8 June 2008
WEBA Roundup with Devon Ling and Val
Henning
'I have better things to do with my time',
says Heather
'We have gym work to do', says Balio
'I don't wanna waste my time', says Mónica
'We can be friends', says Billy-Jo
'I like to have a good competition', says Carmen
Val and Devon are sparring in Devon's gym. Val works her sharp jab past the Destroyer's guard but the Vixen's footwork is not what it used to be and Devon forces her way inside to bang a hard one-two into Val's ribs.
Val (wincing): Dang it Devon, that hurt!
Devon (breathless): Your jab's still (gasp) good, Val, but I've got to get inside like that to beat girls like Heather!
Val signals that she's done.
Val (still holding her ribs): Well, ya not gonna use my bod for practise any more. Ya still think Heather wants a piece of ya, huh?
Devon: Yeah, she has her goons throw me out of interviews now and she's been e-mailing saying she's pissed off at us both for saying her career's all done!
Val (taking off her gloves): She's got a great history in WEBA, hon, but she's getting to be a target now she's not winning big fights. She can't close the deal any more and is fading late. Sandra Perez and Stephanie Page might even get into the act after Carolina Kusmagk fought her to a draw! There's some other hot junior welters, like Delgado, Hrbkova, Gonzalez, who could be trouble for her soon.
Devon: Page is looking for trouble all over the map... she talks tough and she's on her way up, but she's too small to handle Heather yet! Perez could be a different story, though. She's moving up in the welterweights now, with that win over Delgado.
Val: But ya really think Heather wants a showdown with you? It'd have to be at Wu's, hon!
Devon: I haven't done so bad at Wu's ...
Val removes her headgear and shakes her head.
Val: I dunno, Devon. Heather may be slower now but she's tough, doesn't mind gettin' beat up a little if she can bang ya right back. She's done well at Wu's, too. And she''s had almost two hundred fights! Only Claire Freeman and Rose Mora have been in the ring that much.
Devon: That's why I figure I could take he now, Val. She's all banged up and worn out, just like Claire! I could beat her even if I couldn't when we were both champions!
Val swigs some Gatorade.
Val: It's your call hon, but if I was you, I'd stick to watching the fights at Wu's from ringside. Corrigan could bust ya up bad. How about the title bouts this week? A whole lotta fights and some real kickass action, huh?
Devon: Yeah,
Mikee "The Mauler" Mulroney staked her claim to the be the biggest
baddest WEBA fighter in another big showdown with Sharon
"Smashmouth" Brown for Mikee's
world middleweight title. World champ vs WEBA champ is always
a top fight, and Brown's one of WEBA's most improved
fighters recently. So this figured to be a good one. They
traded punches, traded rounds, and traded punishing shots to each
other's face for four exciting rounds that left both boxers busted up
and bloody. Then Mikee got the upper hand in the fifth and began to
dish out more
punishment than the ex-Marine Corps boxer could handle. Mikee
opened
a bad cut under Sharon's left eye, which got the
ref worried and
the action was stopped in the middle of the round for the ref
to check Sharon over. Moments
later Mikee ripped through Sharon's defense with a stunning one-two
that
dropped the USMC boxing instructor for a seven count, then the
Mauler piled on the
pressure all the way to the round's end. Sharon made it back
to her corner,
but her eyes were in such bad shape that she couldn't see
properly and the doctor stopped the fight.
Val: Another tough loss to Mikee Mulroney for Sharon Brown. who was game to go on in the toe-to-toe action, but there are times when a fight really has to be stopped. Sharon's building up her rep as #2 in the middleweights with this kind of gritty performance though, and this matchup should tighten up as she gets more experience! The middleweights lost some big-league talent when Telisha Cooper dropped out, but the big girls who are left can still put on quite a show! How about the world welterweight fight?
