OFFICIAL FCBA "INDEPENDANCE DAY" PPV
Posted by Lookout! Boxing on 28 June 2024 at 7:13 pm
Tale of the Tape:
Hilary Rhoda:
Age: 37
Height: 5'11
W/L: 53-25 (53KOs)
Former FCBA welterweight champion.
Vs
Alice Sabatini:
Age: 27
Height: 5'10
W/L: 23-16 (22KOs)
(Girls Friday Vs Italian Boxing Better)
(Written by Girls Friday/Results by Lookout!)
Intro:
An international rematch between American Hilary Rhoda and Italian Alice Sabatini. The first bout took place two years ago in a beach boxing bout. Hilary was able to knock out Alice in a competitive bout between them. Will Alice even the score or Hilary win once again?
Form wise neither has exactly lit the world up. Hilary has won one bout in three. Alice has won two out of six bouts. A victory here would make a big difference for them, the loser will be wondering what they can do to change their fates.
Before the bout both women were asked for their opinions backstage. Hilary was asked as she was heading down a corridor. She is wearing a black tracksuit top and bottoms with white trainers, a bag over her right arm with her gear in. It's Lexi Neir for the FCBA Network speaking to her in a white dress and heels.
"Ok Lexi I'll keep this short and sweet. I respect Alice, I suspect she'll give me another strong fight but at the end of the day I am here to win and move forwards with my career" says Hilary. She nods to Lexi but is clearly keen to just get on with her night.
Lexi then catches Alice coming into the arena. Alice is wearing a navy blue dress with clear heels. She smiles as she stands hands on her hips. Alice tells Lexi with her coach translating "I am here to get back the win I should have had two years ago. This time there will be no mistakes."
Alice then adds "once I am done with Hilary I am going up start moving up the rankings. People ignore me but they won't for much longer." She is told good luck from Lexi. She smirks at that and walks past the interviewer to go to her stables locker room.
Fighting time! Hilary is out first with her coach Rebecca Romijn behind her. Hilary is wearing a black one piece swimsuit with matching gloves, hair tied into a ponytail. She looks relaxed as she climbs into the ring. Hilary bumping fists with Rebecca to show she is ready to throw down with her opponent.
Down the aisle comes Alice wearing a white one piece swimsuit, white gloves with baby blue thumbs. She steps into the ring smiling as she looks confident she can beat Hilary. Her coach rubs her shoulders to keep her relaxed as the fighters lock eyes across the ring.
Stepping to the middle of the ring for a face off. The referee finishes their instructions with both women bumping fists with a little extra force. They jog back bare foot back to their corners. Once everything is set the bell rings to start 10 rounds of welterweight action.
Round 1:
Alice is looking to push the pace early on. Hilary needing to move around on her toes slinging out jabs as she tries to hold off her opponent. Cheeks taking the brunt of their early attacks as they box around the middle of the ring. Newt the end of the opening minute Alice catches Hilary with a jab on her nose before landing a right cross on her forehead to knock her head back.
Moving Hilary around the outside part of the ring. Alice is looking crisp with her punches. Hilary swinging back but is being outworked by the motivated Sabatini. Hilary having to work hard not to be pinned down onto the ropes.
Late in the round another right hook catches Hilary on her cheek to open her up. Alice presses her to the ropes as she works the body. Hilary covers up more tight on the ropes till the bell dings to end the opener. Alice looks fired up to even the score tonight.
Round 2:
Alice again starts off strong, landing several hooks to the body of Hilary when she gets in closer. Hilary lands a few hooks around the head of her opponent. Pushing off the Italian to create space, Hilary lands a jab/straight combo into the face of Alice to knock her head back.
Pressing Alice back to the ropes as she throws in short hooks behind her guard. Hilary has found her rhthym as Alice covers up more tightly. Nudging back Hilary allows Alice room to fight back. Leather smacking on flesh rings out as neither holds back.
Getting off the ropes. Alice trades with Hilary around the middle of the ring. They bump forearms at times trying to bully each other back. Going toe to toe as seconds tick away in the round. Which comes to an end with both sharing a quick hard look before walking back to their corners.
Round 3:
Pushing off their stools to resume. They trade around the center, chests getting smacked at times by straight shots as they are throwing all sorts of different attacks at each other. Alice working the body of her foe, while Hilary throws over the top. They end up clinched near the end of the opening minute.
Broken up by the referee, they fight on with Alice catching out Hilary with an uppercut on her chin. Muscling back Hilary into the neutral corner. Again back to pounding the torso of the American model. Who grunts with each punch before pushing off Alice to get out the corner into space.
Alice is again holding the middle of the ring but Hilary is matching her intensity. They slam more stiffer shots through each others guard as they open up. The round ends with Alice staring down Hilary as the former champion walks back to her corner.
Round 4:
Hilary is having to step up a gear as they resume. A few two punch combos land square into the face of Alice to cause some redness around her cheeks. Alice starting to move her head more to dodge and step inside to land around her opponents guard. Ending up nearly bumping together at one point, pushing apart with eyes locked in a tense stare down.
