Post by Punchaholics Anonymous on Aug 2, 2017 0:17:25 GMT -6
Anna Popplewell versus Chisato Morishita
Celebrity boxers are celebrities first and boxers second. Or so Nicki Minaj thought; while in Japan on business unrelated to punching out her rivals, the best selling female rapper of all time called it a night and decided to quietly take in a few fights. Even though this was a rare opportunity to see some fighters unlikely to cross the Pacific up close, Minaj found the entertainment not to her liking. "I saw the saddest couple of women slugging it out a few nights ago in Sapporo," Minaj commented to the press. "I could probably hold both of them in a headlock at once without working too hard."
Reon Kadena took offense publically, positioning herself as the defender of the national pride and guaranteeing herself a few minutes in the spotlight. The pretty Japanese model was a top Front Street Japan (no relation to Front Street) boxer, with two BBU title shots and a variety of less well documented brawls under her belt. Kadena went so far as to say that Minaj was no match for either of the women she had complained about, but that she wanted to personally destroy the rapper in the ring for her own satisfaction. "I need a fight, and I can bump you to the top of my list. When does the plane leave?" And with that, both stables scrambled to make arrangements.
As management acted, so did FSJ's fighters, each trying to top the others' predictions of Minaj's utter annihilation and eventually spilling into attacks on her appearance. This proved too much for Anna Popplewell to take; the flyweight was captured on video stomping her foot and shouting "I wanna punch out all of them!" Management negotiated her down to one opponent, and Popplewell issued a brief open challenge. Citing the short notice, FSJ sent out Chisato Morishita as a representative, as most of their fighters had scheduling conflicts.
At the last minute, before the actual event but after Popplewell and Minaj's plane landed in Japan, Punchaholics Anonymous announced that models Chiaki Kyan and Haruka Ayase would be attending as cornerwomen and seconds for the two fighters. Later reports described an initial pool of roughly models enduring a long, grueling audition that lasted until only Kyan and Ayase were left literally or figuratively standing.
After what seemed to be an eternity of tiny, fierce arguments, the fighters managed to all show up at the arena, with both entourages giving the other plenty of space. In one corner, FSJ owner Ayako Hamada made her final preparations hovering over Morishita, clad in blue trunks and bra, while an unusually businesslike Popplewell sat at the opposite end of the ring, wearing a black sports bra and shorts. Kyan and Ayase bounced around Popplewell wearing black monokinis and big stage smiles, getting a small boost of activity from the crowd in reply.
Round 1:
With Kyan, Ayase, and Hamada at ringside, the two fighters could begin. Popplewell moved to break the ice after a short warmup, moving in to tag Morishita's jaw with her left hand. Morishita's response was enthusiastic, but fell apart when her shorter opponent moved in and thumped her under her ribs with a fast right hand. The dance played out repeatedly throughout the round. When Morishita attacked, Popplewell was able to escape unscathed, and land punishing counter attacks. When Morishita backed off, Popplewell put the pressure on. The taller model seemed surprised after each of the first few impacts as her rival's fists bounced her around the ring. When reality set in, Morishita went into damage control mode, saving her body but not her pride. Outside the ring, Hamada yelled instructions and banged her palm on the mat, while Ayase and Kyan theatrically heaped praise on their fighter and scorn on her opponent.
Round 2:
Encouraged by her personal cheer team, Popplewell rushed at Morishita early in the second round. Morishita attacked with equal ferocity, if less strategy. The first exchange left Morishita blinking and off balance after Popplewell landed a solid right to her head, but the taller model did not slow down, and soon after managed to fight her way out of trouble and land a straight punch to Popplewell's nose. The two fighters slowed their pace for a moment, then attacked again, this time resulting in a head on collision. Both women absorbed significant hits, but it was Popplewell who backed down first. Morishita continued to slowly pull ahead, mainly by disregarding her own safety and stubbornly fighting her way out of trouble.
Round 3:
Morishita's perseverance was rewarded in the third round as she pushed Popplewell back in the first clash. Little had changed in each fighter's strategy, but Popplewell seemed less energetic, and Morishita, now less constrained, went to work. Popplewell was forced to retreat to avoid a likely sudden finish several times, once nearly ending up with her back to the ropes. Even then, Morishita inflicted plenty of pain, catching Popplewell on the solar plexus, under the chin, and to the side of the head in their short clashes. Between rounds: Hamada looked smug, while Ayase and Kyan attempt to synchronise their cheering.