Devon:
Two
of the WEBA's most experienced boxers went head to head and
toe to
toe as
Lumbee Princess Cyan Locklear tried to take the world belt away from
Italy's
Rose "The Assassin" Mora. They've had some hard fights before, that
have gone both ways, but this time Cyan Locklear pretty
much got her head handed to her, before something snapped and
she totally lost it in the late going and got herself
tossed
out. The end of this fight was a stunner to me because Cyan's a
tough battler who's been in some slugfests in her career but she was
never on the wrong
end of a DQ before this. Rose had jumped all over Cyan in the
fifth and
the eighth, then pounded her mercilessly for several rounds in a
row. The Strongarm girls
haven't been pushed around much, they'll push ya right back, but they
have been pretty clean fighters up to now. But Cyan was getting whupped
by Rose and she started to do some dirty work in the clinches, got
warned for rabbit
punching and a head butt, holding and hitting, then got even more
flustered when Rose knocked her breast protector out of her sport bra!
Moments later Cyan threw an elbow to Rose's eye and the ref
stopped it before it got totally out of hand.
Val: Any boxer can get a little desperate after taking punishment like Cyan was getting with the whole world watching, as Rose Mora seemed to be enjoying what was becoming a very one-sided fight this time. These two have split a lot of KO endings, both taking their lumps from the other, without it coming to this. But there's a first time for everything, I guess. The world lightweight fight was a dilly, too.
Devon: There's
something about Rikku Hui that seems to get inside Carla "Baby Doll"
Ramirez's head
and throw her off her stride, Val.
They are streets apart in their records, as Carla came into this title
defense at an amazing 62-13-3 with a two-and-half year undefeated
streak and Rikku
at just 23-37-3, on top of which she'd lost four of her last
five
fights. But for the
first seven rounds of this fight you'd never have known about any of
that as Rikku
started aggressively and put tremendous pressure on a champion
who may just be the best we've ever seen in WEBA. Hui's done
this
before, and given Ramirez a great fight for a while, but she just can't
quite keep that pressure up long enough to get Carla on the run for
good, the way Rose did to Rikku's gym-mate Cyan Locklear in the
welterweight title bout. Baby Doll started to turn the fight around in
the eighth when she began to get to Rikku with combinations and a
little dirty work in the
clinches, which was ironic as Cyan got DQ's in the other title fight.
Rikku was in trouble near the end of the round and got
caught by an uppercut that dropped her for six just before the bell.
After that Carla was relentless and exploited every mistake Rikku made
despite hurting her own left hand landing a roundhouse shot to Rikku's
head in the tenth. By the end of the fight Rikku was still on
her
feet, and had weathered the Ramirez storm amazingly well, but she'd
taken several trips to the canvas and those 10-8 rounds were the
difference as Carla
held on to her title by a unanimous decision.
Val:
Rikku Hui is so much the late bloomer, A lot of WEBA managers would
have given up on her but the House of Pain team has always figured out
how to make
the most of their fighters and every single one of them has
been a top contender
at least. I don't know if Hui could eventually be the one to
dethrone
Ramirez, but she's come closer than most and like you say there's
something about her whirlwind style that gets Carla flustered at the
start of their fights. If she could keep that kind of
pressure up
and get Carla on the run for longer, it might be a different
story. How 'bout the feathers?
Devon: Chilean
bad girl Mónica
"KO" Rodriguez was challenged for her newly-won world title
by WEBA champ Raquel
Rivera and by Scotland's Fiona "The Killie Killer" Black, who Mónica
had defeated to win the junior title. Mónica took
Fiona's
challenge, perhaps hoping to get a little more gym time before
she
faced Raquel
again, then she got about as much fight as she could handle in
the
early rounds as
Fiona came out swinging, clearly hoping to reverse the
result of their last two battles. Mónica went to the canvas twice in
the second and looked shaken up so the doctor was called to
her
corner before she could continue. Mónica held her ground in the third
but Fiona found her range in the fourth and worked her over against the
ropes
for a standing eight. It began to look like a big upset as Fiona got
confident, but Mónica dug in and stopped the scrappy Scot's momentum in
the fifth and sixth, Fiona pushed harder in the seventh,
but Mónica cranked it up in the eighth and put Fiona on the
canvas with a body shot near the end of the round, after scoring a
standing eight earlier. This was where Mónica began
to look
more prepared for to go the full 15, as it was Fiona who started to
tire.
