Back in Palm Beach Gardens the crowd awaits the eagerly anticipated flyweight contest which should have long-term effect on the Lioness Club of America pecking order as Jessica Lowndes, the pride & joy of the Bradenton based team is forced to pass one of her toughest tests to date with the recently signed Selena Gomez riding the high wave both in and off the ring.

Selena is absolutely pumped after her magnificent debut against fellow CW starlet Sasha Pieterse where she indicated a massive improvement over the days at Bazz and Lookout! and vows to repeat Lowndes-like rise up the rankings who in space of two years went from a spoiled no-name brat into JMD title contention and Top 10 ranking place outright. "I told everyone, including those folks at Tractorpull, I can make it big really soon. Sasha P. was fun to start but now comes the Alpha test. Sure, Cassie Scerbo called me the other day and wished the best of luck, it seems like half of the division wants me to put Jessica away but that tells more about me than about her. Once I prove myself tonight, those CW blondes that made so much noise at the Battle-Rama will be soooo jealous. The real job starts here and I know how much depends on this one." 

Meanwhile Jessica Lowndes wasn't best pleased when she learned about another flyweight coming to Bradenton but remained strictly business on the Gomey signing. However the mutual respect between these two will only last as long as the first punch isn't thrown and several pundits have told the Canadian not to underestimate Selena's new found confidence and skill. "Yeah, I've heard all about Gomey but it doesn't really matter. I was the underdog against Vanessa Hudgens and Michelle Williams and look how I WRECKED them both! Why should I be worried when I'm the favorite now? Sure, Selena looked really good against Sasha Pieterse but we're talking different levels here. Is she anywhere near my level yet? Well, let's find out!"

Jessica Lowndes wearing a red bikini top, black boy-leg trunks and red gloves. Brown hair in a sleek ponytail. Selena Gomez wearing a turquoise bikini set and white gloves. Black hair in a high ponytail. The fight is scheduled for ten rounds in the flyweight division.

Round 1:
Lowndes confirms the favorite tag, hassles Gomez early and starts working on her body to mock the Sasha P. destruction route which has Selena on her toes but unable to handle the immediate onslaught well; Jessica works the heavy jabs around the elbows and flicks a couple of shots on the head to keep Selena guessing, buries a solid hook on the liver to stagger the younger brunette and leans on her, keeps the work rate to the point Gomez can only cover up but that's not enough as Lowndes pours through her midriff and leaves yelping in frustration already... BIG HOOK on the jaw on the two minute mark sags Selena on the spot and she's moaning worryingly loud and has to revert to her footwork, chased all the way around the ring by the rampant Canadian who can't quite trap her on the ropes though despite all the leather coming from one end and Gomey's ponytail swinging in sheer effort to stay out of trouble.

Round 2:
Selena tries to get off the mark and closes at the fellow brunette but loses the opening exchange after getting nailed on the chin; half-turns in the middle of the ring but fails to escape as Lowndes clobbers her exposed ribcage and POURS in with a barrage on the body... back to mocking Sasha's winning tactics and it works so well for the current Lioness Alpha... Jessica looping hooks around the elbows and staggering her rival; Gomez with her eyes open much wider now and aware of the task & expectations... fights back from behind the crowd and refuses to step away, spikes Lowndes between the arms and lifts the breasts in best Nessa' style, leans on the Canadian and seeks more damage but Lowndes uppercuts her way out of potential trouble, tags the chin once.. twice even to swings Selena's ponytail around her neck.. outworks the brave Spring Breaker in close range and hoofs a hook on the nose making Gomez shout in panic... quick leap forward follows and Lowndes stuns the briefly stranded brunette on the chest, sinks her on her knees but shrugs off a clinch and whacks her on the jaw to wobbles her back to the ropes for the first time tonight... Gomez tries to slip by but gets wrenched into the ropes for good with another hook on the nose as the guard suddenly collapses and enables Lowndes to punish her cheeks instead; Gomez weaving around on her feet like crazy but just can't do anything about Lowndes pounding away at her and landing clean shots on the nose again... quick switch on the tummy, another hook on the jaw and Selena's arms drop as she opens her mouth to meet another crushing hook on the cheek and stumbles to the side... bell comes to the rescue with Jessica in full force; denies her an Earth shattering KO at the very last moment though.

