REEBOK BANTAMWEIGHT TITLE

  Photo Courtesy of BI Photo Labs

Posted by Simguy on 10/11/2003, 9:31 am.

Before: Kelly anxious to regain that top pound for pound status she’s had for most of her career—facing unheard of criticism from pundits and media this year in the wake of the Jen Connelly beat down. “She’s definitely not the same fighter,” says a confident Dani Fishel in prefight. “Don’t get me wrong—she’s still one of the best in this division, but she’s not head and shoulders above everyone else anymore. I know how to fight Kelly now—I didn’t when we first met and it’s all about ring position. I get Kelly against the ropes, I beat her body and I’m gonna give her hell in this fight. You see me hunting her down in the middle of the ring and you know I’m losing the fight—it’s that simple. Hu’s taken a lot of punishment this year—she hasn’t had late legs in fights and I wouldn’t be surprised if I stop her. No kidding—I think I’m gonna stop Kelly Hu!” Dani in teal sports bra, gray stretch cotton boy cut trunks, white shoes—Kelly in black leather two piece—zipper top, boy cut trunks, black shoes, slick ponytail.

During R1-1: Dani moving her head, bobbing and weaving as she comes forward, alternating her hand position from her temples to crossed-arm—she’s just a bundle of jittery movement and pressure, Hu pointing the left shoulder at Dani, left hand low, right at her chin, beautifully guiding the champ around the ring. Dani’s landing loud into the waist, bobbing with her hook to shake Kelly, but Hu’s keeping her back off the ropes, sliding and stepping around her foe and pecking away. Hu navigates to points in both rounds—she’s got Fishel fighting the wrong fight early.

R3: Kelly with that sneaky-quick straight right counter from the closed stance—just opening up and nailing Dani on the face as she comes in—Fishel stomping back ion her heels momentarily dazed. But it’s all Fishel after that—getting to Kelly’s chest, brawling her to the ropes and finally outing sustained punishment on that caramel coated ribcage. Fishel very rough with her head, repeatedly dropping it down onto Kelly’s upperchest and shoulders with dull, thudding impacts, moving her hands downstairs. Busy Dani overhauls Kelly’s pinpoint power to earn a hard fought even round.

R4: Dani turns up the heat-=-driving Kelly ropeside under a fusillade of winging lefts and rights—Asian beauty shying away from the thunder, setting up cute at the perimeter, Hu trying to close up and roll punches with her left shoulder, but Dani’s not allowing it—Fishel in rugged with her head, palming the Asian’s hips or biceps to square her up at the ropes, then lugging in the leather to beat that body. Kelly grimacing, struggling to get her butt off the ropes when a sudden left uppercut has her drooping over her feet! Dani grinning as she REEFS hooks to Kelly’s weeping right side—uncontested as the dazed former champ simply wilts forward and TAKES A KNEE! Kelly all busted up inside, drawing deep, ragged breaths—that body pounding’s start8ng to take it’s toll. Hu takes a wobbly 8—All Fishel to the bell as she cleans up torso with bashing rights and lefts.

R5: Hu out jabbing, slips a neat thump into Dani’s left eye and immediately changes the bout. Girls touch gloves as Kelly apologizes for the accidental foul, but she goes to work on that blinking eye with heartless jabs just the same. Hu smart, stepping to her right, working over the left side of Dani’s face with the up-jab from the hip, crossing into vicious, slicing rights—Fishel can’t see the incoming and after 3 classy rounds of coldhearted sniping—Dani’s eye is closed and Kelly’s strutting.

R6: Hu stepping to the right, nice and loose with the left hand dangling at her thigh just darting it into Dani’s eye, doubling it up to the mouth, stepping to spots and turning into those screened right hands as Fishel starts to ship serious abuse. Fishel still getting to Kelly’s ribs with a little hop-in hook, but she’s paying a fearful price. Down the stretch—Hu fades Dani’s hook, counters her a quick cuffing hook on the ear and NAILS the champ a straight right hand on the chin. Fishel stomping back on her heels, busting up at the ropes—she covers up hurt as HU cleans up to the bell, slashing lefts and rights in withering combination. Stony glare from Hu as she relishes the carnage—Dan’s face swelling up nicely after 6.

R7: Dani crouching, popping a stubby little jab—she induces Kelly to the ropes—Hu setting up behind her left shoulder, right shoulder leaning in the ropes as she looks for the counter. Fishel with that jerky upperbody movement—touching Kelly in the hip a right hand, pushing a left into her chest, extending the left elbow to nudge, thumping her head against Hus shoulder—good jostling contact as Kelly stays composed, HOOK! Dan just pitty-patting downstairs, suddenly unleashes a tight left hand, shoe-horning it past Kelly’s protective right and HU GOES OUT! Kelly limp against the ropes—Dani steps back to allow the girl to collapse without piling on ruinous overkill, Sensational 1 punch KO Dani Fishel!

After: Fishel pumped, loving the thunderous whack—she dents Kelly’s chin a single blazing hook off the body and Hu’s a long time coming around on her stool. Rougher than usual contest between these two—Dani’s rugged head-work, Kelly’s questionable thumb—Fishel guts it out despite horrific punishment to the left side of her face. “She was coming on,” admits Dani in postfight,, “but you know, I had gotten good looks at her ribcage all night long and she was breaking down even though it didn’t look it like. I earned that KO—that was no lucky shot. It came because I had beaten her body and drained her legs to the point where she couldn’t keep her back off the ropes.” Hu sullen, spiteful upon recovery. “Look at my chest!” cries an indignant challenger, gesturing to the ugly bruising all around her clavicle. “Those were head butts, and Dani was throwing elbows at my ribs—she was getting away with murder in there. She’s a disgrace—she’s the bantamweight Gena Lee Nolin and I’m calling for a tape-review of this fight!” Sour grapes or just cause—vicious KO just adds fuels to critics who keep harping on the Connelly fight as being the root cause if all Hu’s woes.

Reposted by Archer 1/19/10