Mónica
had a great round in the eleventh and almost KO'd the "Killie
Killer" midway
through it, then got another standing eight. Fiona hung tough
in
the twelfth and thirteenth but Mónica got the upper hand in
the
fourteenth and put Fiona down twice. Mónica's title belt
now looked safe and Fiona had taken a lot of damage around her eyes,
so the fight was called with Fiona still sitting on her corner
stool. The Scottish team was upset by this, as they felt their girl
could have continued, but the ref's decision was final.
Val: Mónica was obviously in real trouble for a while, but Fiona seemed to run out of gas towards the end, and that let Mónica back into the fight. 15-rounders are tough, and Fiona may have to think about that as she has to compete for the top belts now her junior eligibility's over. How about that WEBA welterweight title fight?
Devon: Chicago's
"Dangerous" Diedre Dornan has had a long standing challenge to "Lucky"
Lucille
Perkins to meet her at Wu's, which Lucille has ignored, but
this
battle for the WEBA belt could just as easily have been a fight at
Wu's! Diedre
threw her whole book at Lucille in the early going, including
a
thumb to the eye earlry in the first round. Lucille seemed stunned and
it got worse for her as a confident-looking Dornan beat her up in the
second,
sending the Canadian back to her corner looking dazed. Lucille held her
own better in the third but took a standing eight in the fourth.
Another standing eight in the fifth had Lucille's fans worried, but
Lucille began to turn the fight hr way in the sixth and badly bloodied
Diedre's mouth in the seventh. The eighth was where Lucille
took
over for good, as she continued to bloody Diedre's mouth and then
decked her for a short count with a right to the head. They briefly
went
toe to toe after that but Lucille got the upper hand and flattened
Diedre for nine with a huge right that landed flush on the Chicago
girl's mouth. Diedre was in big trouble fo the rest of the fight, with
blood pouring from her mouth and Lucille landing pretty much at will.
Lucille broke Diedre's nose in the ninth and battered her for two more
rounds until the carnage was stopped by the referee at the end of the
eleventh. The ring was splattered with Diedre's blood by
then,
and the fight looked like something that would have gone over well in
Pattaya!
Val: Dornan has that brash Chicago tough girl image, but it was the quieter Lucille Perkins who handed out the beating in the later part of this fight, surviving Diedre's early onslaught and then paying her back many times over in the late rounds. Lucille's on an eleven-fight winning streak since losing the world title to Diedre just over a year ago, and she's shown her KO power seven times in that run. , so Lucky's turned into a pretty complete WEBA fighter who's now in the #2 spot overall for all-time win-lost record, She's also won five in a row against Heather Corrigan, who used to be her top rival, and has wins over all the top welterweights including world champ Rose Mora. Lucille looks more and more like Corrigan did a few years ago, kicking WEBA butt at the peak of her career!
Devon: We
saw the other end of the experience spectrum in the WEBA lightweight
title as Kentucky's Billy-Jo "BJ"
Fulton faced relative newbie Carmen "Leoparda" Santos of
Brazil in her first
title defense. This WEBA lightie belt has been changing hands
faster
than I can
keep track of, it's like musical belts between over a half
dozen boxers! It may have seemed pushy for Santos to go for
the WEBA title this early in her career, but she'd defeated several
former WEBA
champs already and she had already beaten BJ twice, so you BJ
may have come to the ring for her first title defense feeling she
was the underdog! It was a well-fought battle all
the
way as Carmen looked stronger early when she put BJ
down for a
quick count at
the end of the third, but the American flattened the
Brazilian with a jab to her nose, followed by a nice straight left, in
the fourth. Carmen came storming back to floor BJ for a nine
count
against the ropes in the fifth, and that one big round by Leoparda made
most
of the difference between them on the scorecards as they went
into the final stanza.
BJ Fulton came out
firing with both fists to start the twelfth and knocked Santos down
with a solid straight right, but the Brazilian bounced back up
and
took the fight back at BJ in great two-way action that brought
the
crowd to
its feet. Carmen finally corralled BJ against the ropes, then
dropped her to the canvas with a body shot, but both fighters were
still
trading leather at the final bell so it went to the judges.
