RETRO BOUT: CA. 1965

Posted by Simguy on 12/26/2000, 11:55 am

Before: Every now and again, a fight has to be understood in the context of the forces shaping the sport overall, and this 1965 contest certainly qualifies as just such a focal point. By the mid-60s, Ann-Margaret reigned supreme as the last of the studio-backed celebrity champions—but the studio system was disappearing, and with it the notion of the “fixed” or prefigured fight. Certainly Margaret was a far more legitimate titlist than most who had preceded her, but she was very often the recipient of beneficial venues, ring size, glove weight and opponent selection—considerations that would become more fluid, less predictable as the decade progressed. And centrifugal forces were pulling the celeb fight scene outside of the usual L.A. or New York locales, further diluting the power a studio, or even a champion could bring to a situation. Although Ann-Margaret is rightly seen as a quintessentially American champion, she did venture overseas to fight—the first steps in what would become the great leaps of internationalism which w3ould dominate the latter half of the decade, and indeed, the remainder the century. The fight would take place outside London at an undisclosed country manor before an invite-only crowd—the audience, and setting for this fight illustrating just how far celebrity boxing had come, and would go in the future.

The contempt Margaret showed Andrews prior to this bout is illuminating. Julie with her sporty, athletic frame was in many ways a prototype of the PPV fighters of the 80s and 90s—but she was all but dismissed by Margaret and her entourage. Ann’s focus was almost entirely L.A. and specifically Hollywood biased—the notion that a foreign song and dance woman could be a threat was inconceivable to the American. Margaret’s swagger and confidence were justified, but Andrews’ forward-looking style was precursor of things to come. Andrews fought in a simple black dance leotard, sleeveless with “Sound of Music” hair—Anne in a red tank swimsuit, long blonde hair and disdainful smirk.

During R1: Showing no respect, Ann-Margaret came forward, alternating her hands from a crossed position in front of her body to a high guard about her temples as she waded in. Julie stepped back in good order, her hands dangerously low, punches licking out from waist as her legs and good upper body movement consistently kept her out of trouble. Andrews showed exquisite judgment of distance and timing, jamming her straight left and right hands in between Margaret’s gloves and fading back out of range as Ann stomped forward. Julie using pivots and sidesteps to turn the American quickly established herself as a master of angles and tempo, shutting Ann-Margaret out through a brisk first. Unhurt, Ann shook her head as if to disqualify all that Julie had done.

R2: Another shutout for Julie Andrews, and serious problems developing for the compact American. Switching focus to Ann’s middle, Julie proved a savage body puncher—twisting her square shoulders into sinking hooks, pivoting around to the left, then driving in with straight right to the sternum as Ann turned into the blow. Andrews’ footwork was brilliant, maneuvered her in and around the usually deft-stepping champ and making Ann look awkward as time and again Margaret would be forced to cover up and taking spanking combinations against her ribs and belly. Through 2 rounds—Margaret had yet to land a serious blow while Julie had touched the American up nicely about the waist and face.

R3: Andres stepped up her pace, set down on power shots and for the first time had Ann-Margaret staggering as the Brit’s busy punching began to take effect. Systematically hammering at Ann’s pretty face—Julie was starting to break her opponent down, putting 3 and 4 straight licks I between the mitts and falling off to the side to avoid receipts. The occasional biting hook on the jaw, or straight right hand from an angle outside Annie’s left shoulder had the American stutterstepping, and Julie’s sharp blows began to sound like hatchet strokes chopping into wet wood. Margaret’s head began to snap as Julie made Ann’s face her personal playground and after 3—Andrews had taken a comfortable lead with unmistakable tactical dominance.

R4: throughout the break, a punished and reeling Ann-Margaret refocused and came to grips with the reality of her situation. Swelling up around the eyes and hurting to the ribcage, Ann came off her stool moving her head more, cutting off the ring, and for the first time made inroads against her efficient opponent. Unable to find Julie’s head, Margaret concentrated in the body, jumping in with her heavy left hook, getting her shoulder on Andrews and pushing the challenger onto her heels. Shoulder to shoulder, Julie was willing to trade, but not as able as she had been boxing—Margaret’s heavier leather was evident as she turned her shoulder into withering hooks up and down Andrews’ right side. At the end of the round, Ann nodded savagely—she had taken her first points of the fight.

Margaret/Andrews Pt II

Posted by Simguy on 12/26/2000, 11;56 am

R5: Julie went back to stick and move this round—not flying in the face of Ann-Margaret, but getting off first, stepping back and around, and mixing up straight licks to the face with digging punctuation mark hooks in under the ribs. Margaret had found the range to the body, but was forced to eat banging combinations on the way in, and the trade favoured Andrews. A closer round resulted with Annie scoring single shots, Andrews punching in clusters and pounding Margaret’s left eye into a sorry state after 5.

