UNIFIED BANTAMWEIGHT TITLE

Posted by Simguy on 1/20/2007, 11:00 am.

Before:  “it makes sense that the Mountees are keeping this in-house,” special commentator Neve Campbell explains at ringside. “Both girls are terribly limited fighters, both have been badly exposed in recent fights, and both are teetering on the bring of collapse, Elisha’s still reeling from the beatings I gave her, and Rachel’s looking very drained and lifeless to me as well, That said, this should an entertaining bout between two equally matched opponents, Elisha’s one of the stupidest fighters in boxing—couldn’t spell “KO” if you spotted her the “K”—but she’s a little blonde wrecking ball when she gets going. Rachel’s technically more proficient, but she tends to overthink situations in the ring—while Elisha’s slugging, I look for McAdams to be fussing over options when she should be throwing hands. It’s a toss up—whoever’s got the most left and makes the fewest mistakes should win it.” Elisha in stylized maple leaf bikini; white aerobics shoes/socks; red gloves with white knuckle bars. Rachel in sport cut bikini—maple leaf motif top, solid red bottoms; red/white boxing shoes (midcalf); red gloves, white knuckle bars.

During R1: Both girls show boxing look early—rotating clockwise, right hands tight to cheeks, left hands pumping jabs. This is Rachel’s fight—McAdams doubling up her stick to ‘Lishy’s chest, feinting Elisha out of position and dropping right hands—by the final minute. McAdams’ sharp crosses are tossing pretty blonde skull hard to starboard. Cuthbert wobbly butt at the bell, ears ringing—girls slap left hands as they cross business-like to respective corners.

R2: Elisha shakes it off, comes out winging—correctly recognizing that she’s not going to out-finesse Rachel tonight. McAdams also making adjustments against free-swinging ferocity: Rache keeping dukes up, tucking her chin, looking to duck inside the arc of ‘Lishy’s punches and dig to the rib cage. Not a lot of flush contact as Cuthbert’s accuracy drops and Rachel’s forced to be defensive minded—but both vixens land the occasional crowd pleaser: Rachel in Elisha’s torso; Cuthbert atop McAdams’ head.

R3: Elisha batting her mitts up off her stool, steely-eyed: she commits to free-swinging brawling—gets badly chewed up this round as a result. Rachel very compact—elbows in, dukes up—she steps in, crouches underneath Elisha’s looping wallops, mercilessly digging at her stablemate’s ribcage with ripping lefts and rights. McAdams in a flawless rhythm, dipping low, scoring beefily, pushing Elisha backwards: Cuthbert’s stubbornness betrays her as she accepts withering punishment, stumbles backward, then rallies toime and again with fresh assaults. Late the round, it’s all adding up in Elisha’s legs—she suddenly stumbles, ashen faced—McAdams stepping in close with a heavy shoulder-butt to chest, driving blonde in disarray to ropes. Thudding beatdown—Rachel to Elisha: poor Cuthbert covering up face-in-gloves, sitting in ropes as McAdams puts heartless leather on meat to the bell.

R4: ELISHA WON’T HAVE IT!  Cuthbert storms out of her corner with fresh horses—youthful vigour sustaining her were other girls may have come up limping after a tough third. Rachel frowning—she’s still dipping low, but now getting walloped in her flanks as Elisha alters trajectory, firing sidearm to the body. Great, shellacking, batting impacts—Elisha’s arms shivering upon full-blooded contact with Rachel’s sturdy torso—auburn-haired vixen has to step-out, regroup with circling footwork around the perimeter. Cuthbert turns stalker, grinning as she walks Rachel down: whenever Elisha can force Rachel’s butt-to-ropes, blonde piles on thick—smashing left and right roundhouses wide to ribcage. McAdams issuing fight’s first clinches—just smart tactics, but Neve’s assessment: “Rachel’s hurt. It doesn’t look like she can take much more of this!”

R5: Elisha swinging away—festive punching from a spirited blonde has McAdams on her bicycle. Rachel using her legs more, luring Elisha to ropes, ducking down, then gathering blonde up for clinches about the hips. under the arms. Cuthbert flapping her arms at Rachel’s flanks while in the grasp, constantly working until refs breaks. Girls basically negating each other: Rachel’s defense keeping her safe; Elisha’s ferocity keeping McAdams from getting off. A skidding connects across the top of Rachel’s head or loud against her flanks probably signal Cuthbert points.

