Liz McClarnon made a surprising return to winning ways last year by upsetting former champion Una Healy and followed it up with equally unheralded victory over. Yet there are question marks over the Atomic Kitten's blonde real potential which has sparked Melanie Chisholm to make a return to the ring herself. The ex-Spice Girl is either jealous of Liz's new found exposure or really think she's got a chance to achieve something as a late bloomer with the bantamweight divsion threatened to be ruled by the glamour models straight from Page 3 and Loaded.  

"That's exactly what annoys Mel C.", Denise van Outen tells the BBU TV audience, "There's simply too much trash around and Mel's gonna do the cleaning! First up though, Lizzie Mac, the Merseyside girl who turned many heads in recent months but just how good is she? That jobber tag didn't come out of nowhere though Liz has done a lot to shrug it off with some giant killing victories. Shame on Una Healy though who allowed this to happen!"

Liz McClarnon wearing a white bikini with silver trim and blue gloves. Melanie Chisholm wearing a blue sports bra, black boy-leg trunks and red gloves. The fight is scheduled for ten rounds in the bantamweight division.

Round 1:
McClarnon tries to settle into the fight without much unneccessary early aggression but if she hoped to see Mel C full of rust and needing time to settle in herself she gets a huge wake up call when the brunette just pours on her face and starts spiking on the eye within seconds of the opening bell. Mel's all over the blonde's face and catches her in close range, works both sides in furious fashion and forces Liz into circling away from trouble. There's enough speed to escape serious punishment but Mel just doesn't let go of the chase and manages to find single punches on the face, slips by a half-hearted response and clubs McClarnon's chest in the final minute, finds the close range success again and signs off the promising round with a quick hook on the jaw to leave the Atomic Kitten singer shaking her head in disbelief.

Round 2:
Liz tries to outsmart Mel in mid-range but loses her footing after the brunette leaped at her in intimidating fashion and threatens to work on the face again; low hook skims off the blonde's forehead and whips her back to the other side where Mel slams the mitts aside and throws a quick jabbing series on the face. Liz spikes the ribcage in response but gets shoved into the ropes anyway where Mel leans her head forward and reverts into a body assault herself, a brief clinch follows but Chisholm bunny hops around the trapped opponents and finds more success in ripping the arms aside and making repeated connection with the chest; McClarnon bounces off the forearms and makes no inroads whatsoever; gets clobbered on the ribs again late to wobble forward and moan in discomfort, it only fuels Mel into more spirited attacks but she runs out of time to really punish the blonde's midriff.

Round 3:
Mel's too quick for Lizzie now as she works on her midriff in the opening minute and settles into close range again, keeps her guard in tact and shrugs off a more determined but still lacklustre offense from the blonde and bends her to the side when the ammount of leather around the liver area proves too rough to handle. Liz drops her left arm too low and gets spiked on the cheek to wobble back with Mel all over her in no time and pounding away at the chest on top of things.. McClarnon tries to lean forward but eats more jabs on the ribs and starts to yelp in discomfort, again this only fuels the brunette into piercing the blonde's midsection and reeling her back to the ropes in the final minute where heavy blows on the navel leave Liz sagging and seeking a clinch. Chisholm shoves her off, finds a piercing uppercut on the jaw and closes her foe's eyes right at the death.

Round 4:
McClarnon falls into another close range midriff barrage and is forced into an early cover but just gets whacked around in the middle of the ring before Mel pierces her mitts again and bounces off the mouth to snap the head back. Liz wobbles to the side and can't keep her arms raised, gets nailed on the nose with a cross-hook and Mel bounces off her chest, shoves on the back foot and clobbers with a precise hook on the temple... McClarnon screams out in pain and wobbles forward, eats more jabs on the chest and Mel barks in determination to chop the blonde down, left hook on the liver does the trick and LIZ HITS THE DECK ON HER KNEES as the Cardiff crowd witnesses a masterpiece from the ex-Spice Girl. Liz is bravely up at seven but gets pushed back into the ropes with Mel romping away at the body and flicking an occassional hook on the mouth to leave the blonde gasping for air. McClarnon's trapped butt-in-ropes for remainder of the round and as her head snaps back in the dying seconds with Mel punishing her with more uppercuts Denise van Outen begins to wonder how long the blonde can endure this beating.

Round 5:
The answer comes soon in the fifth as Chisholm whacks McClarnon clean on the eye with a piercing overhand and drops the blonde's arms on the spot, follows up with a jabbing series on the mouth and gives the Merseyside girl a solid neck crank before shutting her eyes with a vicious hook on the nose... LIZ CRASHES FLAT ON HER BACK and mumbles her subdued presence to the ref who gives her a couple of extra seconds before issuing the count... Mel struts back to neutral corner and seems happy enough to see her opponent rise slowly at eight and nod back to the man in charge.. she resmues in below par fashion though and gets whacked against the turnbuckle in a blink of an eye with Chisholm increasing her ferocity and slamming unanswered leather to the head... Liz's hair flies everywhere as Mel's extremely determined to bash her face in and the arms and too low to provide any cover and the ex-Spice Girl just keeps on roughing the blonde's face up to meet to resistance it becomes too painful to watch; Liz sags on her knees and drops her head, single hand punching is still enough to shut her eyes.. AND THE REF STEPS IN.. hauls Melanie off her wrecked foe to avoid a heavy knockout... TKO5 Melanie Chisholm!!!

AFTER: This was the ultimate test for Liz McClarnon to see whether she can perhaps join the higher ranked bantams but if her comeback in recent months raised some eyebrows, then Mel C pretty much bashed her around without any sympathy and seems ready to take over the late bloomer status herself. Loud whistling from the crowd as a heavy knockout was denied but Liz just covers her swollen face in her gloves and refuses to rise for the verdict. Mel sports a cheeky smile and screams out in delight, approaches the sitting blonde after the verdict is announced and grabs her wrist, forces to accept a Walk of Shame and quite frankly McClarnon is more concerned about her facial wounds rather than the tarnished pride.

"Girl Power is back!", Denise van Outen comments on Chisholm's antics to address recent victories from Emma Bunton and especially Melanie Brown as well. The veterans are indeed looking fine in their late 30s and early 40s and it remains it be seen what they do next. If anyone wants to send the Spice Girls into permanent retirement the task ahead is much tougher than towards the end of last year. This can only mean good news for the whole of BBU though!

Final result: Melanie Chisholm def. Liz McClarnon TKO5.