Posted by Simnguy on 8/2/2002, 6:49 am.

Before: A lot of pressure on both girls—Britney being publicly singled out for bullying tactics from HISC and Eliza, whole Dushku as the recognized anti-Spears can’t afford to give an inch. Plenty of podium showdowns as Dushku gets into Britney’s face at every opportunity, Spears telling anyone who’ll listen that she’s not intimidated. “Funny thing,” says Claire Danes in a recent BLONDE! Magazine interview, “both these girls are scared. Spears can’t sleep nights knowing she’s going to have to go rounds with Eliza, and Dushku’s constantly worried that she’ll be exposed as a grossly overrated fighter. Britney needs to beat Eliza more than any other opponent, while Dushku has to dominate Spears every single time out—it’s tough.” Sweet smile from Dushku during ring instructions as she forces eye contact—body language taunt almost unbearable to a Spears practically quivering to get at her foe. Red leather bikini, black shoes and gloves for Eliza, yellow bikini top, green bottoms, yellows shoes and gloves for Britney.

During R1: Spears’ hands up, palms out, just patting Eliza’s guard and shoulders as she hops to the right—Dushku patiently walking through it—Britney drops a sudden right hands to the temple, puts the left hook hard on the left eye and DUSHKU’s HURT! Eliza a little complacent at the open and Britney piles on! Fighting off Dushku’s left shoulder, Britney crams home a series of tough hooks to the belly, driving brunette ropeside, then blonde squares away to work. Savage body shots have Eliza drooping forward, then she’s stacked up hard by pancaking lefts and rights to jugs. Dushku wide-eyed, unbalanced, tries to slug her way off the strands and she gets LABELLED a short left hook on the mouth—Spears doubling it up, tripling it as Dushku goes limos, sage into the ropes for support, Crowd squealing as Spears heaps on for the finish, putting punches together, batting Dushku’s head around as the brunette fields vicious—just heart and strong legs propping the ex-champ up at this point. Spears ROMPING to the bell, weight forward, arms pumping and driving into her crumbling foe—Dushku stupid with punishment, helpless as Britney is hauled off the smoldering pile of brunette. Dushku reeling in her corner, assuring her people, “I’m okay…I’m all right…” 10-8 round Spears without a knockdown.

R2: Grit and determination of Eliza Dushku. Badly rocked in the first, she gets it together, boxes for time this round as Speasr comes forward. Britney over-using the hook—Dushku knows that’s what got her into trouble—she’s keeping the right hand up, rotating to her left, keeping a stiff jab on Britney throughout. Dushku fighting well in retreat, luring Brit to the ropes, countering her with a biting hook, then spinning off to open up the canvas—blonde not cutting off the ring lets the points slip away this round.

R3: Dushku’s got her legs back—she goes right back at Britney with hard-eyed intensity this round. Sharp punching toe to toe, Eliza snapping combinations off the jab—backing Britney up—blonde starting to taste strong leather on her chin,  tries to keep her distance. Dushku punching straight right hands to the chest, gets Britney ropeside, then GUTS her with a walloping hook on the beltline that has Spears shouting in pain. Britney’s hurt—Dushku squares up and goes at her, lefts and rights thumping off the belly—Spears trying to fold forward to cover up, Dushku bodying her back and digging away. Pace slows as Eliza lets Britney loll forward, stacking the blonde up intro the ropes, letting her feel the weight, then working the ribcage and hips with chopping shots. Dushku talking when they rub up, asking Brit: “You going down? Is that for you? Baby, you want to quit?” Spears ashen-faced, groggy at the bell.

R4: Best two-way action of the fight this far—both girls getting off with murderous bursts, taking turns backing the other up with sheer ferocity. Girls trade rights on the chin, hooks on the jaw, girls swap to the body, take turns with one another’s breasts—it’s feeding frenzy. Smoke clears late as Britney tags Eliza a hook on the teeth, causing Dushku to step wrong and stumble—Dushku covers up, rolling with punches as Spears hammers away on brunette flanks to take a close 4^th.