Round 3:
No sign of that bright smile in Gomey's corner... Jessica making the different level comments look absolutely real as she hassles the younger brunette again with Selena relying on her footwork just to stay in this and dropping all the aggressive plans for the time being.. Lowndes winks back at her and indicates the Alpha status won't change hands quickly, swings and loops around in half distance but can't quite reach out after Gomey, seeks that one loose step which could all but end the challenge but Selena regains the spark in her eye despite looking sketchy on the long haul; the cat & mouse game has Gomez ducking & weaving until Lowndes has enough and switches into full aggression mode again, bumps into the Latin cleavage with a spirited jabbing attack but falls into a hoofing right hand clearance from Gomey who just blasts the biggest punch of the round out of nothing and catches the Canadian cold... Ugh!!! Jessica nearly falls forward... face full of Selena's rack instead as the younger brunette pounces on a sudden opportunity and pounds away at the ribcage to make Lowndes moan, shoves her against the ropes and tries some more, splits the mitts and whacks her on the chin to whip her back against the ropes and it's Lowndes opening her mouth in shock as she fails to raise her arms in time for another jabbing combo that snaps her head back and enables Gomez to clean out the stomach thereafter; Selena too comfortable when punching the guts to jelly, has Lowndes sensationally trembling at the bell and unable to understand what exactly happened out there...

Round 4:
Lowndes comes all guns blazing, indicates that late round rally from Gomey was nothing and beats her for the opening overhand punch; whacks Selena on the chin with a crushing right hook to regain control and keeps hammering away in close range... Gomey's ponytail goes for a ride... and soon the whole flesh does likewise as couple of heavy hooks on the jaw break Selena's resilience and drop her arms, quick follow up on the temple spins her to the side so the uppercut on the nose completes the misery AND DROPS GOMEY TO THE CANVAS... rapid fire from close range gives Lowndes the edge as she struts back to the neutral corner and watches on as Selena rises up at seven but with her eyes suspiciously misty, "Different level, gurl!", Lowndes all confident in working Gomez over now... attacks in true lioness spirit and even the impressive footwork can't save Gomey from a proper beating... ponytail swinging time again as Jessica's all over her face and splits the mitts with ease; Selena stumbles to the back foot and gets forced deep into the ropes thereafter, covers up high but exposes the ribcage and Lowndes' too experienced not to take advantage... belting hooks just sink Gomey on the spot... louds moans add to the misery as Jessica POURS all-in trying to slice her in half.. one punch too many and one scream too loud... GOMEZ HITS THE DECK AGAIN... just collapses under that barrage.. down on her knees and hugging her midriff... Lowndes gloats like she's punched Nessa into a sobbing wreck again... but IT'S NOT OVER.. as a misty eyed Gomez beats the count at eight... that was a bit slow and perhaps the ref wanted to see more of this... but it's Lowndes pasting Gomey bell to bell here as the younger brunette remains pinned against the ropes and endures more facial leather in the final minute... Lowndes adding lumps in numbers now as Selena's never suffered so badly with her face getting nearly bashed in and Jessica reigning supreme at the bell... What a beating for the poor Selena... will she come back from this... she can barely touch her swollen cheeks without wincing while it's all smiles for the Canadian instead.

Vanessa Hudgens tweets: "Nooooooooo!!!!! Fight Gomey, fight!!!

Round 5:
"What about that Alpha?", Lowndes looks to blow Gomez away to the orbit for good now as she pours in with another attack from the bell, enjoys the sight of her aching rival stumbling in avoidance and trying just to survive the horror... single hand approach, too wasteful during the opening minute as Selena's able to find some agility across the ring and Lowndes jumps around in vein wobbling couple of times after mishits which aren't punished cause Gomey needs respite above everything else; all on the back foot now but the avoidance play does the trick and Jessica fails to land that staggering haymaker and falls into a sudden response late on with Gomey looping hooks into her face and slipping by at every opportunity; it's not gonna win her the round but prevents any kind of pasting Lowndes had in store for her. Furious Canadian death stare at the bell with Gomey wiping sweat off her swollen cheeks and totally ignoring that look.

Round 6:
BIG PUNCH LOWNDES!!!! Straight off the bell she pounces on Gomey and snaps her ponytail well... too well even since it forces the younger brunette to cover up in no time and it's Lowndes pouring leather amid increasing moans from her opponent... Selena almost thrown onto the ropes, dekes at the very last second again to frustrate the Canadian who lost her footing while running in red mist... overhand reply as Selena's face does look quite roughed up here and not getting any better but the Alpha Status is on the line after all and she gets couple of hooks on the chest to stagger Lowndes briefly.. free for all punching follows but accuracy is at premium and Jessica can't finish Gomey off.. settles into piercing her midriff after the high guard proves too solid for once but down the stretch it's Gomez landing the better shots, looping jabs under the elbows and even making Lowndes squeal in discomfort as she still has the superior movement of the two and just escapes from the long-awaited knockdout as Jessica can't quite catch her breath late on.

Round 7:
Two years ago Gomez would have been wrapped up and send back to the locker room already but not tonight... Lowndes pours in with another early effort, misses that big punch though and look out... RIGHT HAND ON CHIN staggers her on the counter as Selena barks in anger but leans on the older brunette and rips into her face with more jabbing, ponytail goes around on the other side and it's mind over matter stuff from the seemingly dead rabbit... Gomez to the rack, thumping Lowndes' cleavage in best Hudgens-style, forces the Canadian back and covered up but struggling to maintain the mojo... more from Selena who hits the red mist mode herself and pours Jessica back to the ropes shattering her ribcage and making the girl yelp in disarray... shades of Pieterse body destruction but Lowndes gets the late counter and swings to the temple, catches Selena clean and thumps some to the chest herself, both girls moaning in exhaustion now but Gomey pierces the stomach with more determined assault with a tired looking Jessica having to settle for a clinch in a worrying survival fashion.

