Originally posted by Simguy on Monday, 15-Feb-99 16:43:18.

Before: his fight was first proposed almost 5 years ago, and subsequently scuttled when Tom started knocking people out and Moore’s people backed away from the table. Tom brings the best record in boxing and a reputation as a true warrior into the ring, while Demi brings her total package reputation. Intriguing mixture of strengths and weaknesses with Kiana adopting a Tommy Hearns look in the ring against the more fluid Moore. While Demi made weight within a few pounds of Tom, Moore enters the ring on fight night a good 1015 pounds heavier—she’s the natural bigger woman, and has the stronger legs. Tom’s upperbody strength and one-punch KO power in her right hand contrasts nicely with Demi’s combination punching and inside game. Demi is quicker fisted, and Kiana swells easily, and is easier to hit.

Cory Everson at ringside sums it up: “Demi prefers to box tough opponents, but she can’t afford to fight outside and risk getting hit by Kiana’s right hand. She’s going to have to solve Tom’s jab and work her thin waist. I don’t  think she can do it—I’m predicting a Tom knockout in the 7^th or 8^th rounds.”

Despite being a pick’em bout on paper, bettors favour Tom 4-1 based on her terrific record in big fights.

Demi wears a white two piece aerobics costume fashioned to look like lingerie, hair back, white bow, whit gloves and sneakers. Tom enters the ring with a beach volleyball bikini, black top, red bottoms, white gloves and sneakers, hair long and loose.

During:

R1: Tom intimidates Demi early, putting both hands out front and showing Moore her long reach and muscular arms. As the girls start out boxing, Tom’s long legs are spread outside and she rocks back and forth on her heels, jabbing consistently, Moore circle and loses the battle of jabs for the most part, but in the final minute, she slips Tom’s long right and lands a key weapon in the fight: the left hook to the eye of Kiana. Tom stumbles, hands low, and Demi finishes strong with banging short right hands to the body. Demi expertly hooks Kiana’s right in her left as she goes to the belly, a tactic that could prove decisive if used consistently.

R2: Big round for Kiana as Demi continues to try to box with her. Tom lights Moore up early with the big right cross, and Demi stumbles badly. Moore covers up as Kiana rips long left hooks to her midsection and tries to force her right hand through Demi’s guard. Shutout for Kiana as she looks for the knockout.

R3: Tom’s form gets a little wild, and midway though the round, Moore capitalizes. Demi slips inside, traps the right and bangs with authority to the chiseled abs of her opponent. Tom seems sluggish and covers up, and Demi goes to work with ripping lefts and rights to waist. Kiana takes a knee, and looks rocky, but as Moore wades in, Kiana comes over the top with a right that stops Demi in her tracks. Both women hurt, standing about 14 inches apart, and whacking away with power shits to the bell. Kiana’s cheeks and eyes swelling badly. Demi takes 10-8 round.

R4: Kiana continues to strafe Demi with a battering ram jab, and Moore’s left eye begins to close. Demi doing a good job of slipping right and countering with left hooks, but she’s till too far outside and getting outboxed. We haven’t seen Demi’s legs play a big role as she is mostly standing in front of Kiana, trying to make her miss.

R5: Good round for Demi as she finally gets some consistent work done on the inside. Tom doesn’t punch, just covering up and taking, waiting for Moore to back outside. Demi continues to plow that tanned midsection with both hands, and rips short left and right uppercuts in between Kiana’s porous defense. The final minute sees Kiana begin to slug inside, using her forearm to push Demi back, but Moore takes the round. It’s all even after 5.

R6: Demi tries unsuccessfully to get back inside as Kiana is able to keep her off with the jab. The right hands for tom have been silent, as Demi has defenced well against the punch all night long.

R7: Kiana roughs Demi up this round, throwing elbows and low blows in an attempt to make Moore brawl, Trading at medium range, Both women miss left hooks, but Kiana come back with a crashing right to the jaw, and Moore comes up hurt. Demi crowds Kiana, clinching and holding but Tom is able to shrug free and welt Demi with some lashing long hooks inside, and the brawl continues past the bell with both women feverishly indulging in “jug mugging” until the referee separates them.

R8: It happens pretty quickly. Kiana pokes a long left jab into Demi’s chest and Moore responds with a blinding right hand counter to the cheek which catches Tom by surprise. Kiana’s slim legs tremble as she squares up, and Demi smells blood. Demi steps right and chops at Kiana from the angle with quick punches, busting Tom up and forcing her to backpedal. Kiana is all arms and legs in retreat, and Demi skips in landing straight lefts and rights repeatedly to chase the stumbling Asian across the ring. Kiana bounces off the ropes and a huge short right jerks her head violently around. She tries to hold, but Demi un leashes a tremendous barrage with both hands banging steadily to the ribs and waist of Kiana. AND TOM GOES DOWN. Kiana Tom rolls to her back, eyes blinking, arms out to the sides. She will not beat the count as she suffers a crushing knockout to the body. Demi Moore wins by 8^th round KO!

After: Moore’s stock goes to the moon with this tremendous upset. Moore’s body punching ate Kiana up as the trim waisted Asian simply couldn’t take the punishment from the heavier woman. Defensively, although hurt on occasion, Demi was able to minimize what Kiana could do, basically forcing her to fight with her left hand, Tom’s reputation is such that the loss doesn’t do much to her, but it is a tremendous, high profile defeat, and Moore looks like a world beater at this point.

Reposted by Archer 4/26/09.