Minka Kelly vs Brie Larson (Bantamweight Title)

Unified Bantamweight Title
Ch Minka Kelly vs Brie Larson
(Lioness Club of America vs Lookout! Boxing)
(72-31-1, 68 KO vs 33-12, 32 KO)
Results: Lookout!; Story: Vassago

BEFORE: Minka Kelly winning the bantamweight title at age 42 must go down as one of the biggest upsets of the season and the southpaw veteran is taking no easy outs with her first defense to say the very least. Brie Larson is widely regarded as one of the best fighters around the division and comes from the Lookout! Boxing stable which Minka herself once claimed home.

"It's not like I'm doing Paris Hilton a favor. She's not that humble to even ask me for it either! I kinda feel Brie's pain, being overlooked by all these wannabees and she's on the wrong side of thirty already. I have a few other name on my list but Brie has earned her opportunity the hard way!". Minka shows plenty of respect speaking to Erin Andrews before the fight and one might wonder if she really thinks that way or does she consider Hilton's management style a liability after all?

Minka Kelly wears a turquoise crop top, black hip-huggers & red gloves. Long dark brown hair tied in a custom ponytail. Brie Larson wears a light blue crop top, matching hip-huggers & white gloves. Long dark blonde hair tied in a high ponytail. The fight is scheduled for ten rounds in the bantamweight division.

Round 1:
Brie mounts a quick hooking blast to work around the brunette's high guard and sets the early tone before Minka can gather her thoughts. Brie stamps her authority on the fight from the onset as if she can't allow the veteran to drag her into a durability contest for some reason. She tries to clobber her onto the ropes but Minka fends off the big punches and ducks undeneath the aerial swing that follows. Larson remains the more aggressive of the two but lacks the proper power supply and comes off second best to Kelly's defensive stand that eventually leads into a lenghty clinching stalemate along the ropes.

Rounds 2 & 3:
Brie gets more aggressive again but Minka is ready for the slugging pounce and uses her above average footwork to escape trouble before blasting the challenger up the middle. Larson tries to impose her dominant presence regardless and believes she can claim the artistic impression value by simply beating Kelly by the numbers no matter if she actually hurts her in the process. It's a dangerous plan all around as several opponents have underestimated Minka's durability before but perhaps the Paris Hilton disciple knows what she's doing? She tackles Minka to the body and traps her on the turnbuckle where she plugs her from both flanks until the champion has to clinch her into safety. Brie still breaks free to add more leather on the boobs and Minka gives her a lenghty stare at the bell which the challenger acknowledges with a stone cold face.

Rounds 4 & 5:
Minka realizes she has to get going or else the fellow actress will simply gain so much confidence it would be improbable to overcome. She works the body assault route to test out one area which several girls don't pay that much attention to but Larson has it covered so the main charge switches upstairs and allows the veteran southpaw to crash into the blonde's face. Brie sucks up the initial attack and laughs it off trying to intimidate the champion yet Minka has seen all the mind tricks over the years and she keeps drilling the challenger until she forces her out into mid-range, Brie tries to mount a comeback but shoots over the brunette's head and has to admit she needs a quick breather away from Kelly's range. She uses some quick footwork to avoid the drama but Minka still cleans her up in methodical fashion to drop her onto the ropes down ths stretch.

Rounds 6 & 7:
Brie rallies around to work the aerial attack and eventually breaks throug to smack the cougar on each temple before driving a left hook into her solar plexus. Minka wobbles to her heels and gets bumped around the area thereafter with Brie seeking the proverbial haymaker to put this fight out of the brunette's reach. Minka remains a slippery customer and won't open the smallest of gaps but once again her defensive circles just don't sell high enough on the judges' charts even if Larson can't put an icing on the cake. Finally some frustration creeps into the challenger who barks in anger at the bell but she finds more aggression to clobber Minka's face early in the seventh as she really drops the champion into a desperate state. She cuts her up below the left eye and goes from there to drill more leather onto her lips which grinds Kelly into a halt in the center of the ring. Brie moves in to shove the older actress back to the post and rips a left hook over the top that sinks the champion into genuine spasms. Minka tries to escape the heat but Larson is not to be denied anymore and belts the veteran in the solar plexus a couple of times... and one more to SLIDE KELLY ONTO HER BACKSIDE mere seconds before the bell. Uh-oh! That might truly break the champion's resilience. Minka is saved by the bell but just doesn't appear to have much left in the tank anymore.

Round 8:
Larson moves in to finish the seemingly vulnerable cougar but Minka makes a desperate lunge to delay the ineviteable and nails the blonde on the chin before crashing into her boobs with a last-ditch effort. She stuffs the challenger on her heels and manages to pancake her to the body thereafter. Woof. Brie wobbles to the side and has to fend off more hookinh menace but Paris Hilton tells her to calm down as she holds a huge lead on the cards after all. Larson bails out of the potential knockout finish and limits the damage as Kelly only lands single punches on target - nowhere near enough to overcome the scorecards deficit. She needs a KO for the ages to get out of this hole and she knows it.

Round 9:
Minka chases that elusive connection and manages to drill a rare hook on the jaw which actually makes Brie lose her temper as she ignores coach Julie Benz's advice and decides to engage in a close range thumping that is pure surplus on her part. However she wants to knock Minka's head off and flies in with a one-two combo... only to slip past the high guard and eat a wild uppercut in reponse. Minka steps into a left hook and tags the blonde's brow ridge before thumping another left hook on the ear. Ugh! Brie goes numb on impact and fails to raise her arms when the Lioness veteran NAILS her with a right/left cross on the mouth. DOWN GOES LARSON to absolutely stun the audience and the Lookout entourage! Brie doesn't want to waste much time during the count and gets up almost too fast for her own good which leaves her exposed when Kelly hammers in another hooking combo and connects with both temples before a left hook on the liver cripples the challenger into spasms. Brie seeks a clinching respite but gets muscled out of it and Minka pounds her back to the corner where all resistance deserts the younger actress who only soaks up more punishment up the middle until the referee pulls the veteran away! Uh-oh! TKO9 and STILL the unified bantamweight champion Minka Kelly!!!

AFTER: A come-from-behind victory for the ages that leaves Julie Benz and Elisha Cuthbert totally speechless in the Lookout! corner. There was seemingly nothing Brie could have done wrong to lose this fight after the half-distance stage but somehow, someway the wiley old lioness Minka Kelly pulled this one out of the fire - against the former employer no less. Even coach Eva Mendes is impressed and it's not like Brie truly underestimated the older opponent to make the LCA's tactical plan all that easier. Minka herself is fatigued enough to cut down on the celebrations and she admits this was a rare instance when a reigning champion was the underdog alas it turned out to be a sucker bet in the end and even Tess Valmore of all people got this one wrong. Are we in the "don't bet against Minka" territory already?

Official Result: Ch Minka Kelly def. Brie Larson TKO9.