Main Event: Unified Lightweight Title Bout

Monday Night Fights by simguy on 4/22/2002, 7:09 am

Before: Elizabeth sounding off as per usual - everyone's scared, she's the greatest lightweight since Shannon Elizabeth's FIRST title reign so on and so forth. Lopez oozing quiet confidence, refusing to be baited during prefight conferences and reports out of Jen's camp are downright scary: "She's murdering sparring partners," says one highly placed source, "Jen Lopez is in shape, focused and ready to strip Shannon of the title on fight night." Shannon in pale blue bra and white bikini bottoms, Lopez in black sports bra, green hipster bikini bottoms, low blonde ponytail.

During R1,2: Shannon scoops the first, Jen the second in close, competitive rounds. Fight breaking down as expected - when there's space, Shannon's extending on punches and threatening Jen with slashing, rising lefts and rights. Lopez paying the price on the way in and whenever she backs out - but when she gets to Shannnon's chest it's all Lopez. Elizabeth tieing up on the inside, can't hold her ground, getting walked to the ropes and worked over. Jen moving her head on the outside, bending side to side but getting spanked on the face occasionally as she walks into Elizabeth leather.

R3: Jen doing a better job of bobbing and weaving, cupping her right hand under her chin to help block the half uppercuts Elizabeth is throwing. Jen keeping her head on Shannon's chest this round and bludgeoning the waist and belly of the champ without mercy. At the ropes - Elizabeth seems helpless, elbows in, stooping forward as a workmanlike Jen props with her shoulder, then digs methodically in behind Elizabeth's right elbow. Lopez working that side, punishing Shannon into a stupor in a grinding shutout third.

R4: Shannon using a little lean in and away move on wide spread loooong legs to give the shorter woman problems this round. Elizabeth licking her fists up and against Jen's belly and guard. Jen doing a good job of blocking but her counters are coming up short and fierce Elizabeth punching is keeping Lopez outside for the most part. On Jen's few forays inside - Elizabeth is able to tie up those muscular arms and hold for breaks.

R5: Nasty round - both girls guilty of spite. Elizabeth flagrantly holding - Lopez losing her temper and trying to tug her arms free - girls wind up on the canvas as things get ugly. Lopez bulling in with her head - Shannon using her forearm to push Jen's skull down, altering the trajectory of Lopez body blows directly to the crotch. Elizabeth granted a moment to catch her breath and she IMMEDIATELY gets a little working woman's justice with licking left/rights to Jennifer's trunks - once again the ref gets involved and issues stern finger waggles all around. From there it's one sloppy clinch and flagrant foul after another - girls pulling on another's arms, trying to pop the other's elbow, girls lacing each other, pushing forearms against throats as they struggle along the ropes. Shannon gets the nod in a round neither deserves to win.

R6: Jen with a booming overhand right to the ribs, has Elizabeth groaning in shock - follow up lefts up under the ribcage put the champ on queasy street. Shannon's long arms draping weakly over the latina - Jen getting underneath and battering that ribcage, crippling Shannon in a first minute of vindictive body punching. All Lopez down the stretch as she bulls Shannon to the ropes, getting underneath and shouldering the girl upright, then methodically swabbing down the abs with vicious Mexican hooks. Elizabeth sucking it up late to land some tepid rolling uppercuts late - avoids the shutout but gets sent back to her corner on borrowed legs.

R7: BIG punching Shannon Elizabeth round - champ really fighting like a champ in sucking up the hurt and fighting back hard. Lopez getting clocked and rocked repeatedly as she tries to force her way inside - Shannon doing a brilliant job of stepping back and walking the shorter woman into disasterous uppercuts. Midway through, a lashing left arcs up and across Jen's face - Latina does a little stutter step, face stretched in pain, hands at her temples - she nearly goes down but manages to prop her butt in the ropes for a lengthy beat down to the bell. Elizabeth lapping it up, just lathering away on her foe as Jennifer grits her teeth and digs in to take.

R8: Jen Lopez' turn to show some heart - SHE comes back tough, timing her jump in on Elizabeth and fighting off the Champ's chest as Shannon struggles to push off. Long grinding moments against the ropes - Lopez bodying up, sneaking in that constant ransacking left thick and tight to the lower right side - bashing away just above the hip and behind that protective elbow as Elizabeth suffers.

R9: Shutout Jen Lopez and some of the most ruinous body work Shannon Elizabeth has ever taken. Lopez pressing Shannon against the ropes - Latina with her head and shoulder on Elizabeth's chest, nudging and pushing, then sinking in that persistent hook behind the elbow. Elizabeth open mouthed in sleepy stupor - she doesn't dare clinch and risk exposing her midsection to further torment, but laying on the ropes is getting her killed. Lopez smiling, pushing up off her smoldering pile of brunette at the bell - Elizabeth is hurting.

R10: Round of the year candidate brings the crowd to it's feet - it's mindless, hardhearted brawling at it's finest. Shannon gets it going early, rocking Lopez with that looping left up from the hip - Lopez momentarily stunned, gives ground as Shannon steps forward with alternating lefts and rights to the ropes. Midway through, Jen bobbing side to side, rips a thumping counter-hook off Shannon's ribs to stall an Elizabeth right hand, then with Shannon double-clutching - Lopez turns into the clipping left hook on the chin and ELIZABETH GOES DOWN! Jennifer with her gloves in the air, struts to the neutral corner as Shannon is given a groggy 8. Elizabeth striding out to avoid being ransacked at the ropes and WILD back and forth slogging erupts with Liz trying to lean back and walk Jen into something - Lopez working in and out of her crouch trying to land the homerun and JENNIFER GOES DOWN! Lopez caught with a sweeping right between the eyes - delayed reaction as the Latina steps in fence post holes then drops to all fours - Elizabeth taking the opportunity to skid a swishing right hand across the girl's vulnerable kidneys. Lopez takes a reeling 8 and Shannon moves in to finish - exhausted hammer and tongs - both girls ruined but trying to land the last punch - crowd roaring as the fight spills past the bell. Comes back a DRAW! Shannon E retains the title!

After: Lopez in tears, hands in her hair as she tries to walk off the sting of missing a title by that much. Elizabeth wracked with gut ache, can barely lift her arms to celebrate - she is besieged by the press afterwards - all wanting to know when the rematch will be. "I don't really see the need for a rematch," winces the champ, "I don't know what fight the judges where watching, but I won 7, probably 8 rounds outright and had Jen out on her feet at the final bell. Lopez really didn't show me much - there's more deserving challengers out there and I don't want to get bogged down in artificial controversy." Jennifer speechless and livid at Shannon's comments - came one punch away from snatching the gold from Elizabeth's waist.