Posted by Simguy on 7/9/2004, 9:44 pm

Before: “We think Mandy’s got tremendous potential,” says Janet Jones just six weeks before serving Miss Moore up on a silver platter to Jewel Kilcher, “but the one thing she needs is seasoning. We project a Natalie Portman type arc for her—unfortunately, some hard lessons early, but as she toughens up, greater and greater proficiency until she becomes a threat to classy fighters, Kilcher was one of the beatings Mandy’s just got to weather, but Holmes is a winnable fight and we’d like to see what Moore can do with someone on her level.” Mandy and Katie have mixed it up before—both have a tendency to be a little girly at times, but as Janet says “that’ll disappear with rounds under the belt.” Tall, strapping young lasses and a good measuring stick bout for both prospects. Mandy (now blonde) in pink bikini top, pink nylon jogging shorts, white shoes and socks—Katie in grey stretch cotton sports bra, blue nylon jogging shorts, white shoes and socks. Moore actually looking to give Holmes a quick good-luck hug during instructions, held back with a disapproving frown by Janet Jones, who wants Katie subjugated, not just

Beaten.

During R1: Very textbook, orthodox styles—girls still robotic in their stances, dukes up rigid. Clockwise rotation—both have a tendency to push the jab, but Holmes a little snappier, able to punch her way past the guard on occasion. Moore’s jab not as educated, but she’s freer with the right hand—looping it wide, but getting Holmes to back up—Mandy able to slug her way forward at times. Good swinging sequence in the dying moments—Holmes upright, covered up at the ropes—Moore with a sudden slapping squall of lefts and rights tans brunette flanks with pleasing spank at the bell.

R2: Similar stuff—prodding, pushy jabwork early, slowly graduating into Mandy looking to stop in and loop the right—Katie backing straight up and inadvertently making herself available to the wide swings. Moore batting and slapping, not really hurting Holmes, but keeping her under wraps—it’s Mandy coming forward, confidence growing. Katie at the ropes—Moore palms up on her, trying to jostle and get big on Holmes, then Mandy goes to the body with long, galloping lefts and rights—inefficient as hell, but it’s fun to watch those licking strokes pelt and bounce off Holmes’ long torso. Katie clinching, red-faced—Janet clapping and encouraging, happy with Mandy’s gangly effort to the body.

R3: Katie pushing off on that big right toe, starting to spear the jab—she’s forcing the punch through Mandy’s guard, then stepping around—poke-and-go has blonde turning, glaring, but not punching. Mandy pushing her own jab, pushing the right cross, looping the left and wrapping it around Katie’s head—Moore’s gutsy wildness enough to overwhelm Holmes and keep the action even. Katie a head ingénue though—she’s deliberately straightening her punches, no longer pulling back where she can get tagged—leaning in instead to let Moore’s punches wrap harmlessly around. Down the stretch—Katie pounding jabs up the middle, shifts her hips, leans into a long, but heavy right hand onto the point of Mandy’s chin and MOORE GOES DOWN! Mandy dumped to her rump at the ropes—blinking and shaking her head. Holmes showing some sock when she gets all the parts working together—perky bounce in brunette step as she hops to the neutral corner.

R4: Katie stepping and reaming Mandy the jab—Moore catching off her face, but she’s got a battler’s heart—she/s hanging in there, swinging away and at the second minute mark, she gets substantial clout on a wide right hand to the jaw Holmes belted a quarter turn to her right—Mandy hopping forward, pushing a left into the shoulder and swinging a crazy right hand roundhouse to the back—drawing a cry from Katie and arching her chassis in pain. Mandy stays on, rub-scrubbing away the left around Katie’s head, but pull the brunette off balance nonetheless, then hold her there for the clouting right on the eye, then maybe a sweeping left uppercut as Katie tries to regroup. Sweeping barrage has Holmes buffeted from one foot to the other, disoriented and HOLMES GOES DOWN! Katie just walloped and clocked, beaten to all fours—Mandy yelping in satisfaction as she jogs to neutral corner, Final minute, Moore cleans up on Katie with those long, galloping strokes to the midsection and ribs—Holmes gritting her teeth and riding it out—might be inefficient licking action, but those punches are taking some of the starch out of Holmes.

