BBU Pro Athlete Bout from Cardiff Arena
Jutta Leerdam vs Katarina Johnson-Thompson
(Netherlands vs Great Britain)
(1-0, 1 KO vs BBU Debut)
Results: BBU; Story: Vassago

BEFORE: It's maybe off-season in speed skating but Dutch world champion Jutta Leerdam wants to test her skills against the top UK athletics star Katarina Johnson-Thompson who is finally clear of injuries and vows to make immediate impact in the boxing universe. Meanwhile Leerdam made headlines by hooking up with social media heavyweight Jake Paul in the last few weeks so there's even more reasons to talk about her combat skills no matter what anyone thinks of this relationship. People will buy tickets to see this match-up and Cardiff Arena is truly packed to the roof with a strong Dutch presence judging by the orange flags around the place!

Jutta Leerdam wears a black crop top, matching hip-huggers & orange gloves. Long blonde hair tied in a curled ponytail. Katarina Johnson-Thompson wears a blue athletics vest, matching hip-huggers & white gloves. Long black hair tied in a braid. The fight is scheduled for ten rounds in the welterweight division.

Round 1:
Quick start from the blonde who fires several shots into the Brit's face and forces Katarina to respond in similar manner but the action remains one-sided during the opening minute as Jutta beats the local favorite to the punch and stuffs her in the center of the ring before looping a hard left on the temple. KJT refuses to back off despite being outboxed by the numbers and hopes to land that vintage haymaker to change her fortunes but it's easier said than done and Leerdam continues to flock more hits on target making the older woman look pedestrian on her BBU debut indeed. KJT finally blinks in wake of the challenge and switches back to mid-range yet Jutta is able to match her design and lands more leather late in the run forcing the Brit into an earmuff cover to run out the clock.

Round 2:
Katarina gets more aggressive and lands some quick shots into the blonde's face which triggers a hectic back & forth exchange until the heptathlete swings a true power punch on the nose to wobble Leerdam off her stance. KJT jumps into a steady jabbing run winning the crowd's support with ease but she doesn't really hurt the Dutch foe and fails to cut her up to the tune of visible physical damage either. Jutta still finds her response from behind the guard but struggles to shake KJT off her groove and gets pounded back to the ropes where she reverts back to the heroic slugging somehow hoping to catch the Brit with one of these haymakers against the odds. That ain't gonna happen so KJT carries the round on points.

Rounds 3 & 4:
The slugging script gets adjusted and both women waste energy in a failed pursuit of a highlight reel knockout but that doesn't throw the crowd off their cheering lane as the effort remains justified. KJT lands a couple of hard licks in between the Dutch response and gains a slight upperhand only for Jutta to find her rhythm blasting the brunette to the body down the stretch. Katarina is more lanky build all things considered and appears to be feeling the gut-checking heat which allows Leerdam to explore that path more often in the fourth. She still takes a couple of nasty licks from the Brit but carves more holes around the elbows and slows Johnson-Thompson right down in the process. The heptathlete seeks a cliching stalemate to reboot her tactics but eats a stray elbow on the breasts and has to soak up a heavy leather rush that snaps her head back and gives Jutta a clear edge to close out the round.

Round 5:
Katarina seeks another head-hunting breakthrough but she bounces off the top of the blonde's forehead and leans forward too much not to experience a hard uppercut blast that catches her on the exposed chin and slumps her into visible discomfort. She tries to bail out of the hole but Jutta laces her on the windpipe before another left/right combo finds the temples and cripples the Brit on the spot. KJT is HURT and she is slow to raise her mitts just as the Dutch speed skater SMOKES her with a vicious left hook on the nose. DOWN GOES THE BRIT and suddenly there's blood pouring from the damaged nostrils that freezes any genuine comeback the Cardiff audience could have hoped for. Katarina stares down the canvas while resting on her left forearm and then wipes more blood across her face before shaking her head in resignation. Uh-oh! Might as well call it off since she ain't coming back. KO5 Jutta Leerdam!!!

AFTER: A solid win for the Dutch speed skater who is set to expand her profile even further in the upcoming months since several of her compatriots are rumoured to be in line for high-profile opportunities as well. The welterweight divsion can always find a spot for a new contender even though Jutta still requires a few quality wins before she elevates herself into the next boxing level. But she's got all the tools to make it happen and BBU TV's Kate Abdo claims it's gonna awfully difficult to stop her once she truly gets going!

Official Result: Jutta Leerdam def. Katarina Johnson-Thompson KO5.