All
three judges scored it as a narrow but win for the upstart Santos,
who became the second straight to win this WEBA lightweight title
without winning the junior belt first! It
had taken BJ Fulton three and a half years to get
it. so it has to
be frustrating for her to lose it to someone who's only been in the
league nine months!
Val:
Compared
to the all-out slugfests we saw in other title fights, this
was a classic boxing
match. Both threw hard, precise punches, there were no major
injuries,
just
some bumps and bruises, but the crowd was on the edge of their seats
the
whole way. It may be tough for this young Brazilian
to hold on to this title,,though as BJ
already wasn't
the most likely champ to begin with, and Carmen's lack of experience
may be a problem when she faces the other top
contenders.
Still, it's a big feather in her
cap and another sign
that Carmen's going to be a force in our league!
Speaking of forces,
how about the junior middleweight battle?
Devon: Karen
"Kickass"
Kelly defended her belt against the "Red Baroness" Jillian Russell in
a bout that was full of fireworks as both tossed nig time leather from
the opening bell and the advantage traded back and forth. Jill looked a
little sharper in the first round but Karen worked her against the
ropes and dropped her for a short count in the second. The third and
fourth saw Jillian pounding her way back into it but Karen came on
stronger in the later rounds after knocking Jillian down with a
body-to-head combo in the sixth. Jillian fought back hard and
earned a standing eight count on Karen, followed by a knockdown, in the
seventh, but then Karen rallied and controlled the late rounds,
including several knockdowns in the final stanza to make sure of a
unanimous decision. This fight could have gone either way if
either of them had pressed their earlier advantage a little harder, as
both were able to rock the other at times in hard-hitting action that
had the crowd fired up, but down the stretch it was the Canadian
champion who got the upper hand.
Val: Karen Kelly's been a dangerous fighter since she came into WEBA, and Jillian has had her ups and downs but this was only the second time they'd fought, with Karen winning by KO the first time. Karen's going to be the one beat in the junior middleweights for a little longer, as she still has some eligibility left, so boxers like Jillian and Hannah Riley need to solve her style.
Devon: That's easier said than done, Val, she's one those "KO or be KO'd" fighters. Well we had so many title fights on this card, what did you make of the junior welterweight tilt?
Val:: Sandra
"Baby" Perez from Spain held off Irena "Lefty" Hrbkova from Canada by a
split decision after almost getting knocked out by the canny Bohemian
in the eighth. Perez has been been on a good roll since she
was knocked out by Esther Gonzalez in the eighth last November, and her
win over Tereza Delgado to get this belt has put her back in the
spotlight. For most of the first seven rounds Sandra seemed to have
things pretty much under control as she boxed with the Canadian, whose
face began to show the effects of the Spaniard's handiwork. Irena
looked a little hurt and while Sandra's body language looked good, but
Irena caught Sandra with a huge left to the jaw early in the eight and
the champion crumpled to the canvas to a roar from the crowd. Sandra
got up shaking her head and looking stunned but she showed her grit by
coming back to take charge of the action towards the end of the round.
Irena stepped up her game after that but Sandra was happy to
slow things down and the last two round were uneventful. The
knockdown had tightened the fight up a lot o the scorecards, though and
it was only a narrow win there for the defending champion.
Devon: Definitely not a dominant performance by Perez, but still solid, and it keeps her very much in the picture in the race for who will come out the pack to challenge the top welterweights like Rose and Lucille, Perez got off to a rocky start in WEBA and for a while it looked like the only boxer she could beat was the Russian Oksana Krakova, who's dropped out now, but she's been improving lately and now has a winning record with a seven-fight winning streak. Sometimes it just takes a while for a fighter to find her feet and get her style together in WEBA, and "Baby" may just be growing up before our eyes here. Well with all those title fights there's not a lot of time for looking at the undercard this week, Val. Wanna pick a few highlights, though?
Val:. I'd
say one highlight was Balio's big girl Maria "The Huntress" Lozada
putting Canadian Jenny "The Brandon Bomber" Johnson's lights out right
at the end of their
eight-rounder. Maria's come on stronger with whatever Balio's
feeding her these days, while Jenny keeps getting into trouble in the
late rounds of fights where the wins the early going. Maria
had a
losing streak last year that must have had Balio wondering about her
future, but she's doing a lot better this year and this win over the
big Canadian Johnson could mean she's on the way to being a contender.
