(Thanks to FightFan for this repost)

Posted by Simguy on Saturday. 25-Mar-2000 18:58:56


Before: Ryan looking very solid, especially through the lower body standing next to rangy Dunning during weigh in. Cordial atmosphere, but both girls know Ryan's on the way up, while Dunning's best days are behind her. Still, DD comes to fight and insiders have this bout pegged as a potential not-to-be-missed, last-woman-standing type war. Dunning in purple sports bra, purple mid-thigh cotton stretch shorts, white gloves, shoes, ponytail - Jeri in pale blue sports bra, navy sprinter's trunks (Olympic cut) white shoes and gloves.

During R1: Dunning traditionally a fast starter, pecks a few timing lefts then turns over a blistering right cross and JERI IS HURT! Ryan not taking a backward step, covers up, bends forward and is hammered as Dunning gets her lean body in behind every heartfelt blow. Dunning stepping right, rides her left hand on Jeri's ear, pulling the blonde into devastating right uppercuts between the mitts as the crowd goes wild. Middle minute: Dunning slowing the pace -Ryan's nose bloodied and eyes puffy, still coming forward, gloves at her eyebrow as she tries to stay close. Debbe swatting sharp double left hooks as she retreats, then gears up in the final minute. All Dunning down the stretch as Ryan finally loses form, collapsing to the ropes and covering up as Dunning chugs double left hands on the jaw, and slamming right uppercuts to the face, leaving Ryan a battered wreck at the bell.

R2: Ryan somehow making it out for the second round, touching her eyebrows with her gloves, bending forward behind the tight guard, but Dunning just steps in, looping a sidearm right hand hard around Jeri's left wrist to bust the blonde up early again! Ryan hurt, trying to maintain form, but Dunning's whip action punching is tearing her apart. Ryan floundering, head jerking violently as Dunning gets her slim hips into in lanky power shots from either side. Incredibly, Dunning punches herself out late, and Ryan emerges from her cocoon, touching Dunning with herky jerky left hooks under the elbows, and looking for right crosses at the bell. Ryan's face awash in red as her corner desperately applies every concoction known to the fighting arts to keep their girl upright.

R3: Dunning's hands begin to droop - she's mouth breathing - and Ryan walks in behind the high guard, hurling hooks. Dunning backing up, taking hooks, gets progressively more blank as Ryan lands repeatedly across the jaw and DUNNING IS HURT! Debbe reeling to the ropes, hands at her stomach, elbows out from her body as she cranes forward, looking to whip power punches, but Ryan is overwhelming. Jeri thudding the jab into Debbe's chest, comes over with the snapping Louis right hand on the bridge of the nose, leaving Debbe staring and stiff legged. Midway through the round - Dunning apparently on autopilot, begins chugging stiff lefts and rights, twisting her body back and forth, and chipping away as Ryan's face soaks up leather. And RYAN GOES LIMP! Jeri stops punching, leaning forward hurt, guard raised, as Dunning punches off the ropes, now throwing right uppercuts exclusively between the mitts to turn Jeri to the ropes. Hammer and tongs to the bell as Ryan fights on instinct, trading lefts and rights, each girl getting hurt, sucking it up, and hurting the other in turn until the ref jumps in - neither being able to hear the toll because of crowd noise.

R4: Dunning looking shot, her slender legs trembling, and Ryan walks her down, jabbing patiently to the forehead, still light on her feet. Taking advantage of Debbe's bad legs, Ryan forces her girl back - Dunning's hands come down and Ryan jumps in behind a ramrod right cross that knocks Dunning's mouthpiece out in a shower of sweat and blood. Dunning draped on the ropes, is helpless, hands in her lap as Ryan palms the shoulder with the left, turns into vicious right hands to the face, crouches low on follow through, then explodes back the other way with the driving left hook to the body. Duning getting shredded, slides along the ropes to the corner, propping herself up on numb legs as Ryan works. Vicious beat down leaves Dunning shouting in pain at the bell as Jeri batters her opponent's arms, stomach, breasts and face with crashing lefts and rights to the break. Crowd noise a definite problem as once again the ref jumps in to pull Jeri back.

R5: Jeri still stalking, Debbe now looking just as shopworn - the girls shuffling clockwise, hands low, but Jeri staying busy. Ryan stepping in with the jab, inexorably backs Duning to the ropes, puts her head on Dunning's clavicle and works the brunette between the hips with plowing lefts and rights. Duning groaning, clinching for breaks, is repeatedly forced to the ropes as Ryan is too strong - the blonde just beating brunette meat, waiting for the inevitable collapse.

