Standings at end of Tournament:
WEBA 9 Russia 7
Andreeva 4-0 16
Boppa 3-1 11
Henning 3-1 11
Chai 2-2 6
Fersova 1-3 1
Turkova 1-3 1
Jackman 1-3 1
Litovka 1-3 1
#1 Anjelika Andreeva boxed her team-mate #8 Elena Litovka warily at first, knowing Elena's skills well. But the undefeated blonde bomber got more aggressive quickly after after taking a series of good shots to her head and body. Anjelika began to tee off on the smaller Elena near the the end of the first round and Litovka was clearly intimidated between rounds. They danced for a while at the start of the second, then Anjelika sprang into action and drove Elena onto the ropes, where Anjelika went head-hunting. Elena was decked by a swinging left. She got up at seven but was still shaken up and Anjelika lost no time putting her on the canvas again with a ferocious one-two to the head. Litovka was counted out on all fours as Andreeva showed her devastating punching power for yet another impressive KO win.
#2 Tina Boppa faced team-mate #7 Sandy Jackman, who she has KO'd three times in regular WEBA action. Sandy went right at the Tarzana Tiger and they traded solid punches through the first round. Tina found her range better in the second. Her trademark speed was too much for Sandy at times but the St.Croix scrapper still got in some good licks to keep herself in the fight. Jackman's frustration showed as she shoved Tina angrily after the bell. Sandy came out looking for action in the third and hurt Tina with a hook to the body that dropped her onto the seat of her trunks. Tina took her time to recover, got up at nine, then slowed the action down as much as she could. A quick flurry just before the bell surprised Sandy and signalled that Boppa was OK! Tina controlled the fourth with crisp hooks and jabs and Sandy's temper frayed again at the end of the round. They traded solidly throughout the fifth, and again showed their dislike for each other at the bell. Tina tried to stick-and-run at the start of the sixth but was hammered against the ropes by an explosive combination. Boppa took a huge pounding that had her dazed and wobbly before slipping away to safety until the end of the round. Tina was now definitely much the worse for wear; her left eye was swollen and she was having trouble keeping her gloves up, but Sandy was also wilting. The seventh was a slow round with both fighters trying to draw on their reserves of energy. Tina scored harder at the times when she moved forward. The eighth again saw them both obviously tired and the Russian crowd began wondering about the stamina of both WEBA fighters. Sandy began to take the fight to Tina again in the ninth, but Boppa counterpunched well and she was taken off-guard by a booming left that knocked her to the canvas for a three count. Tina was the aggressor at the start of the final round, but Sandy came on strong at the end. Boppa had taken some damage in this fight and it did not look like a foregone conclusion as it went to the scorecards. But the judges had been impressed by Boppa's speed and they gave her the a clear decision.
#3 Valerie Henning squared off against #6 Kallista Turkova again knowing that she had needed a KO to pull their fight out of the fire in the round-robin. Just as in their first fight, the skilful Turkova's speed gave Henning fits as Val tried to work her way inside, but the American's punches were heavier and had more effect. Kallista stepped up the pace in the second, and put on a boxing clinic that left Val pounding her gloves in frustration! They traded good moves and combinations at the start of the third but Henning got the better of a close-quarters exchange in a corner. Val tagged Kallista with a right to the head that sent the Russian to the canvas for what was almost a KO. Kallista got up looking shaky and Valerie landed heavily to her head and body. Still Turkova's ring craft let her get away and she was able to hold Henning off until the bell. Kallista was dazed and marked around both eyes but not yet out of the fight. She put on another clinic at the start of the fourth, frustrating Valerie until the Vixen scored with several hard shots in a row just before the bell. Henning used some speed of her own to catch Turkova with a double jab to the face early in fifth. Kallista dropped to her knees, then got up too quickly. She ate a huge combination that ended the fight with her dazed and on one knee as Henning's glove was held high.