Another strong performer this time was Tereza Delgado, the
Chilean junior welterweight who was looking like one of the league's
hottest new prospects until she ran into the Spanigh buzzsaw Sandra
Perez and lost the junior welterweight crown. This week Tereza KO'd
the experienced Nona Bojuma after just five rounds of action,
putting a dent in Nona's comeback effort . Tereza had been aggressive
from the opening bell, and wasn't giving the more experienced Bojuma
much chance to find her rhythm and get set up. Delgado's has
a
great run since she joined the WEBA, and this was the sort of win that
may put her back on track.
Devon: We certainly have a bunch of hard-hitting hot shots from South America in the WEBA these days, with Rodriguez winning the world featherweight title, Santos th WEBA lightweight,Lozada starting to tear 'em up in the middleweights and Delgado doing the same in the welterweights.. Our Latina contingent is turning into a threat right across the board, Val.
Val: And don't forget Ramirez and Rivera in Texas and Arizona, They've both rocketed to the top of the game.
Heather looks relaxed as she sits down for another press conference.
Reporter: Heather, do you any thoughts about fighting Rose Mora or Lucille Perkins?
Heather: I've fought them three of my last five fights, fellas. I'm not hiding from either of them. I'll fight anyone who wants me!. . .
Reporter: How about Kusmagk?
Heather stares at the reporter.
Reporter (again): Will you fight her in a rematch?
Heather (angrily): I have better things to do with my time, but if she opens her big mouth I'll shut it for her.
Reporter: Even at Wu's?
Heather:
Maybe.
Reporter: Aren't
you sure?
Heather: It's a step down for me to bother fighting club fighters like her, especially at Wu's. I am a world champion.
Devon Ling: Who sez? You're living in the past, Heather!
Heather: Get that bitch out of here!
Heather's musclemen close in on Devon, who leaves the room in a hurry.
Devon Ling appears quite calm and composed, despite the imminent Frez interview.
Maybe it's the looming summer break, she muses ... or then, maybe not.
Devon (in full control): Hello Frez.
Balio (beaming): Hello, Miss Devon.
Devon: Well Frez. A fine effort for your gym on this latest card.
Balio: Yes, Miss Devon. Apart from our cuts & bruises, it sure was a fine night for our gym. Miss Laura gave Miss Tulia a big scare in their bout though. With a little training tweaking Miss Laura can go the places.
Devon: And Chartrand gave Tulia a scare alright, Frez. Sitting her right on her tail in the final round. Some more ooomph and Minez wouldn't have got up. Must be a worry for you there, Balio.
Devon: Yes, Miss Devon, we have gym work to do with Miss Tulia for sure. And the powerhouse Miss Jenny nearly had Miss Maria out of the contest early in their fight. We were lucky to be on our feet and still boxing. But then Miss Maria finished the stronger to win.
Devon (smiling): Yes Frez. A bit like me. I could take a punch too. And then come back strong.
Balio (laughing): Your jaw was never in question, Miss Devon. But your tummy .... now that's a different story.
Devon (scowling): Stow it, Frez. Unless you'd like to lace up gloves with me, again.
Balio (roaring): Ahh. I will pass that offer, thank you, Miss Devon. Like gran'mama would say "the tigress knows when to hunt and when to watch her cubs."
Devon (departing and muttering): Cubs? Yeah, that makes sense. Wha .. ! It makes sense. Have a good night Frez.
It took 14 rounds this time, but just she as she did with Jordan Strongarm before, Mónica Rodríguez closed Fiona Black's eyes to retain her title by TKO! As usual Mónica works the crowd again and again with her belt. And as always she talks everybody leaving Devon waiting to be last one.
Devon: Congratulations again Mónica! Tough fight for you wasn't it?
Mónica: I dominated almost all the fight, but yeah Fiona gave me a cool fight..my only regret was again that she was saved by the TKO when I was working for a beautiful knockout! But hey, I kept the title and anyway my fans had a good show. But don't worry people, I know that owe you the real KO and I wanna to please you YEAHHH! (she works the crowd over the ropes)
Devon: So you will fight at Wu's again? Stephanie Page challenged you ag..
