Post by Lookout! Boxing on Dec 30, 2017 0:11:33 GMT -6
Kristen Bell vs. Jennette McCurdy
(Words: Front Street / Results: Lookout!)
BEFORE:
Whole pile of storylines on display here. First, there's Bell, a three-time flyweight champion who remains among the division's best. But. Krissy turned 37 this past summer, and that means every blip on the radar comes with the obvious question, especially after the blonde beauty went 1-3 in 2015 and didn't fight at all last year. Bell looked like Bell earlier in 2017 in dispatching Amanda Seyfried, but a loss to up and coming Sammi Hanratty got tongues wagging, tongues she's like to silence tonight. "Look," says Krissy, "I know my career is closer to the end than the beginning. But. I'm not at the end yet. I'm in great shape and I can still fight at a high level. I can even get another run with the gold if things fall into place. And, the first of those things to fall is going to be Jennette McCurdy.
If anything, McCurdy's story is juicier. After some fits and starts in her first year in the FCBA, the blonde went on an impressive run that saw her take the JMD titles from Michelle Keegan in just her ninth FCBA fight. It's been downhill from there, however, with the former top prospect struggling to find victories. Add in loss of management earlier this month, and it looked like Jennette was bound for the madding crowd of indies, where she could easily get slotted in behind younger, fresher faces. But, if some began to lose faith in the potential of Jennette McCurdy, Front Street Boxing did not, scooping up the blonde immediately upon her hitting free agency and putting everything in overdrive to get her ready for her final fight of the year and her first fight in Front Street's Scarlet and Gray. "This is a new start for me," says Jennette. "It's a huge opportunity to get things turned around. And, tonight, everyone's going to see that Front Street 2.0's newest member is Jennette McCurdy 2.0."
ROUND ONE:
Feeling out process early. McCurdy known to be very, very aggressive, but, whether it's because of new management whispering in her ear or respect for the skill of her opponent, Jennette takes it slow early. She's got the height and reach, and she wants to use it, jabbing, probing. Bell doing the same, angling like the pro she is to cut the reach advantage, getting her left hand on target and looking to follow with rights. Jennette eventually gets going, too, and we have some nice, two-way boxing through the middle portion of the round. Late, Bell begins to get the better of things. Not by a ton, mind, but it's Krissy who's getting a little more done, getting a little more leather on target, scoring a few more points. And, at the bell, it's the early and late portions of the round that tell. Bell takes the points close and leads 10-9.
ROUND TWO:
Jennette gets aggressive. Blonde coming forward behind the left hand, forcing Bell to circle, then stepping to to cut the distance and land solid shot. Kristen won't go over onto the defensive easily, not wanting to allow the younger woman to fight lead, but, in short order, she's thrown there by Jennette's effective aggression. Soon, Krissy's being backed up and touched up. McCurdy's sitting down on punches, landing hard shot. Krissy eventually sets her feet and bangs back, slowly stabilizing her front and leading to a series of sharp exchanges that send sweat flying from the heads of both fighters. Bell begins hooking some body, and Jennette responds in kind, and soon we've got some serious slugging going on in there. In the final seconds of the round comes the best exchange so far, with both fighters landing hard right hands at the bell. But, despite Bell's getting things back on even terms late, it's Jennette's round wide and McCurdy evens things at 19.
ROUND THREE:
Krissy getting the feet moving now. Pretty blonde is not bouncing and circling or anything like that, though. Her movement is tactical, all about angles, about getting herself where she wants to be to punch and keeping Jennette from doing same. The movement and the accurate jag are the stories of the first half of the round, ninety seconds that see Krissy fight lead and control the action. That changes in the latter half, as McCurdy adjusts, gets the geometry down, and begins landing more effective leather of her own. Final half of the round is good, two-way stuff, with lots of quick exchanges of fire. Again, both blondes take hard shots, but neither is hurt. Down the stretch, Jennette lands the best punch of the fight so far, a sharp right hand that backs Bell up a step, but the round comes to an end before she can follow up. On the cards, Bell's early work is the difference. Krissy takes it close and is back on the lead 29-28.
ROUND FOUR:
Jennette's got this figured. When she's physical, she has the advantage. So. She gets physical. The younger blonde comes forward soundly but aggressively. And, Bell, being the talented, skilled veteran that she is manages the aggression, and very, very well. She's moving the feet, turning with, giving a little ground, then slipping to the side, always finding ways to get to spots to punch and not missing when she does so. For Jennette's part, she's getting some leather on target. Bell's slipping some, blocking some, but McCurdy's landing the stuff that's getting home is good stuff. Both fighters are scoring well, and neither is able to take control of the round. Instead, it's good, back-and-forth stuff right to the bell, and, when it rings, there's not much in it. It's another close round, this one to Jennette, and we're all even at 38.
