some punches put together late. And, while that's a moral victory for Leotta, when the bell rings, Lawley's taken the points and wide to lead 10-9.

ROUND TWO:

Italian finding her way now. She's angling past Lawley's defenses, getting to spots and getting off. The previous experience with Robyn's reach is clearly paying dividends now, as Leotta looks far more comfortable than she did for most of the first. For Lawley's part, she's the one out of sorts now. She can't get the geometry she wants, and, as a result, she's coming off second best as the Italian puts punches together and scores points, while the Aussie beauty is reduced to one-punch stuff for most of the stanza. Late in the round, Diletta's clearly feeling her oats as she sits down on some punches and backs Godzilla up a couple of times. Lawley's never hurt, but, when the bell rings, there's no doubt about the result. Diletta's taken it wide to even things at 19.

ROUND THREE:

Third begins the way the second ended, with Leotta getting the better of th...BOOM! Diletta ROCKS LAWLEY WITH A RIGHT HAND! Robyn wobbles and LEOTTA DROPS HER WITH A STRAIGHT RIGHT! Crowd going crazy as Godzilla goes down and the Italian bounces to a neutral corner. Referee counting down on Lawley, who sits up at six and gets unsteadily to her feet at seven. She takes the mandatory and the ref waves on Diletta. Leotta all OVER the big Aussie, driving her back into the ropes and calling in the heavy artillery. She's working Robyn over in a major way, looking to get her out of there. Aussie in a high guard, banging back in spots, just trying to run clock. She does that successfully, hanging on to the bell. When it rings, though, Diletta has the round 10-8 and leads 29-27.

ROUND FOUR:

Leotta in control, backing up the bigger woman with hard shot. Lawley giving ground, engaging in a fighting retreat for the first minute of the round. At that point, with those long legs under her, Robyn solidifies her front and begins banging back. Diletta keeps up the offensive briefly, but quickly thinks better of it and gets back to boxing, working the angles and looking to put combinations together. Robyn, though, begins range-finding with that jab and, when she gets it on target, dropping those big right-handed bombs behind it. Slowly, Lawley takes control of the round, and, in the final minute, it's the Aussie who has the Italian in reverse. Again, Diletta's not hurt, but, she's taking a thumping from the heavy hands of Godzilla. At the bell, it's close, but Lawley's made up the stagger and taken the points to cut Leotta's lead to 38-37.

ROUND FIVE:

Lawley's got it going now, and it's a scary sight. Diletta's getting backed up repeatedly as the Aussie lands the left, follows with those big right hands. Leotta's trying to play the angles, but Lawley's got the range, and she's calling in the big guns over and over aga...BOOM! Straight right, Lawley and DOWN GOES LEOTTA! Diletta dumped to her back in the middle of the ring as Godzilla stomps to a neutral corner. Looks like it might be over, but, somehow, the Italian struggles to her feet at nine. Ref thinks about it during the mandatory, but waves Lawley forward. Big Aussie quickly drives the Italian to the ropes and begins HAMMERING AWAY wobbling Leotta twice with right hands within seconds and IT'S OVER! The ref has seen enough, leaping in to stop the carnage and your winner by KO5 is "Godzilla" Robyn Lawley!

AFTER:

Robyn all smiles in the post. She's got to figure she's in line for her first title shot in five years. "No disrespect to her," says Lawley with a smile. "She's a good fighter and she can hit. But, she's not standing up to my power. This is twice now. She just can't do it. And, there's no shame in it. Because, almost no one can."