R5: Katie re-establishes the jab, pounding it to Mandy’s face, startling her—Holmes able to lope around the ring after scoring, get her legs going. Moore flustered hands up to block but getting potshotted—Katie getting a little mustard on lanky one-twos up top, then hanging around to lick a lashing hook across Moore’s tanned midsection. Basic boxing, a little robotic, but Holmes has Mandy completely bedazzled—brunette circling, getting off with long arms, twisting her hips into punches, turning the odd one over to get good leverage—hardworking shutout sends Mandy back to her corner sniveling in confusion.

R6: Jones pep-talk brings Mandy around—but kid still doesn’t have an answer for Holmes’ jab. Katie preying on Mandy’s face, poking her at will—Mandy spirit and competitive drive the equalizer as she keeps coming forward, swinging leather. Down the stretch, both girls open up with sweeping lefts and rights and KATIE GOES DOWB—beaten to right hand clap on the jaw! Holmes corkscrewing to canvas she her right hands sails—she sprawls prettily on her back, seriously hurt as Mandy grins down. Holmes gutty—she beats the count, but long legs look all rubbery and weak—Moore all happy/shiny again, chirping in her corner, anxious to finish Katie in the next round.

R7: Katie the better boxer at this point, but not good enough to manage a determined, wild fighter with the height to reach her—Holmes has no choice but to join in the slugging. Lopping, swinging, desperate stuff—girls wildly off balance at times, falling into each other’s arms, struggling to push off and get room, taking turns hanging onto one another’s necks while the opponent flails away to tummy. Midway through, with Mandy sweeping punches and coming forward—Holmes dips and carries a long right hand square to the belly, shifts her hips and clips chin a tasty hook—Moore’s left sails over top and MOORE’S HURT! Mandy corkscrewing slightly, then righting herself, then staggering away to the ropes—Holmes on her with a running right hand unintentionally to the back of the head. Mandy covering up face-in-gloves—Katie just standing up in the stirrups and going after her blonde—hoisting lefts and rights up underneath to scour the ribcage, punching like she’s swinging pails of eater in either hand, eventually forcing a path up through the mitts to pick up Mandy’s mouth. Moore taking a lanky shellacking, suffering in her corner as Katie bares her teeth and pulls the punches in with a shrugging, thick delivery at the bell.

R8: Mandy clocks Katie a looping overhand right, moves in to body up and blonde walks brunette to the ropes in a deliberate show of muscle. Moore laying in with Katie, pushing and palming up to stabilize the brunette then systematically going at her with licking strokes—these are good Mandy Moore minutes. Katie wincing, breathing hard—she’s not liking those long, cranking body shots, clinching after Mandy gallops to the torso, tieing up the blonde’s arms, Neither girl knows how to disengage or discourage a clinch—stop and go action as Mandy keeps the pressure on, more or less dominates her girl at the ropes.

R9: Katie outing one-twos together with lateral movement—she’s got Mandy turning and following again—blonde with no clue how to cut off the ring. Holmes able to stick and move this round—Moore slowing down, unable to sustain the ferocity that has dragged Holmes into brawling midrounds—Katie looking good in the ninth as she keeps her distance.

R10: Mandy catches a second wind—Holmes trying to steer and manage he foe, but once again, just can’t keep Moore off her. Mandy getting Katie ropeside with punches, pushes, wraps and grappling—it’s ugly, but Moore’s getting her way in there. Mandy working hard, pushing in on Katie, trying to extend arms for room, then licking and lashing at Holmes’ sleek torso—Moore able to fit galloping lefts and rights into the ribs and tummy before breathless Holmes’ clinching up around the neck. Sloppy, stop and go action, but Moore’s fighting her fight at the bell—Holmes just trying to minimize damage as thus thing goes to the cards. Comes back a satisfying UD10…Mandy Moore.

After: Holmes disheartened, tossing her gloves down and shaking her head the verdict—knockdowns the difference as Mandy sends Katie to the canvas twice for one trip in return. Jones pleased with the effort—“We didn’t care how Mandy looked in this fight—we just wanted her to work hard, show heart and keep bringing it to Holmes and that’s what we got. Hey, you know what? This kid can sling it to the body—she had Katie hurting downstairs and hanging on—that was a real thrill to see. I think this class of ingénues—girls like Holmes and Barton—Mandy’s the best pure fighter of the bunch. The rest, she can learn.”

Reposted by Archer 8/13/09.