#4 Pam Chai started to rough #5 Raya Fersova up early. This rematch looked all set to be another Chai KO late in the first, but Raya hung tough and used clinches to frustrate the Thai-Canadian in the second. Fersova gave Chai some new moves in the third ... and brought her fans to their feet by landing a colossal right that sent Chai to the canvas for a six count. Pam got up more angry than hurt and traded with Raya on even terms until the bell. Both fighters looked upset as they returned to their corners. The fourth round was cautious early on but it became a slugfest as first Chai, then Fersova, got the upper hand and teed off on the other. Chai came out aggressively for the fifth and bullied Fersova into the ropes. Once again Raya tried to tie Pam up. This time she took some hefty shots to the head and ended the round out of breath and with her left eyebrow cut and swollen. Raya battled back with a good comeback in the sixth and seventh, slowing the fight down but catching Pam with well-timed punches that sent the WEBA Open champion cautious again. Chai's left eye was swelling and the crowd sensed that the fight was tightening. Pam took the initiative back in the eighth and ninth and had Raya in trouble against the ropes several times. Fersova needed a big final effort. She hustled at the start of the round but Chai rocked her with a huge combination and dropped her to all fours with a ferocious hook to the body soon after. Raya got up quickly but Pam stayed all over her for the rest of the round. Raya tried to get Pam in a bear-hug just before the bell. Chai reacted angrily with a head-butt that reopened the cut over the Russian's left eye. The final points win for Pam Chai was booed loudly by the partisan Moscow crowd, and Anjelika Andreeva was seen at ringside shaking her fist at the WEBA Open champion!
As expected after the head-butting incident at the end of Pam Chai's last fight, Anjelika Andreeva came out with fists flying to avenge Fersova's loss to the WEBA Open champion. Chai landed the first punches, but was soon decked by a barrage from Andreeva. She took a long count and Anjelika went after her hard ... but Pam found the mark with a counterattack and piled into the Russian against the ropes. Chai fought like a wild thing and caught Andreeva with a shot to the belly that dropped the Russian to her knees! The crowd went wild as Anjelika got up at eight, only to be dropped immediately by a thunderous combination! Chai looked like she was on the verge of a stunning first-round KO as Andreeva wobbled to her feet again ... but the bell sounded and Anjelika survived to fight on! It was more all-or-nothing action in the second as they both ripped hefty punches into each other from the opening bell. A great sequence by Andreeva put Chai down for a seven count. As they boxed on, Andreeva backed Chai into a corner and handed out punishment with both fists until Pam somehow broke free. Pam was shaken up and backpedalled furiously as Anjelika chased her round the ring for the rest of the round. Chai was hurt and spent all of the third on defense. Andreeva was content to box her and wait for another big opportunity to appear. This came quickly in the fourth when the Russian connected with a huge left that put Pam on dream street. Andreeva hammered Chai into a corner and made no mistake with the coup de grace ... another huge left that left the WEBA Open champion helpless on the canvas as Andreeva's glove was raised in victory yet again.
The luck of the draw brought two California gym-mates, Valerie Henning and Tina Boppa, to face each other for the dubious honor of fighting Anjelika Andreeva one more time. The rematch between the Vixen and the Tarzana Tiger was a clean, closely fought boxing match with neither holding back. Valerie's punching power was pitted against Tina's speed. Val got the better of the early rounds but Tina eventually won the advantage through her fast combinations and ring movement. Tina fought confidently even though she was cut under her left eye by a hard straight left from the Vixen. Valerie sent Tina to the canvas with a huge left hook in the eighth, but Boppa was up at the seven count and held on against Henning's pressure to survive to the bell. Tina picked up the pace in the ninth and returned the favor, setting Val up with body punches then knocking her down with a huge one-two to the head. Val got to her feet at the six count and tied Tina in knots for the rest of the round. Both boxed cautiously for the last three rounds and it went to the scorecards at the end after the full twelve. Boppa got a narrow but unanimous decision to go on to the title fight.
