Unified Lightweight Title

Posted by Simguy on 4/19/2003, 9:21 am

Before: Wary respect shown by both combatants during orderly prefight sessions. Jeri on why it’s taken so long to put this fight together: “I think we both had other priorities. We were aware of each other before, of course, but we both had more compelling fights tugging at us. Now, it’s like Jennifer says: we’re the two most dominant fighters at sub 130 - this is the biggest fight in boxing, it’s time to do it. How do I see the fight going? You know, people think of me as the girl with the right hand howitzer, but I think they’re missing the way I dress opponents up so that I can land the bomb. Sure, I demolished Charlize Theron, but I had her thoroughly and completely outboxed before I cleaned up, and that’s how I’m going to beat Jennifer. I’ll take away her options, breaks her down, and when she’s vulnerable, I’ll finish her off.” Jennifer in response: “I have a lot of respect for what Ryan’s been able to accomplish, but when I look at her objectively, I see a lot of holes, I see average feet - that’s going to hurt her against me. I see average conditioning - that’s going to hurt her. I see good power, but an average chin - I don’t think you can favour her to win by knockout - either one of us could. That’s a lot of ‘average’ to be going against Jennifer Garner - she’s a suspect champion to a certain degree, To be honest, I think she’s really over-leveraged to beat Charlize Theron - she’s forgotten that to be a champ, you’ve got to learn about Cat Bell, Jennifer Garner, Cameron Diaz etc. I hate to say this, but this could be an easy fight for me - really.” Jenny G in bra style electric blue bikini, hair tied back, Ryan in red bikini.

During R1: Tactical first. Garner skirting the perimeter, using her legs, testing Ryan’s defences with straight lead rights to the sternum, snappy hooks up top, stiff jab-work as she swivels left. Ryan composed, left at her hip, right at her chest, turning, using the jab to discourage Garner from aggressively jumping in. No right hands from Jeri yet, but it’s cocked and ready - keeping Garner honest. Jenny dictating with her feet takes a very close round - nobody hurt.

R2: Garner pivoting left, looks to hop in close - Ryan reading it well, takes a half step back, jabs to track Jen on the way in, then drops a short right hand bingo on the mouth. Garner sputters to one knee - more shocked than hurt - she’s up quick, but reminded how one mistake could be her last. Jeri more aggressive from that point, stalking rather than reacting, jabbing Jennifer to the ropes, getting her body behind blunt right hands between the breasts or on the jaw. Garner avoids the shutout late, snapping off combinations with her back to the ropes, fists bouncing off Jeri’s rigid flanks and spanking her face at the bell.

R3: Masterful Jen Garner boxing. She’s changing directions, feinting in the first minute, rattling Jeri who can’t get her feet set. Second minute all about scoring opportunities for Garner as movement and sharp jabbing opens the opponent up. Right hands firm on Jeri’s chin - Garner timing counters over Ryan’s jab - she’s getting to the champ big time, Ryan put wobbly butt, forced to cover up - Garner tilting to her left, weight on that front plant leg while she reefs up into Jeri’s ribcage. Third minute - Garner’s taken her shot, hurt Ryan, but can’t put her down - Jennifer content to box out the round and post the shutout.

R4: Jeri still trying to spot the jab on Garner - it’s effective, but Jennifer actively looking for counter rights over top. Midway through, Jenny stings Jeri again, timing a hissing right against the champ’s stick, cracking the chin and staggering Jeri midring. Garner in charge - she moves inside for the first time, letting her rapid fists scorch the waist and bulging jugs on her foe. Ryan backing up in shock, hits the ropes - she’s reaching to palm up on Jennifer’s shoulders, but it’s a mistake, leaving her torso exposed to Garner’s vigorous scrubbing.

