Posted by Simguy on 7/13/2001, 7:01 pm.

Before: Tea lays it all on the line: “I’ve got nothing to lose. I feel like I’m the faster, hungrier girl, and the wars are starting to catch up to Charlize. Watch tape of her--you’ll see the reflexes aren’t what they once were, she’s definitely lost a step in my opinion. Who’s taken more hard punches ovfer the last 5 years than Charlize Theron? I feel like I have her beat at the weigh in.” Theron barely responding to the rants in pre-fight--she’s heard this kind of bravado before. Charlize in white striing bikini, Tea in short blonde tousle, white sports bra, teal bikini bottoms.

During R1: Tea quick as advertised early, shows Charlize some sweet defensive moves--Charlize fanning on punches and made to look uncharacteristically awkward in the first two minutes. Gangly Leoni bending supple side to side, posing, poking in unexpected punches, pivoting to the side as she puts a hand at Charlize’s shoulder to guide her passed--pretty stuff. Arm punching from tea as she flits around the stalking Theron, but she’s touching the tummy, brushing the face--enough to keep Charlize guessing. Down the stretch, Tea taunting, hands down, mugging her chin at Charlize and taking it away as she bends and slips, but Theron jeeps up the pursuit. With Leoni bending into the ropes, Charlize slaps a wide left, then rams the straight right hand onto Tea’s chin and Leoni’s legs go haywire as she sputters into the strands. Theron punching her jab against Tea’s chest to prop the girl up, then gutting her with a sickening right uppercut to the pit of the stomach at the bell--Charlize straightening, taking a long cool look as Leoni sags hurt--Tea’s round stolen by late Theron power.

R2: Tea gets her swagger back, comes out recovered and she baits Charlize with slapping lefts against the blonde’s tanned belly, sliding back as Theron comes on, and Leoni times a sweet right cross over Theron’s jab to blast Charlize’s face to other side. Theron staggered, walking into the punch, and she covers up boozy as Leoni gets her turn. Tea whip-arming the left against Charlize’s waist, stepping right as she swats away, then diving in at the chin with an overhand right, ringing Charlize up proper, Theron stumbling, gloves at her chin--she’s covering up and standing too tall, letting Tea get off and making Leoni a more effective puncher than she should be. Big payback round for Tea as she steers Charlize, walks her into damage and keeps slinging leather on target from bell to bell.

R3: Tea opens up a gap--jabbing at Teron’s face--Charlize walking in,l gloves at her temples and getting stuck with one-twos in between the mitts. Great stuff from Leoni--she’s busy, she’s accurate, and she’s moving--Theron not answering back. Midway through--Tea pops a stiff one-two up the middle, dips her shoulder, then clips the harsh left uppercut into the chin, buckling Theron’s legs at the knee. Leoni pushing Charlize and sidestepping, keeps up the steady pecking assault from outside, bloodying Theron’s nose and sending her back to her corner woozy with back to back shutouts.

R4: Charlize stiffens her resolve--punches back this round as the girls circle, jab straight and hard at one another’s faces to set up firm right crosses. Both girls getting their heads turned in the brisk two-way action from long distance. Down the stretching, Leoni’s composure breaks as she gets caught another hard right cross on the chin and this time her legs give way. Tea forced to hang on, clinching for dear life in the dying moments as Charlize bulls her way into the ropes to steal a close round.

R5: Charlize wins the fencing match this round--girls rotating clockwise, sticking at each other from well outside, just trying to edge in close enough to drop the right hand and Theron’s doing the better job. No funky-leg action from either girl this round--just solid mechanics as Charlize outclasses Tea.

R6: Tea returns the favour. Leoni boxing exquisitely, holding her own in the chess match--Theron strangely reluctant to take chances or up the tempo and it’s working to Tea’s advantage. Close round until Tea punches Charlize’s face to the side hard 3 consecutive times at the bell--Theron unfazed, but the blows are such pretty connects it’s tough for the judges to dismiss them.

R7: Tea slowly imposing her will on the action--it’s close, competitive fare--girls circling, not wasting punches--but Charlize is reacting more, missing more, and getting caught with the cleaner punches as Tea’s one-twos flow straight and sure into Theron’s beautiful face. Puffiness under Charlize’s left eye as she starts to lump up through 7.

R8: Another close, sweetly boxed round and Tea undeniably carves out the points with terrific judgment, timing and execution. Theron getting out jabbed--not consistently, but at key points--it’s Tea finishing up exchanges with the gaudy left uppercut or clean right cross on the teeth, Charlize following too much, getting lulled by the lack of power on Tea’s punches--Theron shakes her head at the bell as she knows she’s not performing up to her own high standards.

R9: Charlize walks through the jab this round, turning puncher in an effort to get Tea out of her comfort zone, Leoni sliding back, trying to time Theron coming in, but Charlize doubles up the jab, forces Tea to the ropes and successfully turns this thing into a street fight. Charlize working out of the wrap, holding her girl around the shoulders with either arm while batting away with the free mitt--Tea forced to stand and slug--shows a little Sharon stone look late as she gallops alternating uppercuts into Theron’s torso at the bell.

R10: Charlize steps it up as Tea falls off the pace. Charlize stepping forward, walking Leoni down with licking lefts and rights that curl up against the girl’s sides and head--Tea breaking down and stumbling into the corners as Charlize gets big. Good agility from lanky Leoni to escape from the corners and ropes--she never lets Charlize beat her down in a sustained fashion--but Charlize is the clear aggressor--Leoni running brazenly rather than suffer dire punishment in the championship rounds. Comes back a draw as Charlize stares at the floor and purses her lips.

After: Leoni celebrating and grinning like she’s just sacked Troy--going the distance and preventing Theron from adding another checkmark to the win column constitutes victory for the wiry blonde. Charlize fighting down to level of her opposition, apologetic in post fight, “I’m disappointed. It was hard to get up for a Tea after the big fights I’ve been in lately--I blame myself for not running her out of the ring. I should have brawled her early and gotten her out of there.” Tea not buying the bad-night-for-Charlize version. “You all saw it! That was me putting the boots to Charlize all night long, outhustling her, outboxing her. The judges saved Theron’s butt--but we both know what happened.”

Reposted by Archer 7/19/12