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The lightweight final saw Tina Boppa try once again to make headway against her two-time nemesis Anjelika Andreeva. Tina took the fight to Anjelika at first, but was caught by a one-two to the face that brought blood from her mouth. Boppa picked up the pace and surprised Andreeva with a flurry that sent the Russian into the ropes with blood running from her nose. A perfectly timed one-two dropped Andreeva to the canvas for a five count but the tough Russian came off the canvas fighting mad and was pounding Boppa in a corner at the bell. Both fighters took it more carefully in the second round but Andreeva's body punching began to take its toll on Boppa. Tina came back with an aggressive start to the third and had Andreeva in trouble on the ropes, but Anjelika came back hard. They went toe-to-toe and both fighters went to their corners bleeding from the mouth. Tina took the fight at Anjelika again at the start of the fourth and pressured the Russian into a corner before decking her with a fast combination. Anjelika got up looking stunned but quickly got her legs under her and was fighting back well as the round ended. The fifth opened with more toe-to-toe action, then Andreeva knocked Boppa flat with a smashing left to the jaw. Tina struggled to her feet to beat the count and the donnybrook continued as both threw defense to the winds and teed off on each other. They both landed heavily but Andreeva sent Tina careening onto the ropes with a great punch to the head. Tina was hanging on the ropes looking groggy when Anjelika nailed her with a right hook to the chin that finished the fight with the Tarzana Tiger on the the canvas. Andreeva knew she had been in a fight, but still posted her seventh win of the Moscow meet to claim the World Lightweight Championship!
Standings at end of Tournament: WEBA 6 Russia 10 Popova 4-0 16 Corrigan 3-1 11 Dmitrieva 3-1 11 Fields 2-2 6 Kharlamova 2-2 6 Goodwyn 1-3 1 Koloff 1-3 1 Frez 0-4 -4
#8 Balio Frez (0-4 in Moscow) stepped into the ring facing long odds in a rematch with #1 Tanya Popova (4-0), who had hammered her to a TKO in just two rounds in their first bout. Popova went to work quickly but Frez had her legs under her this time and held her off with skilful boxing and ring movement. Tanya hustled in the second round and ripped through Balio's defense with crisp shots to the head, but Balio hung tough and was fighting back well at the bell. Balio kept herself in the fight with her jab in the third, but also drew a warning for an elbow to Tanya's face. Popova was out of breath at the end of the round and it began to look like Frez might be able to make the Russian punch herself out. Frez landed the best punches of the fourth and kept well clear of Tanya for most of the fifth while darting in to hurt Popova with well-timed shots to the body. The WEBA fans began to wonder if an upset was in the cards as Fitzi was finding out how to stymie the hyper-aggressive Russian. Their hopes went higher as Balio's stick-and-run tactics continued to work well early in the sixth. Then Tanya ripped a string of punches to Balio's head that that turned the fight into a rout again ... Balio was driven round the ring and decked by a ferocious right hook. Frez barely beat the count, got up wobbly, and was flattened by another huge right. Balio made it to her feet somehow, then tried to cover up and dodge. The end came when she missed with a wild swing ... this opened her wide for a haymaker that left her face down on the canvas as Popova's glove was raised high for her fifth consecutive KO win.
#2 Heather Corrigan boxed #7 Sonia Koloff warily in the first two rounds, knowing that Koloff would be out for revenge after her kayo loss in the round-robin. Koloff came on stronger in the second round and shook Heather with a solid left to the mouth. Heather's timing was off for the rest of the round and the WEBA fans were uneasy. Sonia sensed her advantage and came out hitting hard in the third. A good combination dropped Corrigan for a short count early in the third and Koloff turned up the heat. Heather ended the round bloody-nosed and angry, with her corner urging her to stay calm and box the hard-hitting Russian. They traded at the start of the fourth, but Sonia stopped Heather cold with a rib-cracker of a left hook. Heather beat a retreat and Koloff sprang to the attack. A hook to Corrigan's belly took the wind out of her and Koloff connected with a tremendous shot to the jaw that dropped Heather again. Heather wasn't even close to beating this count, as the Russian Nightmare lived up to her name and posted her second KO of a suddenly declawed Hellcat.
