Avril Lavigne versus Florence Pugh (Flyweight Title)

Avril Lavigne - Flyweight Champion
(38, 5’1, 73:29 FCBA, The Dollhouse)
Vs.
Florence Pugh - Challenger
(27, 5’4, 11:3 FCBA, League of Mighty Women)

Results: Lookout!; Story: Caspian & The Dollhouse

BEFORE:
It’s Avril Lavigne’s second title defense and she’s chosen quite a shadow from her past, with the League of Mighty Women star Florence Pugh having handed her a humiliating KO5 defeat just barely a year ago. Pugh looks several seasons haughty as she first enters the press hall, smirking for the cameras in a loose-fitting white blouse and low-cut jeans that accentuate her toned figure.

"I definitely do NOT condone Lily's behavior… but we all watched that.” Florence speaks first, commenting on Avril’s now imfamous title defense bout against Lily Collins, a bout that went sour for the champion during the post-fight, to say the least. ”Hopefully for Av she's recovered enough because we all know where I'm aiming tonight.” The Brit chuckles. “Last time I almost took her head off, but I know how to punish the body when I want to. Regardless of what happens - I'd like to thank the Dollhouse and Avril for giving me this title shot even though I beat Avril before. Unfortunately for them they are going to regret it bigtime when those belts become mine.” Florence smirks in amusement. “I'm very ready to be the new flyweight champ! Bring it!" Pugh exclaims, eliciting a hefty amount of cheers from the audience.

Miss Lavigne, of course, is ignoring ALL and ANY questions regarding that last title defense, fully turning a shade of pink at the mere mention of the words “Lily Collins”. The Flyweight champion certainly has bigger fish to fry tonight, as she looks to overcome an equally formidable opponent from her past.

"I will NOT be addressing the Lily Collins thing tonight so don't bother asking. All I'm going to say is that the next time I see her she's f*cking DEAD,” Lavigne says first. “About my second title defense tonight… yeah Florence managed to beat me by some miracle last time or whatever... but guess what - I'm the champ now b*tches. I'm taking her way more seriously than I did last time, and when I take someone seriously I usually kick their ass! I'll get my revenge tonight cuz Florence's totally not on my level. Sorry not sorry b*tch!"

Ladies square off at the podium and maybe it’s our own imagination, but Pugh is fully flaunting her abs in Avril’s face, both her hands on her hips and simply thrusting those hips forward with a wide smirk on her face. Might we see a repeat of the champ’s treatment by the end of the night? Avril’s trying to make herself much more intimidating than her shorter stature allows for, turning her chin upwards and raising her fists high to Pugh’s chin and chest.

Before things escalate, however, the ring official steps in and separates them both, forcibly pushing them back, as clearly, neither girl was going to do it on their own accord. Avril can still be heard spouting insults as she backs away, perhaps the taste of Collins’ tummy still fresh on her lips and not wanting to get a second helping tonight.

Hours later, we’re back in the arena, and the champ herself is roaring to go in her corner, Lavigne raising a hand high as the announcer calls out her name, the singer’s many fans roaring in excitment. Avril is dressed in her trademark black combo of sports bra and short tights, both laced with pink, wearing black and pink boxing gloves and her shoulder length blonde hair loose. In the other corner of the ring, Pugh is in a white sports bra and long red tights, wearing her blonde hair in a bun, her black and red gloves raised to the sky garnering her plenty of cheers from the large amount of fans coming to support her tonight in the biggest fight of her boxing career so far.

Both ladies look ready and willing in their corners, exchanging determined looks from across the ring. We’re ready! Referee signals for the bell and HERE WE GO with ten rounds of Flyweight action for the Flyweight championship!

ROUND 1:
For all her tough talk, Avril looks very weary of Florence's power to start, starting with cautious weaves and ducks as she meets Pugh in the center of the ring. Pugh scored a dominant win last time these two met and most definitely wants to dominate today and win those belts convincingly. Florence roaring in and immediately taking big swings at Avril’s head, but she’s also taking return jabs to the face - Avril not forgetting how the challenger knocked her off her pedestal last year and wants to score some payback early on. Pugh shows more and more signs of frustration as the round wears down, another swift jab scored off her forehead to knock her head back to force a grunt. Avril is grinning wide by the time the bell rings, having outworked and outclassed the challenger overall, proving this defensive approach is working so far, forcing Florence into making errors.

