Posted by Simguy on Wednesday, 04-Aug-1999 19:54:18

Thanks to FightFan for this repost.


Before: High risk fight for both up and comers and a highly anticipated bout for hard core fans. Renee the taller woman, looks to lean on Raitano and push her around, but Natalie with the quicker fists and temper, trash talks up a storm in pre-fight conferences. Renee in green adidas terrycloth trunks, yellow jogbra, Nat in red adidas, black jogbra.

During R1: Natalie goes nose to nose with Renee during the stare down, and both women come out throwing hard. O'Connor standing a little straight, trying to body up and throw horizontal right hands from the waist, thumb up, little or no backswing, into Raitano's body, while Natalie much more varied in her attack. Both girls square up, so all punches are hooks, and Raitano not shy about doubling up, going to the head and body in equal measure. Even two way slogging to the final minute when Raitano's two fisted attack begins to break O'Connor down. Renee backing up, taking punches, finishes the round in a tight defensive posture as Raitano pounds her rounded shoulders and thick gut.

R2: Raitano flashes those fast hands again this round, getting into O'Connor's face, landing well to the torso and head, and stepping to the right on the inside to bring the overhand right into play over Renee's left shoulder. O'Connor takes a beating this round, squaring up to Raitano, hunching over, and letting Natalie put the gloves to her for 3 solid minutes.

R3: O'Connor gets into the fight, finally hooking Natalie's right arm, and pitching her own right into the brunette's firm gut. Raitano bogged down in Renee's clutch and grab tactics, is pushed to the ropes for a Fullmeresque beating from Renee. O'Connor very strong in the clinches, pushes Natalie into the ropes, then pulls back to land short rights to the body or tight lefts to the jaw. Raitano slugging well in the final minute, but drops her first round.

R4: Natalie comes out to retake the initiative. Forehead to forehead, she's staking out her territory inside, beating Renee to body punches with short hooks, then stepping around to club at Renee's head. O'Connor soaking up a steady beat, continues to plow forward, but clearly not as active as the tireless brunette.

R5: More tough, two way action for most of the round, as the girls bang away shoulder to shoulder, taking turns clubbing each other with short combinations from close range. In the final minute, Raitano once again raises the bar, banging O'Connor's head back with a sweet double left hook, then into the gut with both hands to the bell. Raitano peels away from a flushed O'Connor at the bell - big smile on the brunette's face.

R6: Another close, tight infighting round, won in the final minute by a sustained burst of offense from Raitano. Natalie's fists simply keep coming, and O'Connor breaks down, looking a little staggery as the bombardment beats her arms black and blue. Raitano finishes up with a series of banging lefts and rights as O'Connor sags on the ropes.

R7: Pattern continues as it is hammer and tongs for 2 minutes on the inside, both women shoving and nuzzling for position, but in the final segment, Raitano pulls back to land a ripping left hook on the jaw of O'Connor and RENEE IS DOWN!!! Renee spills to the canvas with a blank expression, and barely beats the count. Natalie is ravenous on the attack, surging into the hurting blonde's body with hammering lefts and rights, twisting her torso back and forth into each punch. O'Connor survives to the bell, but is deeply discouraged as she stumbles back to her corner.

R8: Beat goes on. Natalie batters Renee to the corner with a series of clubbing rights, then goes to work. Pushing in with her shoulder, then pulling back to punch, Raitano jerks uppercuts from her hips into Renee's chin and chest, turns her shoulders into clipping hooks on the jaw, and PITCHES right hands into the blonde's gut. At the end of the round, boxing match devolves into a bar brawl as a sweaty faced Raiton hungrily pushes the dazed O'Connor back onto the ropes, then smokes the right hand into the wide open belly, clinching the blonde as she pitches forward with a huge smile to the crowd. Renee soaks it up with those sturdy legs, but she's taking a world class beating at this point.

R9: Another brutal shutout for Raitano as she batters O'Connor all along the ropes with pounding single right or left hands. Raitano still shoving and slugging, often pushing Renee into position for the punches to follow. O'Connor's face a pulpy mess at this point, expressionless as Natalie beats her.

R10: All Renee O'Connor! Renee shows her champion's heart, surging back into the fray with desperate Arturo Gatti theatrics, lifting hooks from her hips into Raitano's body and pounding the brunette to the ropes. O'Connor leaning on the smaller woman, pulling back to slug, and pounding the left hook hard in behind Natalie's elbows. 3 solid minutes of pressure, but Raitano soaks it up, and raises her mitts in weary triumph at the bell. Too little too late for Renee - it's a unanimous decision for Natalie Raitano

After: Although it goes into the books as a one-sided 8 rounds to 2 drubbing, Renee was in almost every round. Natalie's fast fists, and good footwork proved the difference as O'Connor was exposed as a somewhat one-dimensional slugger in contrast. Raitano may have looked too good for her own good: not many Celebs want a piece after this war.


Sim Guy

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