R5.6.: 6 shutout minutes of relentless Eliza Dushku punishment. Starts in Britney’s breadbasket—Dushku jabbing to get inside, then licking her fists off that bronzed gut, staying close, keeping her cheek in Britney’s shoulder. Eliza graduating to hold-and-hit, toeing up Brit’s right arm, then plugging the body with the free right hand, pressing Spears heavy to the ropes. Dushku able to work with multiple, bludgeoning right uppercuts in close, putting her body on Britney after working her, just muscling and dominating the blonde. Eliza’s eyes light up in these moments, holding Britney close, hitting her, watching the blonde grow limp and passive from uppercuts, Down the stretch, Eliza’s letting her hands go, spanking Britney’s sides and arms as the blonde tilts forward, clipping tight right uppercuts, putting the hook on top to catch the right cheek. After six, Eliza bright-eyed, lapping up the sight of a drained Britney Spears—Brit pushing Eliza back as the brunette won’t let her off the ropes at the bell.

R7: Signs of life from Britney--she’s stepping to her left, showing the jab, circling away whenever Eliza looks to throw. Series of single shot exchanges goes Britney’s way as she just beats Eliza to hooks or right hands, then steps out as the brunette deals with the sting. Down the stretch, Spears ranging right, looks to jump in an overhand right—this time Eliza slips under it, pulls her own right hand into Britney’s mouth and SPEARS GOES WOBBLY BUTT! Britney nearly takes a knee, reaches to clinch and walks into a thumping barrage as Eliza steps back in good order, Dushku leaves Britney throbbing in pain at the bell—steals an all-blonde round with late power.

R8: Eliza charges, goes back to boxing—she’s steering Britney with a nasty jab on the left eye, ducking into sucker right hands to catch Spears on the face as the blonde loads up. Britney not setting her shots—she’s trying to beat Eliza to punches but Dushku’s not playing that game anymore. Tactical 8^th goes to Dushku—Britney hard on herself during the break for the mental lapse.

R9: Girls hook each other in the body, hook each other up top and DUSHKU GETS TAGGED! Eliza hurt again by Britney’s sudden left hand—brunette staggers away on shabby legs. Spears showing good discipline, not going wild—she’s walking Dushku down with a heavy jab, bending into a bashing right hand upstairs, then digging furiously to the gut as the brunette grabs at the ropes. Britney getting big—palming Eliza’s shoulders back, beating her body until brunette wilts forward then scouring the kidney with that whippy left around the elbow. Spears getting A LOT done in Dushku’s midsection—brunette stiff, unable to answer back as Britney heaps on a shutout. Spears visibly pumped with the success of her body attack—she’s running the ball up the middle on Eliza when no one thought she could.

R10: Britney beat up, eyes focused—she’s hungry: Eliza beat up, eyes a little cloudy—she’s hurting, Spears trudging out of her corner, spends a minute tracking Eliza to the ropes—Dushku closes up her stance, giving Britney the left shoulder, bending at the waist, slipping and rolling punches, Spears trying to yo-you her jab to step up head shots, but can’t get sugar—she goes to the body by default as the only thing she can hit with steam. Hard hearted stuff from Spears in the final minute—she’s spanking Eliza’s exposed left side and back with hard right hands, raking Dushku’s stomach and chest with hooks as Eliza twists and turns in anticipation, Another shutout for Spears and she doesn’t let up at the bell—she splans a late right hand on Eliza’s jaw in frustration—prompting a mini riot as Dushku jumps at her—ref finally settles ‘em down. Comes back UD10 by slender one-point margin…Eliza Dushku!

After: Oh the heartbreak! Spears stunned, expressionless in her corner as tears track down her cheeks—Eliza strutting. Claire Danes joins Dushku as a co-conqueror of the pop queen, holds Eliza’s hand up in victory and the “House of HISC” prances over to Britney’s corner to gloat in style. Sickening to see Dushku thriving on Britney’s misery—Spears brave in the face of it, wiping her eyes, trying to keep her chin up until officials move the HISC girls back. Dushku puffy-faced but grinning in postfight: “It had to kill Britney to see me soak up her best shots like nothing was happening, then come right back and start dismantling her. That’s what did it tonight, not my fists: my heart, She caught me a punch she’ll never catch me with again, and she couldn’t close me out. After that it was the same old horror show—me just beating the stuffing out of America’s Sweetheart. Thanks for the payday baby!” Spears won’t be consoled despite efforts—terrific, gutty fight from the blonde, but she SO wanted to win.

Reposed by Archer 9/26/13.