ROUND 2:
Avril is still on the move, fast slips and elegant counters for someone 1 year and 4 months away from turning 40. She weaves backwards to avoid another of Florence’s sudden lunges at her face, Pugh taking a brief ding back to her chin to turn her head to the side. Florence is still trying to muscle her way in and wail away on the champion’s body, but Avril knows what she’s up against this time, and the LMW star is slowly realizing that Avril is a different beast from whom she fought before. Avril focuses on the blonde actress’ round face, landing jabs to the nose and chin whenever possible. Pugh covering up more often this round, trying to land counter-punches of her own and its starting to work in the last minute - Avril underestimates the challenger’s speed as Pugh fires a hook into her arms before lunging at her tummy with a BEAUTY of an uppercut right after. WHAP! It’s Lavigne’s first taste of body-punching action from her opponent who surely packs more power than Ms.Collins, case in point - the champion immediately getting folded over and goes running, allowing Pugh to RUSH IN HER AFTER HER, seeing the champ’s hurt! Pugh salvages her score by the bell, having landed far more after-shots to Lavigne’s sides and more punishing straight hands into her arms to edge the champion out in a surprise turnaround!

ROUND 3:
Avril looks a little less sure of herself and her strategy to start the 3rd, still moving cautiously with her arms raised but going sideways instead of forwards. Fine by Florence, who marches in to try and take out the champ early in the third round. Belly punches landed as the challenger targets her body, those swift lunges hitting tummy flesh by circumventing the arms and under - Avril’s eyes bulging and her lips parted after each glove makes impact, making her body lurch forward with each blow. But Lavigne still doesn’t counterattack with her own aggression, trying to create distance again and simply jabbing back at Pugh’s face, which means she’s either got a plan or is simply scared of getting her head blown off by the stronger blonde. But Pugh’s got a better read on Lavigne’s meek attacks, easily blocking them with raised arms in between, before marching the champ towards the ropes and working her belly some more. A big hook to the arms in the late minute has Avril flailing to the side with a shout of pain, quickly running out of ideas the longer this round runs its course. Pugh takes a couple of shots to the face in the remainder of the round, but mostly dominates till the end, leaving Lavigne breathing hard in a corner of the ring, cursing and swearing. Things aren’t looking too good for the Canadian singer after 3 rounds of boxing!

ROUND 4:
Avril takes a beating in between rounds - not from her opponent though, but from Carmen Electra, lady boss of the Dollhouse herself, who’s seen barking into her prizefighter’s ear and urging her to do more, and better. Lavigne not liking the feedback but is forced to acknowledge that this fight ain’t going her way so far. Bell rings and what a surprise! Lavigne takes the fight straight to Pugh, immediately stunning her with an overhand swing to the forehead! Florence was surely expecting more fire in the furnace, but perhaps not as fast or ferocious, forced to cover up and defend herself but still getting peppered with shots left and right. The challenger swings back, of course, mighty hooks intended to take Lavigne's head off, but the smaller Doll is still quite fresh and is able to avoid them with a quick swerve and duck, before pummeling the blonde’s tummy with her own leathered shots. Last minute and the champ has done more than enough to win her this round, falling back and allowing a frustrated Pugh to lick her wounds for now. It’s a BIG comeback for the champ, who looks partially relieved on her walk back to the corner.

