Posted by simguy on 11/24/2001, 9:01 am

Before: Britney under new management - trick as always is to harness the youngster's prodigious talent and give her some direction. Yasmine a good benchmark fight for Spears - Bleeth a solid Emmanuel Burton type in the celebrity ranks, always in contention - she's the kind of girl Britney's going to have to master in the ring. Bleeth's confidence in prefight rattling Spears somewhat - Yasmine talking about putting Britney's butt in a corner and beating her bell to bell, round by round. Yasmine in electric lime bikini, hair up, Britney in electric pink bikini.

During R1: Mirror image boxing stances early - hands up (uncharacteristically responsible for Spears) - nice gliding footwork, both girls dragging that lead foot as they fade or pivot, staying in position to punch. Good snapping jabs - Bleeth trying to hook off it, Britney trying to find the right cross. Down the stretch, Britney gets her head on Yasmine's chest, bangs the body very effectively out of a crossed arm look. Good 2 way action round to Spears.

R2: Boxing look early, this time more or less dominated by Yasmine. Bleeth has the timing down - she gets off first with jabs or lead rights off that front foot, then easily slidesteps back to make Britney come forward and miss. Bleeth dipping inside the Spears jab and bouncing a hard hook off the singer's flat tummy. Down the stretch, girls get cheek to cheek again, and Britney muscles Yasmine back again. Good hard punching from Spears - head down, arms in, just bashing away at the brunette's ribcage as Yasmine grunts in recognitions. Round to Bleeth.

R3: Boxing to open. Britney on springy legs, darting back and forth with Yasmine - nothing's coming cheap for either girl. By the final minute, girls are bodied up midring - Britney getting her head under Yasmine's chin, crossing her arms and chopping short punches to brunette breadbasket. Yasmine with a left across her body, right at her cheek, trying to nudge Spears back with that left shoulder and bite short counter punches without much success. Hard working Spears round - she beats Yasmine inside and out.

R4: Another good, competitive round - boxing early, gravitating to a grinding, body on body final minute for the points. Spears holds her own outside - both girls throwing tic-tac-toe combinations, but both very good defensively, not a lot to be had outside. Inside, Britney's too strong - she's forcing Yasmine back, scoring heavily to the lower midriff and shaking off Bleeth's catspaw hooks and chopping right hands in retreat.

R5: Yasmine opens with some delicious counter punching, stepping inside the jab to hook Britney's solar plexus, slipping under the blonde's right hand and coming back with a clanging hook on the chin. Bleeth making Britney miss, making her pay and by the midway point a frustrated teen starts to lose form. Bleeth with the left across her belly, right at her cheek, lures Britney to the ropes and surprises the kid with a sharp left hook under the elbow as Britney loads up to punch - Spears gasping, falling in, is hurt for the first time in the fight. Bleeth in control, fighting smoothly off the ropes - she picks Britney up with clean little right uppercuts and left hooks as the blonde lolls forward onto brunette chest. Spears badly punished bell to bell this round, looks woozy and concerned as she stumbles back to her corner.

R6: Back to back shutouts Bleeth. Outside, she's finessing Spears beautifully, victimizing the blonde everytime Britney opens up to punch, then pivoting to either side, forcing adjustments on the kid. Inside, Bleeth with the closed stance, often leaning into the ropes and picking her shots, cuts Britney to ribbons with chopping blows in close - Britney getting spanked on her face, breasts and tanned little belly. At the bell, Yasmine chests up on her foe and forces eye contact - Britney wan, obviously hurting, tries to look away.

R7: Yasmine tries to roll Britney up this round - but the kid catches a second wind and won't cooperate. Young legs eat up the canvas, start to dictate the action as Bleeth finds herself out of position more and more often. Britney also confounding Yasmine's clever counterpunching by being busier, missing the first 2 or 3, but cashing in the 4th or 5th punch as Bleeth bobs, weaves, turns her shoulders, but can't get off. By the final minute, Spears is leaning in with Bleeth, digging a very satisfying left hand repeatedly to the brunette's midsection - Yasmine with her first grimace of discomfort at the bell as blonde yanks back a round.

R8: Britney's exuberance gets the better of her - she rushes in wild, hands dropping as she sweeps wide punches - Bleeth able to step back and walk the blonde into selective hooks and crosses to body and chin. Wild collision of punches at the midway point - Bleeth beating Britney to a series of lefts and rights and Spear's back leg gives way, almost touching down as she goes wobbly butt. Yasmine light on her toes, bouncing to her right, bats a playful right up under the ribs, and a clouting left across the mouth to keep the blonde turning at the bell.

R9: Britney shaking it off - glossy and shopworn from Yasmine's clean punching, but still alert, still able execute when she stays disciplined. Ignoring Yasmine's hard to hit head, Brit concentrates on the older girl's waistline with ripping lefts and rights. Down the stretch, Britney has Yasmine up against the ropes, blonde riding her right forearm on brunette's left shoulder, anchoring Yasmine for a series of clubbing left uppercuts. Bludgeoning assault leaves Bleeth in stupor - she's stooped slightly forward, taking punches on her mouth at the bell.

R10: Britney still looks fresh as Yasmine finally shows signs of fatigue. Early running and don't-hurt-me jabbing from Bleeth gives way to determined Britney grinding - Spears putting punches together, rolling her shoulders inside to club away at the tight tummy and plump tits of her foe. Final minute more of that Mickey Ward stuff from Britney - riding her right hand on Yasmine, slumping the brunette forward or shoving her into the ropes - pumping away with left uppercuts over and over to mouth and jug at the bell. Yasmine looking ransacked when it's over - Britney tired, but pumped. Comes back UD10 Britney Spears.

After: Solid win over solid comp for Britney. Spears showing increased maturity, fighting the right fight at the right times for the most part, showing heart and finding the composure to win a fight that was tied after 8. Bleeth crestfallen and stunned to have lost - she clearly had herself convinced that Britney was a plum to be picked tonight and it didn't happen.

Thanks to Apollo for this repost.

Archer 10/21/09