Round 8:
Selena looks worse of the two with more battle wounds on her face but Jessica has some breathing issues, running out of steam and far away from that promised knockout finish... all Gomey as a result who picks off the hitherto dominant but now aching brunette... ponytail snapping goes to plan as Lowndes wobbles forward and exposes her flesh too often, single hand bashing to the rack whips her back upright, cross-hook on the mouth causes another miserable yelp and Selena ups the tempo even further, pummels the Canadian back to the ropes where the clinching attempt is futile and earns Lowndes a ripping combo on the left eye to sink her on the ropes for good... Gomey puffing in committement herself, digs into the stomach and has Lowndes closing her eyes and just looking to survive again... another piercing hook on the mouth signs off the round with Selena doing all to secure the late rally with Lowndes short of air supply and just slumping onto her stool.

Round 9:
All Gomez now, forget the swollen face and misty eyes, Lowndes' punched herself breathless and can only deke around the leather but to no real avail as she gets thumped on the chest and eats a series of uppercuts thereafter to land on the ropes again... Selena leans on her and digs into the tummy, can't quite slice the mitts but the repeated nature of attacks finally breaks Jessica's resilience and enables the younger brunette to snap the head with a couple of uppercuts.. Lowndes butt-in-ropes and hurting, stumbles to the side after another whack on the ribcage and Selena shoves her away in furious fashion, yells out in anger but beats the intended reply with a hook to the jaw that closes Jessica's yes and sends her trembling across the ring... predator mode now with Lowndes' arms dropped to the side and Selena punches her on the left eye to cause a nasty cut and just send her spinning against the turnbuckle... big time romp for Gomey who manages to land one more hook on the eye and Lowndes is almost out on her feet at the bell but just refusing to go down here for whatever reason!

Round 10:
Selena in her most vicioius mode yet, jumps at the lacklustre Lowndes and digs more leather on the breasts, Vanessa would be so proud of this, but there's no way she sends Jessica down for the count... hurting and moaning the former JMD title challenger fires away from both hands to save the last ounce of pride and nails Selena on the nose to snap her ponytail around yet another time... free-for-all classic flyweight bash follows, both girls don't care about the defence anymore and want to chop each other down in ferocious display... no footwork for the purists, just stand there and riffle away... Lowndes' heads snaps more frequently and she screams out the loudest first but lands the biggest punch of the exchange to split Gomey's lower lip and claim the bragging rights... Selena wobbles back and yields ground first as she wipes the blood and marks her white gloves red... Lowndes too exhausted to mount a pursuit, settles back towards the ropes and only then realizes her left eye is starting to shut down as the swelling exceeds the limits... and there's the final bell with both girls sagging onto the ropes and having nothing to give anymore, no joy from either side as Gomey's late rally made this a real trick for the judges... Comes back 96-93 for your winner Jessica Lowndes!!!

AFTER: Lowndes simply relieved when her hand is raised but equally concerned about her left eye which is completely shut by the time the verdict comes out... The Alpha Status survives but only just and most of the pundits can't quite believe how she didn't finish Gomez off in the fifth? This had no business going the distance!

All attention on Gomez post-fight, hamster-like swollen cheeks and a bleeding lip indicate the trouble she's been through in the ring but the smile makes up for all that pain: "Sure, I lost. I was down twice. But Jessica just couldn't finish me off and I feel proud of myself. She's a Top 10 contender and I'm just starting my quest towards the elite. You can only earn as much respect in losing as you're allowed to and well, there's hardly anyone looking this good... yeah, Jessica can punch and it's no wonder she wrecked Nessa and Mishy... but I think I've proven myself tonight... and that I can follow Jessica's path... "

...Lowndes enters the TV frame and hugs her stablemate with both girls laughing out at each other seeing all the physical damage inflicted in the ring.. "The dinner's on you, Gomey! That was some performance there! I wish I could see Nessa losing her temper over this one!"

Selena still a bit uncomfortable while sharing the breathing space with Jessica but there's no ice too thick that couple of drinks can't melt... and the mutual respect actually exceeds the Alpha status come the late evening... The prospects for the future? Too scary to even predict with Gomez showing a true lioness heart perfectly fitting the new environement and holding her own against one of the hottest names in the business lately. She's gonna do just fine in Bradenton!

Vanessa Hudgens tweets: Boxing DIED tonight!!! #WhatWasThat

Final result: Jessica Lowndes def. Selena Gomez UD10.