(Paramount/Reebok Lightweight Titles Bout)

Originally Posted by Simguy on Sunday, 10-Sep-00 13:08:46

(Thanks to FightFan for this repost)


Before: Highly anticipated showdown between former champ Lopez and current wunderkind Bell. Lopez with the up and down career of the committed pressure fighter, but when she's on, she's done well against taller girls - Bell will need to box smart, keep the Latina off her body and use heavy right hands to catch Lopez coming in. Jen with shoulder length brunette curls, pale blue cotton sports bra, navy aerobics bottoms, white gloves - Cat in leopard print bikini, black gloves.

During R1: Lopez coming forward brazenly, gloves at her temples as Cat retreats, picks her up with the jab, hooking hard from there to the body, then pivoting away. Lopez getting steered, potshotted, and in the final minute, Bell has her all set up. Banging left jabs, right crosses begin to find Lopez' pretty face as she gets caught repeatedly in no man's land (ie: not close enough to smother, not far enough away to avoid) and JEN IS HURT! Latina suddenly drops her gloves and walks straight back, blinking in pain as Cat walks her down at the bell.

R2: Lopez moving her head, getting low and coming inside under the jab, sets up on Bell's left side - right glove tight behind Cat's left shoulder, pressing it into Jen's face so that Lopez can work with thudding little left hands to the belly. Cat's left arm trapped - she swats right hands across Jen's back as Lopez bulls her to the ropes. Stifling pressure from Lopez as she leans in, ties up and punches in close to scrape out the round.

R3: Shutout Lopez as she jabs, bobs her way inside, fighting off Cat's chest and slugging her step by step back to the ropes. Lopez working ala Frazier, palming the taller girl back by the shoulders, really sinking in that thudding left hook to the body, and pounding jug with curling uppercuts from both hands. Bell on her heels, can't get out of there, soaking up the punishment for three long minutes.

R4: Cat shaking off a hacking short right hand on the temple, and some stern left hooks across her waist, lays in and uses her left shoulder to butt Jen in the face, jerking in the short right uppercut, slapping left hook in tightly clipped arcs. Cat proving she can fight inside well for a tall girl - but Lopez right where she wants to be despite losing the round.

R5: Lopez back with that clamp on the left shoulder, tying Cat up, levering her into the ropes, and sinking in short left hands to the stomach or chest. Cat reduced to slapping little right hands, grimacing as Lopez eats her up with roughhouse in close. Jen pushing Cat after the bell as tempers flare - Bell showing her frustration at the infighting tenacity of Lopez.
R6: Cat on her toes, rejects Jen's rushes with a stinging jab, and Bell has the range. Lopez trying to get inside, gets nailed repeatedly as Cat steps back and drops the straight right hand onto the Latina's face - Lopez wobbly butt early, and it only gets worse. Bell circling, using a smart half step back to get Lopez coming forward, then leaning in with that crushing right hand has Jen in deep trouble - midway through the round, fade sets up a cracking right to the temple, catching Lopez over her feet and DOWN GOES JENNIFER LOPEZ! Bell visibly relieved as Jen has trouble making it to her feet, but it's Lopez fighting well in the final minute to avoid the shutout. Jen still rubbery legged, but defiant, asking Bell if that's the 'best she's got'. Left side of Lopez' face the consistency of a rotten peach after this disasterous round.

R7: Lopez adjusting now, fading Cat's right hand and countering with her own hard right to the jugs, stepping in with that withering hook to the liver as Bell's legs go numb by the midway point. Final minute is Jen just bashing away on a covered up Cat Bell, hammering the biceps and twisting her hips into those thudding lefts to the belly that have Bell stiffened on several occasions. Bruising bout taking it's toll on both girls - Lopez badly swollen on the left side of her face - Cat groaning in pain from the body work on her stool.

R8: Cat back on her toes - Lopez can't reach her when Cat gets the jab established. Bell safety first, doubling up the left, pulling the trigger on vicious rights from the shoulder whenever Lopez leans inside. Shutout Cat Bell.

R9: Opposite case - when Lopez gets inside - Bell can't seem to get on track. Jen with her face in Cat's chest, palming up on the hips and sinking in the beefy body shots to put hurt on Bell's face. Cat wilting, pushes wearily off Jen's shoulders and steps nonchalantly straight back - Lopez pushing off that back foot, lunges in with a whip armed hook from her thigh that loops cleanly across Cat's tired face to swivel the big girl's head. Bell dropping straight to her back, props herself on her elbows and she is HURT! Cat somehow beating the count, but she's shot, helpless on the ropes with 2 minutes left on the clock. On comes Lopez, bobbing, weaving, smiling, then REEFING wide lefts into Cat's hurting stomach, shoving Bell back under her arms, then pounding away to the jugs. Cat out on her feet, desperately pushes Jen back by her shoulders - Lopez resetting outside, then wading back in BLASTS another crushing hook across Cat's dazed face - Bell swooning on the ropes, hands down - she's defenceless. Lopez now marauding on the brunette, sinking in fists between the hips, turning into clouting right hands across the jaw and constantly shoving Bell back to pancake those luscious boobies with swatting blows inside. Cat finally sliding to her knees, then her face, completely used and abused, and she is OUT!

Jennifer Lopez can't hold back the tears, staggering in triumph around the ring as she hands out the fight winning beat down in the 9th.
After: Lopez ruining Bell's title run and returning to prominence in style, sobs in post-fight about the long, arduous journey it's been. All the lax training habits, poor dieting etc behind her, Jen comes up with a career effort to batter Bell into submission - Cat giving almost as good as she got in nearly stopping Lopez in the 6th.