Posted by Simguy on 4/16/2004, 7:11 am.

Before: Big style contrast--Portman the calculating, linear boxer--Marcil with boxing skills, but a brawler's heart--Vanessa not about to play chess with Natalie. "I'll hurt her quickly," says Marcil, "I don't want Natalie coming out for the fifth round." Portman yawning on the dais to show her contempt for Marcil's mouth. "Vanessa's a poor man's Shannen Doherty who doesn't pack NEAR the wallop she thinks she does. She's free to bring it--I'm looking forward to the gaping holes and fresh angles that'll result. the more she looks for the KO, the more surgery I'm going to get done on her." Portman in white sports bra, high waist aerobics bottoms, white shoes and gloves, long battle braid--Vanessa in chocolate brown bikini, loop connections between jig, at the hip.

During R1: Vanessa aggressive early,  looping and winging punches--she's almost totally neutralized by Natalie's judgement, movement and timing. Portman circling, using the ring, touching Vanessa with busy jab, never letting Marcil set her feet to slug. Portman doing a nice job measuring distance--she's either all the way out, or ducking well inside Vanessa's reckless swings, letting the punches wrap around her shoulder, Nat just getting her bearings--content to make Marcil miss, frustrating the older girl, getting her temperature up and her colour high.

R2: More of the same from Natalie--legs on show as she circles, dictates pace and position to Marcil. Portman ducking inside Marcil's wide strokes, but now Natalie's countering--nice rising little digs up into the breadbasket--bingo uppercuts off the chin. Portman with tight, high guard, able to dip close, block punches up around her ears and respond with the other hand--Marcil's chin taking a licking and midway through, Vanessa's put wobbly butt with a woebegone expression. Give Marcil credit--Portman tries to tidy up a hurting Van--Marcil tightening up the strokes, exchanging jagged, short uppercuts at close quarters and backing Nat off at the bell.

R3: End of the second saw marcil find her game--she comes out blazing, forcing Natalie into purely defensive postures, Portman blocking well, bending forward at the waist, legging to the side, but Marcil doing a better job of cutting off the ring, hounding Natalie ropeside and putting clubbing lefts and rights together. Midway through, sweeping right clouts across Portman's face as she is leaning back into the strands, hands crossed chest and stomach--Portman shook up, staggering to her left along the strands as Marcil piles on. Bruising fare--Vanessa palming her girl rough, digging at the Portman midsection free-swinging right hands, clubbing and walloping up around the ears as Natalie makes weary bob-and-weave at the bell. Nat relaxing at the break--Marcil rushes in from Portman's left side, plunging her elbow into the pit of Natalie's belly--ref turning around split second too late to catch flyweight hijinx.

R4: Marcil making it happen--she's the clear aggressor, swinging lusty, scooting with her feet to cut off the ring, forcing Portman to the ropes. Natalie concerned, but calm, dukes up, bobbing at the waist, leaning back and turning her shoulders--she's taking a lot of the sting out of Vanessa's non-stop churn, but not doing much offensively to discourage it, Uneven action as marcil approaches, swings hard, either hitting something or falling into Natalie and smothering her own attack.. Vanessa upbeat, smiling at the bell--she's gertting off, she's forcing the fight, she's roughing Natalie up legally AND cheap.

R5: Natalie sticking to her knitting: jabbing, using her legs, trying to deny Marcil set piece slugging opportunities. Vanessa missing the majority of her ounches, but she's still making the fight, happy to skid blows across Natalie's turned shoulders or shiny hips, pounding away on the guard as Portman patiently blocks. Nat doing a nice job keeping her back free of the ropes, legging to her left, scouring away with harmless, but pesky extended lefts and rights in brisk shoeshines to get around Marcil. Round called even--fiht even through 5 as neither girl able to establish permanent dominance.

R6,7: Fight continues to be negotiated between Marcil's winging, crowd pleasing fury--Portman's cool ring generalship, cagey distance management and defence. Hard to score--Natalie very nifty the way she ducks close, blocking punches with gloves at her temples, then countering precisely to breadbaskey, ribs and chin--but it's spotty work. marciul the more consistent worker, but she's spraying leather all over the place--not able to locate Natalie with clean punching. van making up for her deficiencies with roughhouse--head butting and elbowing Natalie in the mouth during clinches, heeling Natalie's back with Portman dips down--ref getting on Vanessa a little as her frustration mounts.

R8: Natalie visibly stepping up the pace--still making Marcil miss or blocking, but now pulling the trigger to answer almost every Vanessa moment. Portman will in, block a Marcil right with left glove at the temple, twist and answer with a jolting right uppercut on the chin. Portman polishing Marcil up with the jab all night--Vanessa lumping up around the eyes, starting to back up a bit as Natalie switches effortlessly from counterpunching to lead. Midway through--tidy clawing hooks and right hands along the ribs just below the jugline have Vanessa groaning, double-clutching--Portman sidestepping, eyes intent as she opens a fresh angle and drops in the right cross. Shutout Portman, Vanessa looking discouraged and shopworn for the first time--Marcil hurt and outclassed this round.

R9: Natalie presses the pace, feeling Marcil wilt, seeing some quit in Vanessa's expressive, dark eyes. Vanessa being moved back by Natalie's heartless jab--Portman able to step behind it and groove clear right hands across Vanessa's mouth. Portman still covering up and countering off the block--deeply discouraging as Marcil tries to brawl back in spots, only to be rung up on her tummy and chin as Portman digs and digs, Marcil wobbly butt once again, hanging on down the stretch--Natalie stepping back in good order, just a-lashing those straining ribs as Vanessa stumbles forward to clinch.

R10: Marcil staggering from a slashing wide hook on her chin/sudden straight right on her teeth--and it's only the opening moments of the 10th. Portman on the hunt--pounding away on Marcil's pleading left eye, jabs--pouring in slicing rights to the face, hanging atround on that front foot to mop up body shot hooks or jagged left uppies to the chin. Vanessa stumbling, exhausted, ramshackle--she doesn't want anymore, but her legs are shot and there's no more pop in her pounches, Portman sees the hurt, goes after the body with pumping, rising two-fisted action, teariung up the older womans body as Marcil shouts in pain. Down the stretch, poor Vanessa slumped up against the ropes, hands up limp--Portman squared away and POUNDING straight lefts and rights in criss-cross patterns through the guard--it's flyweight face-punching at it's most furious. Van's legs give--she sits helpless in the ropes, now totally at the mercy of Natalie Portman--ref jumps in to interupt the torrent of Portman punches through the middle. TKO10 in the dying moments--Natalie Portman.

After: Natalie grinning, being pampered and back-slapped by well-wishers--a fine example of disciplined wearing down martial ardour as Vanessa tires, gets brokenm down, then basically quits under a non-stop torrent of Portman punching. Vanessa busted up and heartbroken--she honestly expected to punch right through Natalie tonight. Return to form for Natalie--when she's right and focused--she's a very complete small woman.

Reposted by Archer 2/13/12.