Partial Report

Posted by Simguy on 4/13/2007, 6:32 am.

Knightley in lavender/purple horizontally barred bandeau bikini, small black work out gloves.

Cruz in black bra style bikini, small black work out gloves.

Piped in live to PPV telecast. Fought in Berlin’s new “Brawlenfest” female fighting auditorium--ring at the bottom of a large funnel-shaped arena--theatre-style seating rising up from combat floor to provide excellent viewing for every patron in the house. Big screen monitor overhangs the ring for close ups and replays; ring is wired for sound, broadcasting and amplifying the impact to the rafters. Cush red crushed-velvet booth seating, subdued lighting--restaurant ordering and full service--very organic, almost Geiger-like design--it’s a state of the art celebrity fighting venue as Europe begins to lead the way in terms of fight promotion and presentation.

KO3 Knightley.

Infuriated by Virginie Ledoyen’s declaration that she had already swept Cruz from the field--Penelope engaged British rival Keira in a true European Superfight designed to both outflank Virginie and upstage her. The event paid off in terms of spectacle, and loived up to the hype in terms of savagery--but it would prove a disastrous setback to Penelope’s dreams of world domination.

Cruz attempted to engage Knightley as she had Thandie Newton--with a frontal assault of hard punches designed to stop Keira outright rather than committing to breaking the lanky Brit down over the long haul. In retrospect, this was a key mistake as Keira joyfully joined in the mayhem, lunging and leaping with long arms a-lashing in a glorious display of devil-may-care slugging.

Cruz took the first round at great cost, and stumbled back to her corner already hurt despite sending Keira to her own corner in a fog--but the stringer girl emerging from the carnage would be Knightley. In the second, Keira’s rangy, batting, Keibler-esque  lefts and rights began to clap against Pene’s shiny face with tic-toc rhythm, cudgeling the Spanish lass off balance and exposing her to increasing punishment. Stunned, and hurting--Pene’s form deteriorated badly, and she stumbled into Keira’s waxing assault as Knightley hopped and loped around her crumbling foe, Cruz would finish the the second out on her feet at the ropes, and she bravely rallied in the third--but Knightley had simply made too much clean contact. The third saw Cruz spend up the last of her reserves facing into Knightley punching, trying desperately to slug-with and catch Keira, but it was not to be, batting away limber while backpedaling in good order--Keira walked Pene into clout, finally sending Cruz toppling to her face, utterly used up, near the ropes.

In the past, Cruz has collapsed psychologically following a loss like this. If she’s serious about taking FCBA gold this year, she’ll win her next fight and look good doing it: if she’s still the same old Pene--she’ll go out with a whimper and be that pretty, big-name punching bag the US media has always made her out to be.

Reposted by Archer 5/3/11.