Abigail Ratchford vs Bella Hadid

Celebrity Boxing After Dark
Abigail Ratchford vs Bella Hadid
(Lioness Club vs FCBA Independent)
(11-4, 11 KO vs 3-9, 3 KO)
Results: Lookout!; Story: Vassago

BEFORE: Glamour model Abigail Ratchford takes a pause from JMDD action and gives it a rare try in regular boxing rules against the somewhat underwhelming Bella Hadid who has physical tools to boast a better winning percentage than mere .330. However life is always more difficult on the free agent market even though Hadid claims a win here might earn her a wildcard entry to the annual Diamond Boxing event scheduled to start early next season. Another loss should firmly bury her in the divisional cellar though but she's got nothing to lose according to many fans & experts!

Abigail Ratchford wears a yellow bikini set & black gloves. Long black hair tied in a curled ponytail. Bella Hadid wears a black bikini set & silver gloves. Long dyed dark brown hair tied in a sleek ponytail. The fight is scheduled for ten rounds in the welterweight division.

Round 1:
Both women are keen to deliver the early hits and settle into a back & forth slugging affair where Abby lands the better shots and knocks Bella's head around before dropping a vicious harpoon on the navel to stuff the younger model on her heels. Ugh! That almost looked too easy for Ratchford who carries more leather upstairs and appears to really mess Bella's face before the LA native manages to bail out of the striking zone and bide some time in mid-range. It still gives Abigail the desired edge as she makes Hadid look awfully second-rate and actually manages to track her down in the neutral corner where she resumes the head-hunting pounce and drives in more punches on target to slump the younger brunette into all kinds of bother again. Woof.

Rounds 2 & 3:
Bella realizes she looked like a fraud in that opening round and she needs to make anything happen to avoid the punchbag label but even the improved work rate during the next couple of rounds doesn't really carry the pain factor so Abigail accepts the back & forth ordeal and still lands some quick overhands while soaking up all the body blows in the process. Bella looks slightly desperate trying to outmuscle a JMDD veteran in such a fashion and makes Abby angry after landing a rate harpoon to the groin that goes unpunished by the referee. A phone booth tussle follows where Abigail pummels the younger model back to the post and heaves several shots into her face just to let her know who runs this show. Production goes away in the third when Ratchford gets affected by the red mist so Lioness coach Claudia Schiffer has to hold her back and tell her to go through the training motions again. It's Abby's luck Bella is unable to take advantage of this mechanical malfunction!

Round 4:
Abby's defensive luck runs out in the fourth when she gets blasted on the chin and wobbles to her heels which allows Bella to work the high-octane drill and she enjoys the best spell of the night before the Penn model manages to clinch her into safety. More wrestling than boxing follows and the jug-to-jug contact opens the JMDD door after all however Abigail still prefers to punch Bella in the face. Both women pounce on the swarming opportunity and deliver another trigger-happy assault that is undone by the execution itself. Woof. Most of the fans expected one of these big punches to hit the jackpot and turn someone's lights out alas it wasn't to be... not in this round anyway!

Round 5:
Abigail resumes the gut-checking pounce and stuffs Bella on her heels before working up to connect with the jugs and send the LA model into a tail-spin. Old tricks work the best and Abby cuts a frustrated figure after wasting too much time after that promising opener. She shouldn't have this much trouble putting away a 3-9 fighter but that's part of the problem when the record doesn't tell the whole story. However Hadid struggles to look bulletproof once she gets pounded in the cleavage and bellow out behind a desperate earmuff once Ratchford ups the tempo of the uppercut charge. She shoves Bella right where she wants her and continues to dissect the guard until the bell halts her charge leaving Hadid visibly needing a quick oxygen supply between the rounds.

Round 6:
Bella is slow to get up for the sixth and succumbs to more uppercut menace that catches both the jugs and the chin on the follow through. She slumps on her heels and Abigail takes it from there carving a couple of lumps around the lips before connecting with that "lights out" punch moments later. BELLA DROPS TO HER KNEES after taking a wild swing on the nose and soon ends up face down unable to beat the merciless count. Just too much punishment for the free agent and it's KO6 Abigail Ratchford!!!

AFTER: This merely was a serviceable performance from Abigail who knows she won't get any bonus points from her coaching staff but one can't complain too loud about any wins when you're still on the rise up the rankings. Coach Schiffer claims the outcome was "acceptable" (duh!) but Abby needs more work in the gym if she wants to become someone better than just a rack-bumping expert. "We're open to any challenges so let's see if we can close out the season with one last contest next month!"

Official Result: Abigail Ratchford def. Bella Hadid KO6.