R6: Mouth on shoulder slogging - Jeri bodying up, pushing Dunning back - the girls straining against each other inside, but Ryan clearly the stronger. Ryan's jerking, short body shots soon have Dunning crumpled up, and Jeri widens up, reaching around Dunning's elbow to get at Debbe's ribcage with left hooks. All Jeri for most of the round as Dunning grimaces, sits on the ropes, and soaks it up. Down the stretch, Dunning begins slapping counter shots, trying to back Ryan up and suddenly bends into a vicious short right hand, chopping it down onto Ryan's face to stun the blonde. Dunning shouldering Ryan back, comes slugging off the ropes, and has Ryan dazed by biting lefts and rights on the jaw. Jeri takes the round, but Duning gets her second wind, and pumps her fist to the crowd at the break.

R7: Jeri Ryan leaning in behind that guard, not punching, and Dunning takes over. All power punching from Debbe as she works Ryan over, reaching in to bury her fists into Jeri's firm flanks, bouncing her fists off Jeri's exposed back, top of her head. Ryan goes wobbly butt, and begins to wander, Debbe's flush punching altering Jeri's course as she staggers. By the midway point - Ryan is busted up fresh, and Duning goes back to the wide stance, HEAVING in lanky lefts and rights with slinging force to Jeri's head. Finally, after all the punishment, all night long, Jeri Ryan wobbles to all fours, battered to her knees as Dunning stares in awe at the fallen blonde. Bell sounds to save Jeri, but she needs help to get to her corner.

R8: Debbe's arms are dead at her sides - she lifts exhausted straight lefts or rights from her thighs into the oncoming blonde, but Jeri walks right through. Back on top, Ryan muscles
with little chopping blows inside. Dunning leaning into the ropes to get room for the clipping right uppercut - the girls duke it out in one another's shorts from bell to bell.

R9: Oh Debbe Dunning. Brunette meets blonde at center ring, measuring Jeri with the left, then turning into the cuffing right on the ear. Ryan knocked one step to her right, stays behind her guard. Duning reloads, cuffs right - Ryan stumbling - Dunning on her now with right hands, banging them in on that left ear and RYAN IS HURT! Ryan breaking down, now getting splattered with punches as Dunning rips the clubbing left once, twice, then slings in the right to mash Ryan's head back. Jeri out on her feet, refuses to go down, simply squaring up, eyes closing, hands at her chest, getting absolutely shelled by Dunning's non-stop torrent of haymakers. Dunning never better, teeth clenched as she twists into savage lefts and rights, hammering Jeri's head back with every tragic blow and Ryan staying right there, not going down, just getting battered from one foot to the other. By the end, Dunning is pumping her fists into Jeri's breasts, alternating uppercuts into the tender area more to protect her damaged hands than to hurt her opponent. Ryan at center ring has no idea where she is and blunders aimlessly until her corner men collect her. Shaking off the ref, Jeri insists on continuing despite the pleas of all around her.

R10: It just doesn't stop. Dunning wincing every time she throws the right hand, nevertheless loads up, gets her hips into it and creams Jeri upside the head with shattering crosses. Ryan expressionless, head lolling badly after taking the blows, continues to stumble forward. Dunning backing up in good order, swats that biting double left to the cheek, then bends her body into right hands, digging her toes into the canvas to try to knock Ryan out. Late in the round, as Jeri starts to punch, Dunning slips to her left and cracks a huge left uppercut in under Ryan's right hand - sending Jeri's mouthpiece skyward, and the blonde sinks to her knees in slow motion. Incredibly, Jeri up at 8, refuses to quit and staggers in to take even more. Dunning backing up, clouting Ryan with her best lefts and rights, finally accepts Jeri into her bosom for a clinch on the ropes as the bell tolls. Dunning holding a battered Jeri Ryan cries tears of relief as the crowd jumps to a feverish standing ovation. The girls stand in one another's arms for several seconds, having just shared something unique in the history of the FCBA. It goes as a Unanimous Decision for Debbe Dunning, but she holds Jeri's hand aloft in a show of respect for the gutty blonde.

After: Both women are rushed for overnight observation following the most sensational slugfest in, well, almost ever. Superlatives can't do justice to the courage or the power shown by both warriors - the girls sold their souls to hurt each other, leaving every scrap of ability and resolve in the ring. Ryan battered beyond recognition fought the last half of the fight virtually concussed, and sustained such an horrific beating that pundits wonder if she can ever be the same fighter again. Dunning leaves the ring with dislocated knuckles and swelling around the jaw that will take 3 weeks to subside. A true benchmark brawl against which all others will be measured for some time.

(Sim Guy note - I don't keep track of formal statistics, but I'm positive Dunning hit Ryan with more potential KO and knockdown blows than I've seen anyone take on message board fights. 17 critical results for Debbe, necessitating various survival rolls for Jeri, including several power shots that were as hard as Debbe could throw. Jeri had herself a good power punching performance as well - in fact, of the 30 minutes total in the fight, over half featured serious power shots by one or the other girl. By the fourth round, 1 had a classic game on my hands, and by the finish I knew I couldn't do it justice. What a great, great match up.)


Sim Guy