ROUND 5:
And here Lavigne comes again, walking in confidently, ready to take another wide round for herself. But Pugh’s a little wiser this time, anticipating Avril’s aggression and immediately strutting forward to meet her face-to-face, or should we say, fist-to-face, blocking a bevy of wild shots from the champion before blasting her back to the face with a return cross! OUCH! Avril didn’t see that one coming, her eyes blinking in shock for a brief moment before she stubbornly tries to brawl her way out of trouble with the bigger blonde in the center and land her own big shot! That’s NOT a good idea, and one that certainly didn’t work for her the last time either! Lavigne slams a hook into Pugh’s head but it barely makes a dent in the challenger’s resolve - Florence tanking that shot with her face before powering another punch into the side of Avril’s head to swivel the champ’s entire torso to the side! OUCH! Lavigne’s getting OVERPOWERED in there, eating more and more punches as Pugh stays atop her, pushing her easily towards the ropes with bigger and bigger lefts and rights forcing the Avril to desperately raise her guard to protect the face! The challenger knows she’s got the champ in trouble, RAMS another series of hooks into Avril’s defenseless tummy before the singer gets FOLDED over in half by a step-in uppercut SUNK into her soft pale belly and Queen Lavigne’s legs turn to NOODLES! The champ crumpling down to the mat by that body blow, collapsing down to all fours coughing her guts out! It’s a gut-wrenching KNOCKDOWN for Florence Pugh, who smugly kisses her right glove before raising it up high to the sound of massive cheers on her merry way to the neutral corner!

Not a good look for the reigning champion - Queen Lavigne left shuddering on the ground with her mouthguard poking out from between her lips, both arms covering her aching tummy as she struggles to even maintain her balance on both knees, let alone both feet. The referee’s hovering above, already shouting out those dreaded numbers…1…..2…..3…the champion seems to be in serious danger of losing it all as she struggles to recover….4…5….she’s slowly crawling on the mat towards the nearby ropes for some much needed support as she attempts to pull herself off the canvas….6…7…. Avril grabs onto the second rope, pulling herself up with difficulty…8….the champion still seems to be in severe pain as she attempts to pull herself up off the mat with the help of the ropes and looks like she might not make it!! WE MIGHT HAVE A NEW CHAMPION!!! The entire arena holds their collective breaths wondering if this might be one of the shortest title reigns in recent memory for the battered singer ….9….AVRIL’S NOT UP! 10?!?….NO! SHES UP!!! Lavigne finally pulls herself up at the last possible moment and manages to straighten her legs by the count of 9.7… She pushes herself up all the way and barely steadies herself by the skin of her teeth and it looks like the ref is going to allow this fight to continue! Pugh can’t believe her eyes! Shaking her head and taking a deep breath in her neutral corner. Florence was SURE Avril was done, images of her being crowned the champion already running through her mind and if the champ had taken a microsecond longer to get back up this could have all been reality!

But alas, Florence will have to finish her work here if she wants to win it all! Avril’s wheezing, trying to recover her breath, she’s hurt but still staring daggers at Pugh from across the ring. There’s a minute left on the clock and now the Doll will have to dig deep to survive! Pugh is already gearing up into her fighting stance, just waiting for the bell so she can resume the pummeling and end this! And HERE SHE COMES, hoping to score another big fump to Avril’s body to drive the rest of the air from her lungs! Avril spends the last minute of the round running for her life, in full emergency defense mode as Florence blasts her lowered guard but doesn't manage to land anything as big again. It’s another downhill slide for the champion when the bell rings, with Avril still breathing hard and trying to level her expectations of actually defeating Ms. Pugh this time around. So far, though, this has mostly been the Florence Pugh show, especially with that close call of a knockdown she suffered this round. Pugh, however, also has to face some facts: She managed to KO Avril at this very moment in their last encounter, and though the odds are still stacked in her favor, she is looking visibly tired as we go into the 6th and better make sure this fight doesn’t slip away from her.

ROUND 6:
And here the challenger comes again, Pugh looking to end this fight once and for all and not let Lavigne survive another round! She surges in with strapping lefts and rights, just hammering shots into the champ’s arms and hoping to employ her power to blast her off her feet for a second and final time. Lavigne’s corner has fully prepped and warned their girl in between rounds, however, and Avril’s doing everything in her own power to skirt and weave, keep herself the f*ck away from the strong blonde. First minute is entirely spent trying to run away and defend her jawline from the challenger’s bombs, but as soon as Florence begins to slow down from her continuous assault, Avril’s demeanor changes, the experienced champion recognizes the opportunity and goes on the offensive!!! Avril shocking the taller blonde to her face with a crisp hook that comes out of nowhere followed by jabs hitting clean to the nose and lips, bit by bit blasting Florence’s head back with satisfying snaps. But with Avril throwing more punches her way more often, Florence gets more opportunities to land her own punches, successfully planting a big hook into the Doll’s arms before another straight hand catches Lavigne to her chin, making her flounder backwards in shock. But by this point, Pugh is just TOO SPENT to give chase, heaving herself forward one step at a time as Avril regains her senses, keeps a safe distance, and deterring the tired blonde from chasing further with her jabbing. It’s a close round overall at the bell, but one that should have been decisive from Pugh’s point of view. But the champion remains standing, much to the LMW corner’s dismay!