A left cross to the forehead of Alice snaps her head back. Hilary pounds in a left/right hook to the jaw of Alice to make her cover up and retreat. Now it's Rhoda holding the middle of the ring as Alice is forced to box around the perimeter.
Late in the round Alice manages to catch Hilary on her nose to cause some blood flowing from it. Hilary ends up fighting Alice back in close. Ribs being pounded on both fighters as they trade. The bell rings with both now having sweat dripping off their brow. This is a good tense bout between two women who know each other well.
Round 5:
A few early skirmishes as they try to grab control of the action. A jab on the nose of Hilary makes her hiss before a short right hook lands on her chin. Hilary backtracking as Alice now comes after her with several piston like punches aimed at her face, the older fighter covering up to protect it. Alice starts switching up her targets more as she looks relaxed.
Around near the ropes moves Hilary as she lands more single punches now then what she was doing before. Alice is the one throwing flurries, looking to land a big shot over the top at times that just misses or hits the gloves of Hilary.
Final minute sees Hilary come out her shell somewhat. Still it's Sabatini landing with more power behind her punches. Alice drilling in several body shots, Hilary landing over the top near her temples to make Alice back off as Hilary showing fight to not be totally bullied around. At the end of the round Alice is giving Hilary another tough contest. Hilary gets her bloody nose cleaned up again as Alice sits across the ring tapping her feet.
Round 6:
Out they come with a little more urgency. Alice catches Hilary around her nose again to make her retreat back. That bloody nose of Rhoda is really bugging her. Sabatini isn't letting her have much time to breath as she switches back to the body when she can move in closer.
Pushing Alice off each time she is being pressed by her younger foe, Hilary is landing several more clean shots in return to the face of the Italian beauty. They exchange more evenly past the half way point of the round after Hilary lands a left hook around the ear of Alice to make her now retreat back into space.
Punches are being drilled into rosy red cheeks as both are swinging through their hips more. Ending up clinched at times trying to wrestle each other back in sweaty embraces. The referee starting to get a work out breaking them apart just before the round ends. Alice looks to be getting on top of things but Hilary isn't going away easily.
Round 7:
More harder punches exchanged out the gate as sweat and in Hilary's case blood is coming off them. Hilary leans out the way of an uppercut and comes back with a jab on the forehead of Alice to snap it back. Right hook crashes onto the chin of Alice to knock her back two steps.
Seeing a chance at retribution, Hilary smacks back Alice with a left/right hook combo to her chin. Near the half way stage of the round Alice is being herded around the ropes, she is trying to swing back at Hilary. AN UPPERCUT CATCHES ALICE FLUSH WITH HER EYES LOOKING A LITTLE GLAZED! TWO RIGHT HOOKS CATCH ALICE ON HER JAW TO SEND HER TUMBLING DOWN TO HER RIGHT SIDE!
Hilary walks to the neutral corner after taking a deep breath, leaning against the turnbuckles of the corner as she stares at Alice. 1....2....3....4... Who slowly gets to all fours. 5....6... As she tries to reach for the ropes beside her with her right glove, she misses them and ends up leaning on the bottom rope with her right arm out the ring. 7....8.... Alice turns to sit against the bottom two ropes as she blinks her head as she is badly dazed! 9....10 Alice is counted out!
Winner Hilary Rhoda KO Round 7
After:
Win number fifty four for Hilary is another hard fought victory for the former champion. Alice just seems to have that punishing style to really drag Hilary into the deep waters. The winner doesn't exactly celebrate as she returns to her corner to sit on her stool to get patched up.
Alice needs help to stand by her coach and led over to her own stool. Alice tried to keep a stoic expression, you can see that this result hurts her as again she has lost after being on top of the action. One mistake is all that seems to be costing her in these clashes with Rhoda. Her coach doing their best to keep her spirits up as they wash her down.
Both women have to be patched up before they head to the center for the final result to be announced. Hilary getting her left arm raised in victory as Alice nods her head. When Hilary tries to show respect by putting her right fist out for a bump, Alice slaps the hand away. Not in the mood to show Hilary respect as she instead heads out of the ring.
Maybe Alice will regret not showing respect as a few boo her in the crowd. She has to be furious at herself and Hilary for why she can't seem to defeat Hilary in boxing. Twice she has looked amazing with her raw power and speed. Still the record books say she can't beat Hilary in two attempts and that is hurting badly clearly.
In the ring Hilary glares at her leaving rival as clearly the issues are not over between them. Rebecca has to remind her to focus on her future as her coach speaks to her. Hilary nodding before posing for the cameras with Rebecca. This hasn't been a brilliant year for Hilary by any stretch. She needs to pick it up in the ring if she is to work her way back into title contention.
Stepping out the ring. Hilary is also reportedly after getting the fabled sixty plus wins in a hundred fights to get into the Hall of Fame. She'll need to improve her schedule as she isn't exactly fighting regularly and winning regularly for that matter. Is time against her as she nears forty in a division that is getting new talent all the time coming through. |
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