Reebok Bantamweight Title Bout

Posted by simguy on 3/29/2002, 9:49 am

Before: Hu staying busy, fighting that tough bantam second tier just to maintain her edge - Ross in it to win it, really thinks she can get things done against Kelly's smooth midriff. "Kelly's looking past me to big things on the horizon," says veteran Ross, "She's all set to be this big hollywood break out story and I can't wait to upset her. I really look at this as one of the best opportunities I've had to grab a belt." Kelly in black string bikini, Ross in white bikini top, shades-of-blue wave print bikini bottoms.

During R1: Hu gliding around her foe early, pointing the left shoulder at Ross, left hand low, right hand cocked at her chest, leaning in and away, feeling Charlotte out with jabs. Charlotte with hands at her temples, bobbing side to side, cuts the ring down and midway through: banging rights and lefts to the ribcage startle Hu - she launches a right uppercut counter from too far out, gets beat a hook to the chops and HU GOES DOWN! Kelly sprawled on her back all but devastated by the blow and she BARELY beats the count. Hu on a wonky bicycle the rest of the way, running out the clock in stumbling, bumbling fashion as Ross walks her down and leaves the champ shabby after 1.

R2: Kelly shows heart, sucking up the hurt and dishing out a classy beating to gnaw into Ross's lead. Jabs and right hands up the middle - Kelly stepping to her left, punching quick between Charlotte's mitts and moving before the shorter blonde can retaliate. Pepper and pivot from bell to bell, but down the stretch - Kelly feints the jab, licks the left uppercut to the chin to stun Ross and Hu lands a murderous follow-up flurry to the head of her foe to leave Charlotte quaking at the bell.

R3: Ross's turn to gut-up. She comes off her stool determined to retake the momentum, getting to Hu's chest and bashing those mocha coloured ribs with malicious abandon. Hu stupified, hunching forward helpless to move or punch and Charlotte just keeps ladling it on. Hu's butt touches ropes - Asian just covering up and trying to roll with punches, blunting as much as she can but Ross just won't be denied. Final moments - Ross has Hu screaming from hooks to the belt line - blonde palming her right hand on Kelly's overhanging forehead then reefing away to belly and HU GOES DOWN! Kelly gasping on all fours, saved by the bell as Ross is prevented from a late cheap shot by the vigilant ref.

R4: Kelly digs down, ups the ante. When Hu can move, create distance, she causes problems for Ross. Charlotte getting picked up by the jab, often wrong footed and fielding hard hooks on her eye or sudden lead right hands on her teeth as Hu starts to slash in and out this round. Ross wobbled at the midway point as Kelly chops in that sneaky right around the blonde's left wrist, neatly sidestepping Ross as Charlotte buckles forward.

R5,6: Hu outclassing Ross at last, firmly in control with her feet, letting her clever hands pick and choose with meanspirited precision. Lead right hands are splitting the blonde's mitts, bashing back her face and leaving her sleepy - belly jabs are setting up biting hooks on a swollen right eye - Ross is starting to swoon, getting touched up hard and not finding the range any more on her body attack. End of the sixth sees Kelly marauding on Ross at the ropes, slashing hooks and crosses side to side as Charlotte covers up to take.

R7: Charlotte catches a second wind, trading straight right hands to the chest and bludgeoning the champ into her corner. All Ross as she comes in hard with her head, pushing and chopping her punches into Kelly - Hu overwhelmed by the furious, often crude assault on her body. Kelly trying to bounce off the corner ropes, catching Ross with clipping counter uppercuts but midway through, Charlotte bangs a hard right hand off the forehead, ducks under a feeble Hu right, then torques out of her crouch with another blockbuster hook on the chin. Kelly straight down to her haunches in ruins - ref bodies Charlotte back as Hu desperately clambers the ring ropes for 8. All Charlotte Ross the rest of the way, plowing in on Hu to rampage to the waist and ribcage - Kelly reaching in to smother, tieing up on the head and right arm of her tormentress. At the bell, Ross is feeling it - Hu looks a shot fighter after 7.

R8: Hu guts it up again! Kelly gets her legs back in record time, gets her range and fends a furious Charlotte Ross off with a dazzling exhibition of stick and move this round. Charlotte bobbing, chasing, crossing her arms and winging that hook from way out, but she can't touch Hu's class this round.

R9: Hu's got her mojo back and starts to punish Charlotte this round. Pop pop pop combinations through the middle freeze Ross, and Hu capitalizes with the odd crashing hook on the jaw or those semi-screened lead right hands from the closed stance. Hu's accuracy devastating - Ross getting pulpy from punches, blinking and staring after taking sharp blows to her face - Hu angling around the blonde's right shoulder just keeps the leather flowing. Ross beaten senseless this round as Kelly slashes away for a shutout - Charlotte wobbly butt, dazed as she staggers back to her corner.

R10: Hammer and tongs finale as Hu doubles and triples up on her jab, cutting Ross over the left eye - Charlotte ignoring the pain, getting low and working out of her crouch with looping rights to the jaw, lefts to the ribcage. Both girls have glorious moments beating the other up against the ropes - fight ranges around the ring as Ross tries to stay toe to toe, Kelly works to fight off the blonde's right shoulder. Down the stretch, a drifting lead right lands like a soccer ball off Charlotte's face and she stops punching. All Hu to the bell as she licks her punches up and across the staggering blonde, beating Ross in a daze to the ropes. Ref tackles the vengeful champ off her defenceless opponent at the finish - comes back UD10 Kelly Hu.

After: Sensational effort from an outclassed Ross who gives Hu all she can handle and then some in a great East Coast vs West Coast tilt. Hu dropped 3 times and virtually crippled after this fight from Ross's relentless body attack - Charlotte's cutey-pie face all chopped up by the champion's chilling accuracy. One of the few fights that Hu may have won with heart as much as skill - she came back strong every time Charlotte hurt her to finally break the blonde's resolve at the end.

Thanks to Apollo for this repost.

Archer 10/19/09.