R6: Rachel scowling, working hard—she steps left, pumps poke—her left fist spanking hard against Elisha’s left eye early. Cuthbert grimacing, answering back lusty overhand rights and steps-in hooks—Rachel adroitly rolling or ducking under shots, staying in position and answering jagged to the Cuthbert ribcage. Elisha’s savagery starting to slow late the round—she’s mouth breathing, panting: combination of Rachel’s tidy, accurate body blows and superior defensive head movement giving champ the edge in hot exchanges.

R7: Cuthbert adjusts AGAIN, showing wonderful variety in an attempt to solve the McAdams problem. Elisha sells “brawl”, but scoots in close instead, setting up mouth-on-shoulder to dig with Rachel inside. Cuthbert bodying Rachel to ropes—girls fight in a phonebooth just above Neve’s announcer’s table. Elisha all shoulders and forehead in there—moving her head from one Rachel shoulder to the other as she’s pushes and bumps the champ. Cuthbert keepin’ it nice and tidy, fitting in short, digging punches to paunch, or tucking in behind Rachel’s elbows—good grinding, non-stop work, really put the miles on redhead legs this round. McAdams frowning butt-in ropes, stooping forward with her arms crossed against her body, ear-to-ear with Elisha—McAdams just sponging,  trying to block some of this stuff downstairs as Cuthbert bangs away bell to bell. During the break—Neve actually calls the ref over to tell him she heard Rachel verbally quitting: “Watch her close, ref. Watch her close!” Totally inappropriate break with protocol—Neve’s looking at a serious fine for that kind of behaviour.

R8: Rachel sees the business—now closing with Elisha and getting shoulder to shoulder—McAdams more effective as she initiates the work downstairs. Grueling, snatching, clubbing stuff—both girls taking turns working bump-n’-slug to the body. McAdams a little cuter with her hands—swatting punches and covering up on follow through, turning her shoulder into Elisha—Cuthbert not getting the clean looks that Rachel is. Elisha huffing and puffing, throwing more leather than Rachel—but of this is blocked or poorly conceived, leaving Elisha’s torso open to breathtaking punishment. Round ends with Rachel steadily pressurizing Elisha to the ropes—McAdams coming off the body late to nip some tidy uppercuts to Elisha’s chin at the bell.

R9: Same again—girls just pushing into each other, mopping each other’s faces and upperchest sweaty-tousle; reaching under one another’s arms to chest the opponent back. Sturdy legs, firm backsides a-jiggle as every inch of canvas contested—and in amongst the shoving and bumping comes a steady stream or short-clouting punches. Rachel putting two and threes together—rolling her shoulders to work Elisha’s paunch TUP! TUP! TIP! Or easing onto the back (right) foot to claw little swatting hooks across Elisha’s front. Cuthbert getting lumped out, outworked—but look at her compete! Elisha absorbing tremendous punishment just for the opportunity of fitting the odd thudding blow into Rachel’s midsection. Bell—girls slap left hands again as they’re headed to respective corners: no matter how hot it gets, Mountee girls keeping their cool.

R10: Elisha coming forward, sturdy legs stampin’ and plantin’—she drives Rachel to ropes with sheer force of will. McAdams hardpressed, open-mouthed as she tries to bump Elisha off with that left shoulder—Rachel dipping side to side, rolling punches as Cuthbert becomes the aggressor, Spirited stuff—blonde just lowering her head and smashing away at the biceps, chest, ribs, and tummy of her foe. Rachel grimacing—left arm across her body, right hand up at her left cheek as she bends at the waist, rotates her torso, slips and twists to absorb shock. Elisha just touching, touching, touching—much of it not landing clean: Rachel far less busy, but fitting in withering, well-placed hooks or right hands flat-n’-spanky to Cuthbert’s midriff, preventing any hope of a blonde jail-break late. Bell: girls fall into one another’s arms for a congratulatory hug, each drained and throbbing from the work of the other. Comes back 5 rounds to 4, with 1 even, Rachel McAdams.

After: Neve crossing her arms, pursing her lips, fuming at the decision and the wild applause cascading down on the ring. McAdams retains, moves on to face Allison Mack next. Mountee vixens standing side by side (Rachel to the left of your screen, Elisha to the right)—Rachel with her right loose about Elisha’s shoulders—Cuthbert’s left arm around Rachel’s ribs. “That’s why Cuthbert was my umber one contender,{“ a wincing McAdams relates. “I knew she’d give me the fight of my life. It was an honor to compete with Elisha tonight—we brought out the best in each other and I think we brought out the best in boxing as well. You can fight hard and please the crowd without talking a bunch of crap or smothering the loser afterwards—that’s something I wish a a lot of girls would realize.”

Reposted by Archer 11/18/09.