Tale of the Tape:
Karlie Kloss:
Age: 29
Height: 6'1 ½
W/L: 24-26 (24KOs)
Former 2016 New Blood welterweight tournament winner.
Vs
Lais Ribeiro:
Age: 32
Height: 6 ½
W/L: 0-11

(The Fighting Academy vs Free Agent)

(Written by Girls Friday/Results by Lookout!)

Intro:
Next we have a home coming as Lais Ribeiro (0-5) gets to fight on home soil, sand to be precise as we are on Rio De Janeiro's Ipanema Beach, Karlie Kloss (2-3) is the one hoping to make this home coming a nightmare for Lais, with Lais still trying to get her first ever career win, Karlie meanwhile trying to finish off the Diamond Boxing tournament strongly with two wins after a bad run of results.

Before each bout the fighters got to put their thoughts on the fights and the event on camera, this time the camera was set up on the beach they'd be fighting on a day later, with a red towel used to mark where they had to be.

First in front of the camera was Karlie, she wore a black one piece swimsuit, joking "after this I am definitely hitting that surf" shielding her eyes to look at the water, turning back to the camera Karlie continues "first I need to knock aside Lais, let's be totally honest with each other Lais, you don't really believe you can beat me right? I am guessing you got into the tournament because the organisers wanted an international feel to the field, you've humiliated your country and now I get to knock you out in front of your home crowd, guess all that's left to say is see you soon" blowing a kiss to the camera, maybe a kiss of death for her opponent's chances of beating her.

Lais meanwhile steps onto the beach wearing a white tank top and black denim shorts, seeing down on the towel with her legs crossed, Lais admits "I really haven't done much to change peoples view of me, I knew the odds were firmly against me winning this tournament, I just hoped that I could prove my doubters wrong and win a few fights, here I sit without a win" shutting her eyes and taking in a deep breath.

Pushing herself to her feet, Lais then tells the camera firmly "I am not going to feel sorry for myself, tomorrow I get to walk on this beach a proud Brazilian, fight in front of friends and family, I will get my first win because I won't be doing this just for me, I do this for everyone who has supported me" she nods to the camera before she heads off.

Fighting time, the ring posts have been set into the sand, the sand itself raked flat though that will quickly change, two sets of bleachers have been set up, the judges table has the water behind them, with a DJ belting out music where the fighters are to come past to head to the ring.

First onto the beach comes Karlie with Taylor Swift's "Bad Blood" playing, Karlie was in the music video for this song, she heads to the ring with her coach Kelly Hu, Karlie is wearing a pink bikini with green gloves as she has on neon green sunglasses, going with an eighties theme of attire, her hair is braided as she gets into the ring, smiling even as she is being booed, the sunglasses come off as Karlie taps her cheeks to psyche herself up.

Carnival music now plays and here comes Lais to a loud roar, she holds up a Brazil flag as she wears a yellow bikini with green trim, green gloves, her hair is braided too, handing the flag off to her coach, Lais heads down to the ring with her eyes firmly on her opponent, stepping through the ropes she raises her arms in the air to another loud cheer, maybe trying to intimidate her opponent.

As the fighters come to the center of the ring, Karlie doesn't look too bothered by the crowd, both women bouncing on their toes as they are firmly eye to eye, a rare occurrence for both leggy women, they touch gloves in a not so friendly way, jogging back to their corners as the crowd chants for Lais, the bell rings to start 10 rounds of welterweight action.

Round 1:
A loud roar rings out as the fighters step out their corners, chants for Lais as they start boxing, every time the local hero lands a clean punch a cheer rings out as if she is already on the road to victory, Karlie not looking too bothered by that in the early going, feeling out Lais as they dig in single punches through gaps they can see in their opponent's guard.

After an evenly fought opening minute, Karlie is the one to take the fight to Lais, slamming in a straight to the chest of her rival model, followed by a left to her cheek, Lais fires back with a double jab that glances the cheek of Kloss, who then lands a left cross to the side of Ribeiro's jaw to turn her head, forcing back the Brazilian beauty to the outside part of the round.

Karlie is keeping Lais pinned back towards the ropes, out working her in exchanges as Lais looks a little unsure, her supporters are still roaring for her but Karlie is doing a great job putting Ribeiro under pressure, landing the better shots as they box around the ring, the bell dings to end the round, a solid start from Kloss, with the American fighter jogging back to her corner smiling as she looks at Lais.

Round 2:
Getting more aggressive to start the round, Lais starts catching Karlie with left crosses to her cheek, making Karlie back off when she can land them, Karlie stinging the cheeks of Lais with straight shots, a right cross just misses Lais as she leans back and pops Karlie to her nose with a straight.

Looking more assured now, Lais is forcing Karlie now to have the ropes behind her back, a double jab lands square into the lips of Karlie to make her hiss, a right cross catches Lais but she stands her ground to land a left cross back on Karlie, making Karlie kick up sand as she moves side to side not to be pinned to the ropes.

The experience of Kloss shows late in the round, slipping a straight to land a counter left cross on the cheek of Ribeiro, she knocks back Lais with a one-two combo to her lips, Lais forced onto her heels as Karlie motors forwards, for the first time in the round it's Lais on the ropes as she shells up, the bell rings to end a much better round for Lais, still Karlie forcing her back like that has to be a worry for the fans.

Round 3:
Both are more open now as they exchange combos, leather smacking into gorgeous faces as barks of effort ring out from both fighters, Karlie parries a straight aside to land one of her own into the face of Lais, a left hook follows to turn her slightly smaller opponent's head to the side, Karlie pushing herself to the center as Lais has to move around now.