After their first fight, everyone expected a bar-room brawl between #6 Paula Goodwyn and the huge #3 Nina Dmitrieva. Nina picked up where she had left off in the round-robin, pounding the daylights our of Paula with a two fisted attack that had the British boxer reeling around the ropes. Goodwyn absorbed the beating, stayed on her feet, and found the way to fight back late in the round. The WEBA fans came to their feet when Paula belted Nina with an uppercut that wobbled the Russian just before the bell, and this fight began to look like the war everyone was expecting. Both boxers showed respect for the other's power in the second round but the third was another donnybrook. They went toe-toe-toe and Nina began dishing out elbows and rabbit-punches in the clinches. The referee, who was certainly not favoring the Russians, began deducting points from Nina but she outmuscled and outhit Paula for most of the session. Dmitrieva tried to keep the pressure on in the fourth but Goodwyn counterpunched well and the round was even. They went toe-to-toe again in the fifth, and Nina caught Paula with an uppercut that dropped her face down on the canvas. Once again Goodwyn showed she can take a big punch by getting up at the six count, and she defended well until the bell gave her a respite. Nina was angry and the WEBA fans roared as Paula shook her fist at the big Russian before returning to her corner! Goodwyn used her ring skills to snipe at Dmitrieva through the sixth and seventh, often tying her up whenever they got to close quarters. Nina's weight advantage did not seem to help her much as Paula had the edge in quickness. Goodwyn finally got to test Dmitrieva's conditioning when she caught her with a brutal hook to the stomach in the eighth. Nina stayed on the canvas for an eight count, then got up and traded with Paula. A head butt at close quarters got Dmitrieva a warning from the referee, but Goodwyn quickly drew a warning herself with an open-glove strike to the Russian's face. The ninth was tense and close as both fighters were getting weary but still landed solidly at times. With little between them on the scorecards, the final round could settle it, and both started cautiously. Nina came to life with a good combination that got Paula on the run, then connected with a roundhouse left that sent the British girl's mouthguard flying across the ring and Goodwyn herself to the canvas for a seven count. It looked bad for her as she got up looking stunned, but she gained a precious couple of seconds as the referee popped her mouthguard in again before signalling them to box on. Nina was right there with a shot to Paula's mouth, but Goodwyn blocked her next punches and began firing back! A right to the solar plexus hurt Dmitrieva and Goodwyn piled on the pressure. A left to the head, a one-two to the body ... and the big Russian was on her knees as the stadium erupted! Nina got up just in time, but this time Paula was right there ... and got off a salvo of punches to deck Dmitrieva again. This time the Russian could not get her legs to do her bidding ... Paula Goodwyn had come off the canvas to earn the KO and stun the Russian fans!
#4 Rita Fields had earned a narrow split decision over #5 Natasha Kharlamova in the round-robin and they had both gone 2-2 in the tournament. So everyone expected another close fight. They boxed on even terms at first, with Rita delivering the best shots and using the ring better than Natasha in the early going. Fields was able to back Kharlamova up and work on her against the ropes, but Natasha picked up the pace after taking a hammering early in the fourth. The Russian began finding the way through Rita's defense with powerful body punches. Rita took the fight to Natasha early in the fifth then got tagged by a good combination late in the round. Trapped on the ropes, Fields was forced to hang on. Natasha got angry and she was warned for a low blow just before the bell. They went right at each other in the sixth and Rita got the advantage with Natasha backed into a corner. Fields showed her ability to pick her punches as she teed up a series of shots to Kharlamova's face, and dropped her for a short count with a superbly timed jab. Kharlamova came out determined to even the score in the seventh, but ate a tremendous one-two to the head. Natasha was wobbly but it was soon clear that Rita had hurt her left hand with this strike and the WEBA battler was unable to keep the pressure on later in the round. There were anxious moments in the WEBA corner as Fields kept her distance from Kharlamova in the eighth and essentially fought one-handed. Rita had the ring smarts to handle the situation and found a home for her right hook in the ninth, decking Natasha for another short count. She was using her left sparingly but Natasha wasn't able to cash in. Rita put on a confident show at the end, still favoring her right but using her superior movement to frustrate the Russian and earn a solid unanimous decision.