ROUND 7:
We’re going into the 7th and it has to be said - Florence Pugh might be in the lead but is looking gassed on her stool, panting hard as she nods in response to her coach’s instructions and encouragement - it might be fully dawning upon her that this championship fight might be going the distance, and fighting Avril on a normal night might be a lot different to fighting Avril as the Flyweight freakin’ champion defending her title, which happens to also be a Hall of Famer with more than 100 fights of experience to draw upon at any given moment. Speaking of the champ, Avril is definitely not doing much better on her stool - the amount of punishment Pugh has unleashed on her small frame is visibly taking its toll on the older Canadian, and on any normal day, might have been enough to end the fight, but the proud Dolll is defending her belts tonight and despite her obvious pain, the singer looks determined as ever, breathing heavy on her stool and staring at Florence from across the ring, getting mentally ready for another gruelling round of boxing against her challenger and perhaps even 3 more. Lavigne starts the 7th with renewed purpose, her stamina reserves surprisingly still not empty, compared to Pugh who spent most of this fight on the offensive. This allows Avril to poke and prod at Pugh’s defenses, taking the fight to Florence and dictating the pace of the round in the first minute.

And now, the cracks begin to show in the LMW fighter’s game plan. Pugh no doubt has the power and skill to wreck her opposition with her offense but she still has plenty of way to go before she shores up her defensive reflexes, getting hit high and low by Lavigne’s fast hands coming in from all and every angle. Avril exploiting Flroence’s lack of reactivity, one moment landing a one-two combo to the nostrils before the next, paying Pugh back with a left-right banger off her toned midsection. Luckily for the LMW crew, their fighter might be able to take quite a lot of punishment before going down, case in point - after getting hounded throughout the round Pugh manages to put some distance between herself and the champ for a few seconds before surging forward with a war cry in the third minute, trying to catch the Canadian off guard with a few hooks and a mighty swing overhead which lands on the middle of Avril’s arms and spooks her out of nowhere, but then a follow-up low hook scores off the singer’s ribs making the champ wince loudly at the slightest touch of leather to her weathered body and back away to safety. End of the round and Florence is showing signs of resistance but Lavigne is slowly but surely making her comeback, her patience might be finally paying off against this dangerous foe.