It looks like who holds the center is key in this fight, Lais taking the cleaner shots to her face, marking up her cheeks as Karlie is showing her pinpoint punching, Lais though is still throwing some nice shots back, just not the volume that is coming her way, allowing Karlie to control proceedings as she looks fully relaxed.

Till late in the round when Lais takes a right cross on her left glove, stepping in with a right to the stomach of Karlie, followed by a short left hook to the jaw of the American, who finds herself now finding in tight with Ribeiro, heads grinding as bodies get whacked, Karlie caught a little flat footed by this charge, looks to be getting the worst of it up till the end of the round, still it's another good round for Karlie, who still has to be very confident as Lais has struggled through this tournament to make it past the fourth round.

Round 4:
Karlie starts off strong, subduing some of the crowd as she knocks back Lais to the outside with a double jab/straight combo, Lais needing to be up on her toes leaning out the way of some of the heavier punches coming her way, stabbing a jab back at Karlie to stop her charging right through her.

Still Karlie isn't letting Lais get too far away, a left cross catches the hometown girl across her cheek, a straight knocking her back to the ropes as Karlie looks like she wants to end things now, instead she is clinched, both stunning models grinding bodies and foreheads as they intensely lock eyes, the referee needing to pry them apart, where Lais gets off the ropes.

Lais is showing good mobility in the sand, not letting Karlie trap her so easily as they box around the ring, a little frustration showing on Kloss's face as she can't pin down Ribeiro, the bell soon rings as Lais smiles when returning to her corner, she has broken through that seemingly cursed round for her, Karlie meanwhile shakes her head as she sits on her stool, Kelly telling her just to focus on winning then showing off.

Round 5:
Back out they come with Lais looking more confident even after another bad round, maybe more used to the sand from her training, she is starting to catch Karlie out more in the early going, ducking under punches to hammer in a hook to the body before firing a straight shot into the face of Kloss.

Who looks a little stunned by Lais, Karlie is forced back into a corner after she takes an overhand left on her chin, Lais swinging away with not too much success, this is something she isn't used too, allowing Karlie to lock her into a clinch, both women trading little insults before they are broken up.

Karlie composing herself late in the round, peppering the cheeks of Lais again, Lais though is landing her own straight punches through Karlie's mitts, some intense exchanges as leather cracking flesh rings out, crowd on its feet yelling for their girl, the bell rings with both women just about holding back from keep punching, mouthpieces showing as if showing their opponent their teeth in warning, returning to their corners getting cleaned up, Kelly has to try to keep Karlie focused as she looks shocked by Lais, this is by far the best performance the Brazilian babe has ever put in the ring.

Round 6:
Tapping her gloves as she comes out, Karlie looks a little more sure now, both snapping out jabs as they try to line up their opponent for a power punch, Karlie swings her right hook in and finds air, instead a left hook pops on her chin before an uppercut lands to snap her head back, Lais suddenly turning the heat up on Karlie now.

It looks like Karlie is floundering as Lais is really swinging in her punches, the ones that land turn Karlie's head, a right into her solar plexus makes the American groan out and bend slightly, LEADING TO AN UPPERCUT ON HER CHIN SENDING KARLIE DOWN TO HER FRONT!

There's an explosion of cheers as Lais raises her arms in the air with a big beaming smile, told twice to go to a neutral corner, once she does the count begins, 1...2...3....4... Karlie is slowly pushing herself up to all fours, 5...6... Shaking her head as she spits out a little sand, 7...8... Karlie isn't moving any further though, 9... The Lais corner is praying, 10 Lais finally wins!

Winner Lais Ribeiro KO Round 6

After:
A wave of emotion hits the winner, Lais falling to her knees sobbing as this is the dream way for her to break her duck, her fellow country men and women chanting her name in an almost carnival like atmosphere, her corner crew rush in the ring over to her, hugging her as they kneel down and tell her how proud they are of her, eleven heartbreaking defeats has led to this moment, arguably the biggest upset of the year.

Kelly meanwhile looks stunned as she stands at the ropes looking at Karlie still down and at the celebrations, never in her wildest dreams clearly did she think this would happen, Kelly finally steps into the ring to check on Karlie, who says "my head was spinning badly" as she is kneeling now, eyes shut to help her head settle.

Once Karlie feels better she stands with a little help, slowly walking to her stool so the ringside doctor can check on her, there's a little redness to Karlie's cheeks as she looks embarrassed by this loss, this wasn't supposed to be how this was meant to go, barely a word is being said by Karlie or Kelly in the Fighting Academy corner.

Lais meanwhile has her gloves off to show her green hand wraps, holding the Brazil flag she entered the ringside area with, Lais does a lap of honour to a round of applause and cheers, the atmosphere is electric as Lais has tears running down her eyes, a little Cinderella story in this tournament showing fighters who have struggled to win to never give up.

With a little help with not many people noticing, the Fighting Academy crew leave the ring, Karlie is walking without any help off the beach, showing she looks not too badly shook up by the knockout blow, in a career of massive highs, this has to be her biggest low, can Karlie salvage some pride with a win in the final round?

While Lais finally gets her right hand raised by the referee, she blows kisses with her left to the crowd, telling them in her native language "thank you! I love you all" as she looks close to crying again, instead she poses with her corner crew for photos, with Lais maybe finding tonight where her strengths are as she looked great moving on the beach.

For now she leaves the ring proudly with her flag over her shoulders, she could still finish last in this tournament as it is still a straight shoot out between her and Gemma Atkinson in one months time, all the confidence has to be on her side though going into that fight, could we see a Lucy Hale style revival from Lais?