After the first round of the boxoff, the WEBA A Leaguers and the biggest Russian had all made early exits, so it was down to an unexpected quartet of Popova, Koloff, Fields and Goodwyn for World Welterweight supremacy!
Rita Fields faced Tanya Popova and tried to deal her a dose of her own medicine with a fast and furious start. This was scheduled for twelve rounds but Rita went at Tanya as if it was the last round, showing no lingering effects of her hand injury against Kharlamova and clearly surprising the aggressive Russian with her intensity. Popova did some damage when she pinned Fields in a corner and whaled away at her body. Tanya continue to dish out heavy punishment to Rita's body in the second. The WEBA fighter's timing was leaving her but the Russian was showing signs of punching herself out early. The third had Tanya keeping the pressure on and consistently hurting Rita. The Russian's power was starting to dominate as she began to move Fields around the ring with a relentless attack that was clearly hurting the American. It came unglued for Rita in the fourth when Tanya trapped her in a corner and set up shop to hammer her with both fists. Rita's defense collapsed and she took a tremendous pounding before an uppercut dropped her to all fours. Rita got up at "five" but should have taken longer. She was wide-eyed, wobbly, and a sitting duck for Tanya's bombs. It became a slaughter as Popova unloaded and dropped Fields for another, longer, count. Rita got up looking confused but the referee still didn't stop it. Rita continued to eat leather but somehow stayed up. She ended the round bloody-nosed and with both eyes rapidly closing. The referee finally decided that the battler from Virginia had taken too much damage and waved the contest off. It was now six KOs in a row for Popova, who was looking unstoppable.
Sonia Koloff came out swinging and nailed Paula Goodwyn with her second punch, a huge left hook that buckled the British brawler's knees! But Goodwyn's chin was up to the challenge again and she was soon going toe to toe with the Russian in ferocious action. Both fighters landed tremendous shots that staggered the other, and Koloff caught Goodwyn with a shot to the left eye that Paula claimed was a thumb. Still, it was Sonia who looked the worse for wear at the end of this furious opener, with swelling around her right eye and an abrasion under her left. Paula used a ferocious body attack in the second to open the way to Sonia's head and dominated the round with her aggression and persistence. Paula began to take it to Sonia again in the third, and the Russian erupted with a huge barrage that drove Goodwyn into a corner. Koloff opened up and had Paula in big trouble, finally dropping her with a brutal hook to the body. Paula stayed down a long time, getting her wind back, but stubbornly went toe-to-toe with Sonia when the action resumed. Goodwyn wasn't fazed by her trip to the canvas, and paid the Russian Nightmare back big time with a couple of hooks to the midsection that doubled Koloff over. A quick step back to get the range, a huge uppercut to Sonia's undefended chin, and Goodwyn had won her second in a row by KO coming off the canvas, earning herself the right to a second shot at Tanya Popova!
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The World welterweight final turned out to be the first all-European title bout in WEBA history as London's "Pretty Paula" Goodwyn faced Novosibirsk's Tanya Popova. They had brought totally different records out of the round-robin tournament. Popova had gone 4-0, all by KO, while Goodwyn had struggled to a 1-3 record. Since then Popova had slaughtered former WEBA Open champion Balio Frez and ground down a gutsy Rita Fields, while Goodwyn had come off the canvas twice to KO first Nina Dmitrieva, then former WEBA Welterweight champion Sonia Koloff. Could Pretty Paula's chin stand up to the ferocious assault of Terrible Tanya? Tanya had taken a full 10 rounds to finish off Paula in the round-robin tournament, but this would be Paula's first 15-round title fight!