Round 4:
Popplewell outboxed Morishita early in the fourth round, countering and bobbing to keep the taller model on her toes while mixing in the odd bomb to keep her hesitant. After taking a straight punch to the mouth and missing her chance to hit back, Morishita fell back into her usual groove, swinging forcefully at Popplewell and doing a decent job of overwhelming the brunette. Popplewell gritted her teeth and moved in close, shoving Morishita with her body but staying mobile and swinging for the model's gut. The two boxers end up trading swings, neither willing to give an inch until Popplewell gets in position to smash a fist into Morishita's jaw, finally seeming to register a bit of the impact in her opponent's mind.
Round 5:
In the fifth round, Morishita made several attempts to power out of her predicament, but Popplewell kept her under control, outmaneuvering the model and landing the odd straight punch to blunt her own offence. Near the halfway mark, Morishita got too eager for a confrontation, and Popplewell reminded the model of her plan's drawback by way of a right fist to the mouth. Morishita's body jerked and her legs went limp, and she tumbled to the ground before she could regain control. Out of breath, the pretty model sat on the canvas, slack jawed, disheveled, and leaning forward on her hands unsteadily. At the count of ten, she had not moved from the spot, and the referee declared Popplewell the winner, KO5.
Kyan and Ayase rushed the ring immediately after the decision, jumping on Popplewell for a group hug before lifting the triumphant, giggling brunette onto their shoulders. Hamada shouted in protest, but with the rest of her stable elsewhere, she decided to let the loser get what she earned, and let the event continue. Wise move; Popplewell's seconds each took a turn making a victory lap with the winner, while the remaining model stood guard to discourage Hamada from entering the ring at all. Both seconds point at Morishita, yelling and teasing, but stop just short of laying a finger on Popplewell's prize... until it's time to clear the ring, when they dragged her to the edge and dumped her under the bottom rope, head first, causing another futile argument.
Celebrity boxers are celebrities first and boxers second. Or so Nicki Minaj thought; while in Japan on business unrelated to punching out her rivals, the best selling female rapper of all time called it a night and decided to quietly take in a few fights. Even though this was a rare opportunity to see some fighters unlikely to cross the Pacific up close, Minaj found the entertainment not to her liking. "I saw the saddest couple of women slugging it out a few nights ago in Sapporo," Minaj commented to the press. "I could probably hold both of them in a headlock at once without working too hard."
Reon Kadena took offense publically, positioning herself as the defender of the national pride and guaranteeing herself a few minutes in the spotlight. The pretty Japanese model was a top Front Street Japan (no relation to Front Street) boxer, with two BBU title shots and a variety of less well documented brawls under her belt. Kadena went so far as to say that Minaj was no match for either of the women she had complained about, but that she wanted to personally destroy the rapper in the ring for her own satisfaction. "I need a fight, and I can bump you to the top of my list. When does the plane leave?" And with that, both stables scrambled to make arrangements.
As management acted, so did FSJ's fighters, each trying to top the others' predictions of Minaj's utter annihilation and eventually spilling into attacks on her appearance. This proved too much for Anna Popplewell to take; the flyweight was captured on video stomping her foot and shouting "I wanna punch out all of them!" Management negotiated her down to one opponent, and Popplewell issued a brief open challenge. Citing the short notice, FSJ sent out Chisato Morishita as a representative, as most of their fighters had scheduling conflicts.
At the last minute, before the actual event but after Popplewell and Minaj's plane landed in Japan, Punchaholics Anonymous announced that models Chiaki Kyan and Haruka Ayase would be attending as cornerwomen and seconds for the two fighters. Later reports described an initial pool of roughly models enduring a long, grueling audition that lasted until only Kyan and Ayase were left literally or figuratively standing.