ROUND 8:
It’s a mad dash to the finish line at the start of the eight, with Florence having recovered her stamina a little after taking the seventh slow and surprises Avril with renewed aggression. The two fighters meet in the center of the ring and opt to BRAWL, Avril wanting to push ahead in points but Pugh not letting her take ground so easily. Lavigne holds her ground more effectively this time, banging hooks off Pugh’s chin to stun her somewhat, and throwing the challenger’s aim off. But Florence shows her tenacity, grunts and dips low as Avril continues her head hunting - OOOF! Pugh ducks under the champ’s swing and lands a nasty cross straight on Lavigne’s belly button, her glove sinking into tender flesh with a loud HUGHHNG escaping from the singer’s lips, the rest of her body threatening to cave on her once more! Lavigne stumbles back, her body trembling and bent over- she’s looking hella weak all of a sudden! And Florence SMELLS THE BLOOD! The crowd roars and here comes the challenger, swinging madly at her head, trying to drop the champion for good! Several big misses from the Brit as Avril backs the f*ck away but two bangers do find their mark landing on either side of Lavigne’s head, but the champ absorbs the damage somehow and manages to put some distance between her and the challenger, protecting her faculties and secretly thanking the boxing gods that Pugh didn’t decide to follow-up with more chugging bombs to her body! Pugh throwing accuracy and caution out the window - she wants to end this NOW! NO! SHE MISSES with another wide overhand and gets CAUGHT by a counter-swing, Avril having swerved gingerly backwards before taking a big swing of her own at Pugh’s face! BAM! That one was as accurate as it gets! Pugh EATS the hook whole, her cheek cratered in as her entire head swivels to one side, looking slack-jawed and stunned! And the champ goes to town! ANOTHER hook stuns Florence to the chin, and suddenly, it’s Pugh who’s backing away, looking glassy-eyed and stumbling sideways awkwardly! AND HERE COMES AVRIL,l marching right back in and ape-sh*t swinging at her suddenly vulnerable looking opponent, pounding hook after hook to Pugh’s sides and ears, ringing the Brit’s bell like never before until a POP to the base of her chin sends Pugh falling backwards and stumbling over herself! FLORENCE GOES DOWN! Pugh gets overwhelmed and floored onto her back, still holding her aching jaw with one hand, her other arm resting on the mat.The Brit’s eyes stare at the arena ceiling, her chest rising up and down as she lies panting in utter shock and hoping her world will stop spinning before it’s too late! Lavigne may not be as strong as her, but the champion packs a punch and has knocked plenty a girl out cold in a flash with her slugging throughout her Hall of Fame career! Could this be the end of Pugh’s title bid??

Avril seems too pushed and spent to care about that right now, stumbling back to the neutral corner and sucking in deep breaths of air, grateful for this brief respite and surely hoping this would be enough to get this fight over with. No such luck - Pugh is slowly pushing herself back up, first with a prop of the elbows onto the canvas, having turned herself over and trying to get up to her knees before she finds her footing. Referee’s counting her out slowly, just like he did before with the champ, and Pugh proves to still have enough fight left in her when she makes it back up to both feet to loud cheers from the fans just before the ref reaches the count of 9! She looks tired, she looks bruised, and perhaps not fully steady when the ref checks if she can continue - but Florence nods yes, because of course she does.

Bell rings again and just like before, we’ve got another minute and a half for either girl to push forward or pull inwards to try and survive! As predicted, Lavigne CHARGES right back into the fray, taking a huge, deep breath in her corner before making a beeline right for her wounded prey! Pugh sees her coming from a mile away, but her head is not clear enough yet to be needlessly reckless! The Brit keeps her back fully against the ropes, preparing to turtle and absorb the champ’s oncoming assault.

A quick combo to her body bowls her over with a grunt before Lavigne tries for those knockout swings up top, a series of hooks slammed into the side of the head, walking her blonde challenger down the extent of the ropes one exchange at a time. Florence, however, refuses to take the punishment without giving some back- she dishes out a surprise hook of her own that slams into Avril’s chin, shocking the champion and leaving her mouth hanging open and reconsidering her all out assault. But Queen Lavigne’s the champion for a reason, and Avril decides to PUSH in and continue the close-quarters exchange, jumping right back in and dishing out two more punishing blows across Pugh’s face for every punch she takes in turn!! Good lord do these two NOT like each other, REFUSING to back down for a good thirty seconds as they simply KNOCK each other silly against the ropes! Unfortunately for Pugh, she’s not yet fully recovered and Lavigne’s punches prove more effective… leaving the challenger no choice but to try to cover up. It’s not enough - Avril knows she needs to finish this now and goes all out on the poor Brit’s face and the LMW star is eating HUGE punches to her face - she remains defiant and standing for several long seconds, trying desperately to block and run down the clock - but it’s too much - Florence slowly SLIDING down the ropes, her legs wilting by the second and her face turning a bright shade of puffy pink from the mounting abuse! A final hook from the champ across her slackened jawline has Pugh heaving with a groan to the side, completely collapsed into the ropewall and about ready to go down! AND THAT’S IT! The referee’s seen enough, quickly rushing in to cover up Pugh’s back, but even then, it’s no use, as Pugh collapses to her knees before titling over onto her side, barely moving by the ropes! IT’S OVER BY TKO!!! The champion wins!!!

