Originally posted by Simguy on 12/5/2003, 7:22 am.

Ash in black pushup, black velvet boy cut trunks

Court in pale blue sports bra, white high waist sprinter’s trunks.

10 Rd Draw.

When this bout was announced, pundits wrote it off as a quick early rounds feast for \Scott and assumed Courtney was moving up in weight for a beating and a paycheque. Scott was bigger, faster, younger, taller, but Smith’s confidence was palpable coming

Into the bout. “I see some things I can get on Ashley,” Courtney kept telling anyone who’d listen, but nobody took it seriously. That’s why go ahead and fight the fights, because the big dog on paper doesn’t always bite.

Scott was surprisingly tentative, hanging back early, using her jab, making the shorter Smith press the fight. Ashley posted two breezy shutouts to open the bout, but did nothing to hurt or discourage Courtney. Satisfied that she could take risks and get away with it, Smith started to gamble. Diving lead rights, hesitation hooks, defensive gaffs from Scott as she stepped straight back—it all added up to minutes and rounds for the underdog blonde, With Courtney the aggressor, exploiting the long armed delivery of her foe with quick, chopping combinations, Smith drew even on the cards after 6, in a fight had yet to see hard, meanspirited punching by either woman. It was in short—exactly the kind of fight Courtney needed.

With the fight hanging in the balance—Scott continued to play it safe, keeping her distance, occasionally tossing in lanky one-twos, but Smith’s tight defense, good upperbody movement  kept her safe and left her in position to counter with quick-mitt combinations. After a night of poor decision making—Scott made a whopper in the q0th, deciding she’d done enough , hanging back and letting Smith air it out. By the final minute of the last round, Smith started landing the hardest punching of the night, pounding right hands off Scott’s head, driving her along the ropes and shaking her legs. With the crowd screaming, Courtney cleaned up on Ashley at the bell and it was an upbeat, bellowing blonde who celebrated in the ring while Scott caught an earful from a frustrated trainer.

It’s a draw in the record books, but let’s face it: Courtney Thorne-Smith moved up a full weight class, took it to a frequent Top 10 Lightweight and finished with a near-knockout to clearly separate herself in the hearts and minds of fans everywhere.

Reposted by Archer 5/9/09