After what seemed to be an eternity of tiny, fierce arguments, the fighters managed to all show up at the arena, with both entourages giving the other plenty of space. In one corner, FSJ owner Ayako Hamada made her final preparations hovering over Morishita, clad in blue trunks and bra, while an unusually businesslike Popplewell sat at the opposite end of the ring, wearing a black sports bra and shorts. Kyan and Ayase bounced around Popplewell wearing black monokinis and big stage smiles, getting a small boost of activity from the crowd in reply.
Round 1:
With Kyan, Ayase, and Hamada at ringside, the two fighters could begin. Popplewell moved to break the ice after a short warmup, moving in to tag Morishita's jaw with her left hand. Morishita's response was enthusiastic, but fell apart when her shorter opponent moved in and thumped her under her ribs with a fast right hand. The dance played out repeatedly throughout the round. When Morishita attacked, Popplewell was able to escape unscathed, and land punishing counter attacks. When Morishita backed off, Popplewell put the pressure on. The taller model seemed surprised after each of the first few impacts as her rival's fists bounced her around the ring. When reality set in, Morishita went into damage control mode, saving her body but not her pride. Outside the ring, Hamada yelled instructions and banged her palm on the mat, while Ayase and Kyan theatrically heaped praise on their fighter and scorn on her opponent.
Round 2:
Encouraged by her personal cheer team, Popplewell rushed at Morishita early in the second round. Morishita attacked with equal ferocity, if less strategy. The first exchange left Morishita blinking and off balance after Popplewell landed a solid right to her head, but the taller model did not slow down, and soon after managed to fight her way out of trouble and land a straight punch to Popplewell's nose. The two fighters slowed their pace for a moment, then attacked again, this time resulting in a head on collision. Both women absorbed significant hits, but it was Popplewell who backed down first. Morishita continued to slowly pull ahead, mainly by disregarding her own safety and stubbornly fighting her way out of trouble.
Round 3:
Morishita's perseverance was rewarded in the third round as she pushed Popplewell back in the first clash. Little had changed in each fighter's strategy, but Popplewell seemed less energetic, and Morishita, now less constrained, went to work. Popplewell was forced to retreat to avoid a likely sudden finish several times, once nearly ending up with her back to the ropes. Even then, Morishita inflicted plenty of pain, catching Popplewell on the solar plexus, under the chin, and to the side of the head in their short clashes. Between rounds: Hamada looked smug, while Ayase and Kyan attempt to synchronise their cheering.
Round 4:
Popplewell outboxed Morishita early in the fourth round, countering and bobbing to keep the taller model on her toes while mixing in the odd bomb to keep her hesitant. After taking a straight punch to the mouth and missing her chance to hit back, Morishita fell back into her usual groove, swinging forcefully at Popplewell and doing a decent job of overwhelming the brunette. Popplewell gritted her teeth and moved in close, shoving Morishita with her body but staying mobile and swinging for the model's gut. The two boxers end up trading swings, neither willing to give an inch until Popplewell gets in position to smash a fist into Morishita's jaw, finally seeming to register a bit of the impact in her opponent's mind.
Round 5:
In the fifth round, Morishita made several attempts to power out of her predicament, but Popplewell kept her under control, outmaneuvering the model and landing the odd straight punch to blunt her own offence. Near the halfway mark, Morishita got too eager for a confrontation, and Popplewell reminded the model of her plan's drawback by way of a right fist to the mouth. Morishita's body jerked and her legs went limp, and she tumbled to the ground before she could regain control. Out of breath, the pretty model sat on the canvas, slack jawed, disheveled, and leaning forward on her hands unsteadily. At the count of ten, she had not moved from the spot, and the referee declared Popplewell the winner, KO5.
Kyan and Ayase rushed the ring immediately after the decision, jumping on Popplewell for a group hug before lifting the triumphant, giggling brunette onto their shoulders. Hamada shouted in protest, but with the rest of her stable elsewhere, she decided to let the loser get what she earned, and let the event continue. Wise move; Popplewell's seconds each took a turn making a victory lap with the winner, while the remaining model stood guard to discourage Hamada from entering the ring at all. Both seconds point at Morishita, yelling and teasing, but stop just short of laying a finger on Popplewell's prize... until it's time to clear the ring, when they dragged her to the edge and dumped her under the bottom rope, head first, causing another futile argument.