R5: Garner loose and leggy, feinting in, stepping out - she gets Jeri reaching early and TAGS that chin a sizzling right hand counter. Ryan stepping in fence posts, trying to get it together - she’s soaking up clean, flush punching as Garner continues to counter, Jenny G stepping right, clouting Jeri’s jugs a come-along hook, suddenly bending into a tight right hand off the cheek and ducking away to the left. Ryan fielding blows, lumping up nicely, but she doesn’t wilt. By the midway point, champ doubling up the jab and stacking Garner up with it, negotiating Jenny to the corners. Down the stretch, Ryan pulling the trigger on right hands, coming back with licking left hooks across Garner’s washboard waist and GARNER'S HURT! Jennifer covering up tremble-bodied, face behind gloves - she stands in the pocket shivering as Jeri takes a crowbar to brunette flanks at the bell. Ryan nodding, chesting up to force eye contact - blonde took brunette’s best shot early, wound up winning the round in rugged fashion.

R6: Jeri getting more confident with each minute - sliding forward, hands up, stabbing her jab between the eyes, between the breasts, dropping whistling rights from her shoulder. Garner pressed to the perimeter - she forced to spin out and run, not doing much punching as Jeri’s pressure starts to dictate.

R7: Another good round of stalking boxing from Ryan - she’s placed that jab flat and heavy to the body and head, steering Garner to the corners, leaning into withering right hands, mopping up hooks in the rightside abs. Jennifer’s face anxious - she’s still able to head-fake and spin off the ropes, but she can’t get her combinations off - Ryan’s jabs disrupting everything the brunette wants to do offensively.

R8: Classy shutout Jen Garner. Jennifer adjusting, leading with straight right hands down and into Ryan’s body coming out of the crouch with snapping hooks off Ryan’s jaw, then swiveling left - Garner imposes order with her legs. Jen gets Jeri used to the clockwise rotation, then changes direction, walking Ryan into right hands on the chin. Garner picking her spots to stand in with Jeri, raking 2 and 3 hooks across her foe’s prize jugs - then jabbing the mouth to make her escape to the right.

R9: Jeri trying to resume command, walking Garner down in the first minute, jabbing at the upperchest, but Jenny’s still moving and punching like it’s the first round. Jenny bouncing, darting in and out - she’ll fade the blonde’s jab, bounce in with a clanging right off the chin, swivel sharp to the left before Ryan can get the right hand off. Jeri getting tagged, covering up after the fact, or getting beaten to the punch - champs’ trunks consistently wobbled as Jenny lights her up gorgeous this round, Close fight going into the last round.

R10: Jenny closes the show. Tireless legs wheeling Jen around the opponent - beautiful feints getting Jeri to cover, then payoff clouts around the guard box Ryan’s ears. Jen throwing up top to freeze Jeri, then stamping that straight right hand against the body, swiveling left around that snap-hook on the jaw. By the midway point, Ryan’s defence breaks down, legs look shabby - she backs hurt to the ropes - Garner walking in with hands at her side and eyes blazing. Awful Jen Garner beat down evolves - Jenny attacking Jeri at he ropes, Garner ducking in, slashing at Jeri’s waist, buckling the champ, then stepping out to survey the damage. Jenny darting back in with a sneaky left uppercut between the gloves, rocking Jeri at the ropes, then a furious flurry to the waist to bend her forward again and JERI GOES DOWN! Ryan up ramshackle, bleeding from the nose, eyes vacant - champion out on her feet, but too stubborn to go down - she stands in for a horrible drubbing as Garner shreds it up with combinations to the bell. Jenny stepping back, chest heaving, slick with sweat - she raises her mitts and bellows in triumph as Jeri lolls hurt in the ropes. Come back a narrow UD10 for the winner and NEW unified lightweight champ - Jennifer Garner!

After: Agonizing dismissal for Jeri Ryan - she finishes up shabby and hurt, but this thing was even after 9 of the classiest championship rounds we’ve seen in a long time. Comparisons with Cat Bell/Theron are inevitable as pundits look to quantify what they’ve seen - it’s clearly a fight of Bell/Theron caliber. Was it an easy fight for Garner? “In some ways, believe it or not - yes it was,” grins a shiny-sweat new champ. “Ryan was game, she kept coming, but I felt like I was always in control, breaking her down, and the last two rounds really revealed all the hard work I’d been doing. She basically collapsed and it was all me, all the time, working her over.” Ryan scalded by the commentary - she knows she was 3 minutes away from retaining the belts. “Hey, winner write the history,” Ryan sneers. “She can say what she wants, doesn’t change what happened. Frankly, I thought she was a better person than that.”