Official Decision: Avril Lavigne defeats Florence Pugh via TKO8! Avril Lavigne RETAINS the Unified Flyweight Title!

AFTER:
Carmen Electra and the entire Dollhouse team (including the champion herself!) along with probably every Avril Lavigne fan in the building breath a collective sigh of relief as the bell rings, signaling the end of this gruelling contest with the defending champion coming out on top…somehow. She evens the score with her challenger and succesffuly defends her belts in the process for the 2nd time since winning them.

Queen Lavigne looking completely spent at the bell, draped on the ropes and panting as both fighters’ teams enter the ring to assist their girls with their recovery. Exhausted and broken as she might be, the champion is smiling through the pain, knowing she survived another challenging test with her belts intact, showing the heart of a champion despite the challenger pushing her to her limit several times during tonight’s fight.

On the other end of this contest, Florence Pugh is being helped and carried to her stool by her team and one can’t help but admire this young girl’s toughness and resolve after watching her performance tonight - despite eventually losing this battle, the Brit actress has proven she can go toe to toe with anyone in the division, dominating Lavigne during large portions of this fight and making the champion look downright helpless at times - The young LMW prospect came as close as possible to pulling off the win tonight but perhaps lacked the experience necessary to fully finish the job against a battle-hardened Hall of Famer champion.

There’s no place for any more interaction between the two post-fight, as both girls are way too spent to bother, but despite their silence, it does seem like they both earned each other’s respect tonight, whether they’d admit to it or not.

Several minutes of recovery later, Lavigne finally rises from her stool to a standing ovation from the fans, gets her arm raised by the ref and officially declared the winner and STILL flyweight champion of the FCBA! She places her belts on her shoulders, raising both arms and smiling wide to the cameras and fans. “HELL YEAH BITCHES!!” Avril shouts into the microphone once approached for an interview. “Still your motherfuckin CHAMPION! You’re not getting rid of me that easily…bitches. My reign is gonna be HELLA long!” the Canadian giggles, high fiving her team before cutting the interview short and signaling to her to them that it’s time to go.

On her way out of the ring, when pressed for a comment about the possibility of a future rubber match between herself and Pugh who are now tied with 1 win a piece, Lavigne seems reluctant to give a straight answer: “Uhhh…maybe? But like…probably not. I think I’m done with this b*tch. I beat her…I fucked her up…she’s not on my level. What would be the point of doing this again….?” The Canadian singer rolls her eyes.

Unfortunate news for Florence Pugh and her fans - but maybe the Doll will change her mind at some point in the future, once the pain is gone and the memory of tonight’s difficult fight is not so fresh in her mind. We can only hope for another final round of these two going at it!

One female reporter is particularly gutsy, following Lavigne through the aisle and pressing her about the Collins incident once again. “Avril, what about Lily Collins’ challenge to fight her in AMD? Are you going to accept?” Which only earns her a death-stare from the champion. “Get the f*ck outta my face b*tch.” is the only reply with Avril looking like she’s about to punch her head off right then and there.

Meanwhile still inside the ring, the now recovered Pugh is seen sitting quietly in her stool,her head leaned back against the corner post, a look of anger and frustration on her face as she stares at the arena’s ceiling and relives tonight’s fight in her head, surely realizing how close she came to making history and how far away from her that title feels right now. A long pep talk from her team doesn’t seem to console the disheartened actress much, but maybe the fans will, as they all give the LMW star a standing ovation once she rises from her stool, a testament to her impressive showing here tonight, with Florence waving at them with a smile while exiting the ring. It is now clear that The British actress is going to be a force at the top of the Flyweight division for years to come if she sticks to boxing, and tonight’s setback will surely make her even stronger in the long run.

With tonight’s epic showdown now over and her second title defense now in the books, Queen Lavigne exits the arena to loud fanfare - but the Doll cannot rest on her laurels any time soon - She will have to carefully pick the next challenger to be given a shot at snatching those belts away from her and will have to defend her title for the third time in a month on the June PPV.

And if Avril’s next title defense is going to be half as exciting as tonight’s fight, we’re in for a huge treat folks!