R6: Andrews continued her patient baiting for Margaret, drawing the American forward, drilling sharp combinations, stepping to either side with that maddening low guard. This was pretty stuff from Andrews, her weight on her front foot as she let her hands reach greedily into Annie’s face, then bounding out of range with her hands at her waist, feet light and precise as she set up from a new angle. Margaret wearing down, did little to protect her battered features—often a banging lead right, backhand right knuckle-rub, straight left hand would rock Annie’s sleepy face back without response against from the bewildered American, Margaret’s body shots were still popping loudly against Julie’s stout ribcage, but too infrequently to turn the tide. Again, a chastised and battered Ann-Margaret slumped on her stool at the break as increasingly worried seconds tended her lumps.

R7: Ann showed her championship pedigree this round, finding a second wind, cutting off the ring and punching Julie to the ropes with curling rights and lefts rising up into the Briton’s midsection. This was action to Annie’s liking: the opponent covered up and trapped against the ropes, Margaret’s feet wide, weight forward—she shoved and slugged Andrews effectively this round, finally imposing her strength advantage by repeated use of the shoulder to jostle Andrews onto her heels, For the first time in the fight, Julie Andrews looked pained=--she had borne the full brunt of Margaret’s vaunted body attack this round, and wasn’t the better for it.

R8: A dominant Ann-Margaret bodied up and walked a flagging Julie Andrews to the ropes this round as the fight took an astonishing turn in the Americans favour. This was the Ann-Margaret of legend—hounding her prey along the ropes, nestling her head against Julie’s chin and cudgeling her taut midriff with two-fisted ferocity. Andrews grimacing, clinching around Ann’s broad shoulders and upperback seemed helpless, her frame jerking, legs quivering as Margaret bulled in and mauled at will. Margaret came off the body with the odd Marciano uppercut or clubbing hook on the chin, sending tremors through Julie’s legs as the challenger struggled to take these fearful shots. Annie’s first shutout left Julie drained and quivering at the bell—Margaret peeled herself off the steaming blonde with a familiar look of confidence. Annie had reined Julie in.

R9: Margaret continued her brutal comeback. Julie’s eyes began to drift as once again she was virtually tackled and bulled into the ropes, covering up and folding forward with her butt on the ropes as Margaret went to work. Annie fought with happy fury, thin lips grinning as she dug spiteful rights and lefts in behind Julie’s elbows, feeling the shockwaves through Andrews sturdy little body as the Brit began to groan upon impact. Ann bending down, would get underneath and drape Julie back against the ropes with a muscular heave, then sail back inside with plunging lefts and rights—face on Julie’s sweaty chest—Ann seemingly mindless as she rampaged against Andrews’ midriff. Andrews wobbly butt and staggering at the bell seemed spent—a rejuvenated Ann-Margaret stepped back to admire her work, blew a lock of hair out of her eyes and smiled cruelly at the pain etched so clearly on Julie’s aristocratic face.

R10: Ann-Margaret stormed out to claim her just desserts, and Julie Andrews responded with the best round of boxing of her career. Andrews re-established her jab, and coaxed life back into her trembling legs as Margaret began to shred herself against the sharp punching Brit with head-on attacks. Midway through the first minute, a banging one-two bounced off Margaret’s face, stopping her in her tracks, and a follow up left hook cracked sharply against the chin to buckle Annie’s legs. The light dimmed in Margaret’s eyes—she was badly hurt and almost defenceless with over 2 minutes left in the round. Julie Andrews set about the grim task of reducing the champion to rubble, stepping to her left, bouncing the lead right, hard left hand off the ruined face and keeping up a dreadful pace as Ann turned groggily into ruinous punishment. A series of drilling right hands thrown from the waist pounded back Margaret’s head and drove her back against the ropes. Now Andrews squared up, letting her clever hands ply against Annie’s exposed chest and drooping head, reaching down on occasion into the champion’s right side to draw tired groans from the blonde as Margaret folded forward. From bell to bell, Andrews kept it up, beating Ann-Margaret senseless with uncontested lefts and rights at point blank range—the proud American champ refusing to go down despite being battered unrecognizable. At the bell, Margaret slumped to a seat on the ropes as Julie leaped away in triumph, oblivious to the ramifications her victory would ultimately have.

After: The power of studio backing allowed Ann to retain her title despite the blistering defeat she had suffered. Margaret limped back to the States to recuperate, blaming jet lag for her poor performance and vowing never to fight on another woman’s terms again. News of the defeat was effectively suppressed, and Julie Andrews’ triumph is rarely ever mentioned as seminal turning point in Celebrity Boxing. But ringside for this fight was a woman who upon seeing the champion so effectively dismantled by a boxer, would utter the now famous command: “Get me Ann-Margaret” to her manager, and thus inaugurate the modern era of International Celebrity fighting to which we are now accustomed. That woman was Raquel Welch, the first truly global celebrity champion, who in no small part owes her subsequent fame to the unheralded, and largely under-appreciated technique of Julie Andrews.

Reposted by Archer 8/24/09.