Posted by simguy 10-24-03

Thanks to Ginny for this repost

Cori showing cheek in prefight - presenting Katherine with a gift-box of donuts in prefight, card reading: "To: Chubbs From: Cori". "I'm going to get Chubbs moving backward and taking punishment - every minute, every round - all night long." Boasts a confident Nadine. "I don't see any muscles on Cori's chin," counters Katherine. "I'm going to feed Cori a steady diet of these (holds up clenched right fist) and see how she likes it. My guess is Cori's got lawnmower guts underneath that souped-up chassis, and I'm going to take her apart to find out." 2 fighters with similar approaches, come forward, punch hard - Katherine the more accomplished hitter with any one shot, Nadine a tireless worker in the trenches. Heigl in electric blue sports bra, navy boy cut trunks, white shoes and ponytail - Nadine in black sports bra, red boy cut trunks, white shoes.

Rd 1: Girls trade lean-in right hands - Nadine dropped to one knee as even crowd is startled by the early fireworks. Cori up and alert, but legs aren't back - Heigl bodies the fitness queen into the ropes and treats her shabby bell to bell. Katherine fighting big girl, smothering and mauling when she's not punching, pushing and bumping for room, laying her right hand flat and heavy in under Nadine's heart, against her stomach, and crisp across the chin. Cori's conditioning her only defense - she's just sitting in the ropes, shipping the shutout.

Rd 2: Katherine showing some veteran savvy - she plays punch n' clutch to perfection this round. Heigl standing calm in the pocket, timing Nadine on the way in, clouting her a right on the jaw, then swamping her in a beefy clinch. Stop and go - girls often wrapped up high, belly to belly, struggling to tug and push each other around, referee issuing sweaty breaks. Cori with no jab, walking in through the front door, gets potshotted for points.

Rd 3: Shutout Heigl - she's looking like the girl who's been there before, former champ, very cool, efficient as she places her shots, clinches for the breaks. Nadine taking wallop on her chin without flinching, but she doesn't like the heart and breadbasket work much. Heigl able to walk her girl to the ropes and hold her down for breaks, getting her touches upstairs and down, methodically working her girl over. Hurt looks from Nadine, warning from the ref as Katherine keeps punching after the bell as Cori sags in the ropes.

Rd 4: Nadine on the board as constant pressure finally pays off. Heigl not as effective tying up - she's laying in ear to ear with Nadine more, trying to swap with her, but Cori's a muscular buzzsaw in tight. Nadine rotating her shoulders, keeping her mouth on Katherine's shoulder and dig, dig, digging into that creamy gut, both hands greedy. Heigl's butt in the ropes most of the round as Nadine finally gets Katherine moving backwards.

Rd 5: Rollicking two way slugfest - Heigl countering Cori's physicality with ring smarts, hard right hands and accuracy. Katherine keeping her back off the ropes, potshotting rights to the chin, clinching, then walking her girl around, making Nadine move her feet. Cori also having her moments, bobbing and weaving a little better, slugging wide out of a crossed arm stance and stroking Heigl along the jawlines with looping blows. Heigl nails Cori a right hand on the face at the bell, reloads and pops her a duplicate right AFTER the bell as Nadine blinks, stares in response.

Rd 6: Nadine shaking off Heigl's lumber - wades in, gets into a slugging, bumping rhythm that beats Katherine across the ring and into the ropes. Good bruising, one-way fare from Nadine - she's just shoveling on the punishment, crowding in close, but not smothering herself - she's crouched, elbows in, keeping her hands free and punching. Nadine in a wide stance, dipping to the right and ripping up underneath with 1,2,3 right hands, stiffening Heigl, then dipping to the left to repeat the work with the left hand. Cori really showing what she can do - this is brutalizing, hardhearted stuff and it has Heigl open mouthed in shock. Brunette keeps it up bell to bell - that CAN'T be good for a soft blonde's innards.

Rd 7: Cori's worst habit: walking straight in, face up, no jab - Katherine takes repeated advantage. Heigl dragging her front foot as she slides back, walking Nadine into clouting counter-hooks on the chin, or the bashing potshot right, then clinching, turning her, walking her back. Heigl resting on Nadine when she holds, making the fitness model feel the weight - Cori protesting in the grasp to the ref as the man lets it go. Heigl loving it to Cori's body at the bell - she doesn't let up, pounding away left/right on the beltline as the ref has to take a hand.

Rd 8: Fatigue becoming a factor - Heigl mouth-breathing, clinching, but unable to impose herself - it's Nadine walking Katherine back, shoving up on her at the ropes and getting the work done. Cori rough with her head, butting Katherine constantly against the upper chest and shoulders - brunette palming blonde biceps back, pushing Kath to a seat in the ropes, then reefing in the heart-stopping hook. Cori also sitting down on those multiple, roaring right hands up underneath - real crowd-pleasers as Nadine bludgeons away with repeated rights to a shocked blonde midsection.

Rd 9: Nadine's pace never slackens - she's just as fresh as she was in minute one: Katherine's got a problem. Heigl still crafty, sliding back, measuring Nadine for those banging potshot rights and clinching, but blonde can't add to it - Cori's coming on too strong. Nadine bulldozing Heigl to the ropes, then getting brawny on her, pushing her arms out of the way, palming her shoulders, beating her relentlessly about the waist and ribcage. Heigl tying up head and arm, looking for breaks, but Nadine writhing and pulling free, keeps up the steady drum beat.

Rd 10: Rousing rub-down shutout Nadine - she just crams Heigl back into her corner and beats her senseless as a shell-shocked Janet Jones stares up in awe. Cori just helping herself, pressing up into blonde deadweight to prop Katherine, then beating in her sides and tummy, then propping up for some more. Nadine working out of a slow torso roll, walloping up top on occasion with big booming, looping rights and lefts - drowsy Heigl partially blocking some of these, but she's a spent force. Katherine limping to the finish line, mouth open, eyes fluttering - she sobbing for air as Nadine keeps punching late - juuuust a little pay-back in kind as the ref pulls her off. Comes back UD10 by a single point...KATHERINE HEIGL!

After: Nadine in shock, primping at sweaty black hair with taped hands, shaking her head in disbelief. All even in rounds - Heigl's first round knockdown stands up as the difference as Nadine's conditioning becomes decisive late. Katherine especially impressive over the first half, managing her stronger opponent beautifully with clinches and walks, getting her body on to slow the pace - blonde really dictated the style of fight and manufactured a sly points win. Cori showing she's a real freight train in there when she gets going, needs experience to add a little finesse to her raw physical talent.