Neither had come with a 15-round fight plan! They went at it full tilt from the opening bell in what may be the most ferocious opening round in WEBA history! Tanya soon had Paula on the run with fearsome shots to her head and body. Paula was decked by a swinging left but bounced back to her feet quickly. This time her off-the-canvas magic deserted her and she was hammered round the ring as Popova looked for a quick kayo against a fighter who had gone almost the full distance against her in their previous fight. Goodwyn was almost helpless against the ropes when a right cross to her jaw dumped her on the canvas a second time. Paula's concrete chin saved her again as she struggled to her feet at seven. The onslaught continued. After hammering Goodwyn with every punch in her book, Popova finally flipped and dealt the stunned British boxer a backfist to the nose that buckled Paula's knees ... and brought the referee between them to warn Tanya. Popova's dirty tactics even brought a few boos from the Russian crowd! Tanya continued to use Paula as a punching bag when the action resumed, but the determined Londoner was still on her feet at the bell. Tanya taunted a visibly shaken Paula between rounds but the referee had seen Goodwyn's stunning comebacks in her two previous fights and didn't think of stopping this one!
Tanya continued the pounding in the second round, and Paula went
to her strategy of tying her up and trying to work inside.
A thumb and a head butt later, the referee was taking a point away
from Paula, who wasn't going to let a few rules get in the way of
slowing Popova down at all costs. Paula's strategy now looked like
survival by any means available in the hope that Tanya would wear
herself out. Popova continued to taunt her across the ring and
this looked like a fight that could get ugly in a hurry. The third
round was straight-ahead banging by both fighters, with Tanya
continuing to get the better of most exchanges but Paula scoring
heavily at times. The fourth was messy, full of clinches, and
Popova still landing heavily but Goodwyn's chin staying equal to
the task. Popova looked more confident after every round while
Goodwyn looked dejected while in her corner but continued to plug
away once the action restarted. Tanya had Paula wobbling again in
the fifth but still could not deliver the coup de grace. Both
fighters were showing some swelling around their eyes as they
faced each other for the sixth.
Paula tried a new move, ducking low and cramming an uppercut
into Tanya's solar plexus. Popova was in trouble for the first
time in the fight, and wobbled to the ropes with Goodwyn in
hot pursuit. The rest of the round was a slugfest, with Tanya
again getting the better shots in but Paula hanging tough.
They went back at it hard in the seventh. Paula bent the
rules with a forearm to Tanya's swollen right eye, then
continued to slug it out with the Russian, who was looking
tired but still hurting the British battler with her best
shots. Tanya dug deeper in the eighth and dominated a round
in which she decked Paula for a quick count with a good
combination to the head, then did enough dirty work inside
to draw a points deduction. By now the referee was mostly
ready to let them decide this title between themselves.
It finally began coming apart for Paula in the ninth as Tanya's
body punching wore her down and she was nailed by a huge left
hook that sent her to the canvas with a broken nose. Still
Paula Goodwyn refused to admit defeat ... she was up at
the five count, only to be decked again quickly. This time
she took an eight count on one knee, but was up again and
trying to tie Tanya in knots until she got her head clear
again. Popova couldn't work her way clear from Goodwyn's
wrestling tactics for long but continued to land hooks and
uppercuts at close quarters when she got free. Paula ended
the round with her left eye closing, her right eye badly
swollen and nursing the broken nose. The tenth
saw Tanya keeping her distance better and continuing to rip
booming shots through Paula's defense. Showing no mercy,
Popova went right at Goodwyn's broken nose with swinging
lefts and rights, and the British boxer was in obvious pain
for most of the round. Paula stayed on her feet but landed only
one punch for the whole round and was clearly
groggy at the bell. The referee finally decided that she'd
taken enough punishment, and waved the fight off to hand Tanya
the world title by TKO.
Tanya Popova was now the World Welterweight Champion.
The whole WEBA team rallied to console the gutsy Paula
Goodwyn, who would probably have continued if the referee had let her.
WEBA Prez EricVT told reporters that
he agreed with the stoppage, as two scorecards
showed Popova leading by 100-89 and one by 99-90. The
fight was clearly out of reach unless Paula had pulled off a miraculous KO.