Mónica: Yeah I heard that that whore wants a rematch. Look Stefy, you hold a hollow crown coz everybody knows that I beated you badly in that fight and you get my title just coz WEBA don't wanted to do a new tourney. The proof? Look this title babe, says WEBA WORLD TITLE and I took it beating women much better you.. My advice for you: train harder and try to keep your junior belt if you can, then maybe you could be a decent match for my title. Until then I just don't wanna to waste my time with you!
Devon: Actually she challenged you at Wu's..
Mónica: I challenged Jen O'casey, but as I beated her in regular fights she get scared so I don't have any reason to go there..and the red whore have already a match there, so she'll have to wait. But really Pattaya is not my priority now, but my title and you can believe it I will keep it for ever (she touches her belt while imitates Gollum voice "my precious, my love")
Devon: Quite scary imitation! You're a Lord of the Ring fan?
Mónica: Yeah! Maybe coz I like the ring you know.. believe it or not I have a life besides boxing, but it's boxing that give me a second chance and a new life, a decent and honest one, and now I'm the CHAMP, so if any bitch wants this belt she'll be suffer. Gracias Manuel ( she kisses her trainer) ˇbesos para todos ustedes!
Billy-Jo Fulton's right eye is bruised and swollen and blood oozes from her lip as Devon Ling starts to hand the WEBA title belt to Carmen Santos. Billy-Jo suddenly lunges for the belt and snatches it from Devon!
Devon: What the ... hey! what are you doing?? You lost the fight, BJ!
BJ: So I'll give her this belt myself! Get out of my way!
Devon: This is very irregular, I'm not ...
BJ: Shut up!
Carmen Santos grins as Billy-Jo steps behind her and wraps the title belt around the top of her shiny black satin boxing trunks. BJ raises the Brazilian's right glove high above her head, lifting her up her breasts ... then wraps her other arm around the champion's sweaty sport bra and kisses her on the lips. Only minutes before, the two hotties were punching each other around the ring and bruising each other's faces. Now the fans whistle as the girls press their bodies together in a long embrace.
Devon: Ladies, ... uh, BJ, Carmen ... I ... think .... uhh ...
BJ (finally letting go of Carmen): Is the action getting too hot for you, Devon?
Devon: I guess you're not angry that you lost the belt!
BJ: It was a good fight, Carmen is a clean fighter, and we can be friends.
Devon: So I see. But you had only just won this belt and now you have nothing. And she had called you a dumb blonde! Aren't you even a little upset?
BJ (shaking her head): I can't be upset by a close fight. I gave her something to remember!
Devon::Uh, yes, perhaps more than just in the fight! Hey, where are you going?
Billy-Jo climbs out of the ring, wiggling her butt and pumping her fists in the air to cheers from her rowdy fans.
"We still love you, BJ!", calls one.
Box
Latino joins
Brasilian boxing queen Carmen
Santos in the ring as her glove is raised after
her title fight with the American Billy-Jo Fulton for the
championship of the WEBA and the
belt is placed around the waist of the beautiful Brasilian boxeadora.
BL:
Congratulations, Carmen, do you have a message for your fans?
All Brasil waits to hear from
you!!
Carmen: I am very happy with my win, and I congratulate my opponent on a good fight, but she was not enough to defeat me. I was disappointed with my draw with Mindy Li for the junior title but now I am glad to bring the bigger belt home to my beloved Brasil. I thank my fans for their love and also my trainers for making me the champion!
BL Were you surprised by the performance of the blondie American, who you had knocked out twice before this?
BL: There are many famous boxers who will challenge soon you for this belt. Are you ready to face them so soon in your boxing career?
Carmen: They will bring their experience, but I have the experience of winning, so I shall be ready. I have great confidence in my trainers as they have prepared me for this big achievement already. I do not expect my next fights to be easy ones, but this is why I wanted to become a boxer, and I am ready for the next challenge.
BL: Your fights will now be twelve rounds, Are you confident of your conditioning?
Carmen: My body has been made into a fighting machine by my trainers, I believe in them and I will now work on my endurance to get ready for longer fights.