ROUND FIVE:
McCurdy continues the aggression, but Bell manages, playing matador to Jennette's bull. Oh, McCurdy's not sloppy or out of control, Krissy's just that good. She's able to slip and angle and always be in the right position while putting the younger blonde in the wrong one. To her credit, McCurdy doesn't get flustered or frustrated. She keeps working hard, moving the feet, looking to square up a very slippery opponent. About two minutes in, she does it, with a NASTY right hook and Krissy is HURT! Bell wobbles, quickly covers up, and Jennette goes into seek and destroy mode, throwing everything she has at the older blonde and DROPPING HER WITH A LEFT HOOK! Krissy sent crashing to her back. McCurdy quickly to a neutral corner, watching and hoping, but, in vain. Bell struggles to her feet at seven, and, after the mandatory, the referee waives on Jennette. McCurdy cleans up nicely, backing Bell into the ropes and giving her a thorough going over, but Kristen's still standing when the round ends, though Jennette now leads 48-46.
ROUND SIX:
McCurdy doesn't care about consolidating or anything of the sort. She wants to FINISH and do it right NOW. She's after Bell from the opening seconds, coming forward aggressively, willing to take a punch to give one, all in the name of getting more shell into the listing S.S. Krissy Bell. Older blonde is still a bit wobbly, lacking as much leg as she'd like, but she's still able to dip and slip effectively, avoiding the worst of what the younger woman's throwing at her. Until, she doesn't. It's another right hook from Jennette and Krissy is GOBSMACKED! Bell staggers, wide-eyed and Jennette DROPS HER with a BOOMING right hand! Bell on her back again, as McCurdy jogs to a neutral corner, again to wait and watch. Only, this time, Bell can only roll to her belly before the count passes her by. It's OVER! And your winner by KO6 is Jennette McCurdy!
AFTER:
McCurdy over the moon. There's no overstating how huge this win is for her. "Jennette 2.0!" she shouts in the post-fight interview. "Jennette 2.0! But, this isn't for all the people who doubted and hated. This is for the ones who kept believing in me. It's a new start, a new day, almost a new year. And 2018 is going to be the year of Jennette McCurdy. Front Street's been BEGGING for a flyweight champion. Well. It just SIGNED one."
(Words: Front Street / Results: Lookout!)
BEFORE:
Whole pile of storylines on display here. First, there's Bell, a three-time flyweight champion who remains among the division's best. But. Krissy turned 37 this past summer, and that means every blip on the radar comes with the obvious question, especially after the blonde beauty went 1-3 in 2015 and didn't fight at all last year. Bell looked like Bell earlier in 2017 in dispatching Amanda Seyfried, but a loss to up and coming Sammi Hanratty got tongues wagging, tongues she's like to silence tonight. "Look," says Krissy, "I know my career is closer to the end than the beginning. But. I'm not at the end yet. I'm in great shape and I can still fight at a high level. I can even get another run with the gold if things fall into place. And, the first of those things to fall is going to be Jennette McCurdy.
If anything, McCurdy's story is juicier. After some fits and starts in her first year in the FCBA, the blonde went on an impressive run that saw her take the JMD titles from Michelle Keegan in just her ninth FCBA fight. It's been downhill from there, however, with the former top prospect struggling to find victories. Add in loss of management earlier this month, and it looked like Jennette was bound for the madding crowd of indies, where she could easily get slotted in behind younger, fresher faces. But, if some began to lose faith in the potential of Jennette McCurdy, Front Street Boxing did not, scooping up the blonde immediately upon her hitting free agency and putting everything in overdrive to get her ready for her final fight of the year and her first fight in Front Street's Scarlet and Gray. "This is a new start for me," says Jennette. "It's a huge opportunity to get things turned around. And, tonight, everyone's going to see that Front Street 2.0's newest member is Jennette McCurdy 2.0."
ROUND ONE:
Feeling out process early. McCurdy known to be very, very aggressive, but, whether it's because of new management whispering in her ear or respect for the skill of her opponent, Jennette takes it slow early. She's got the height and reach, and she wants to use it, jabbing, probing. Bell doing the same, angling like the pro she is to cut the reach advantage, getting her left hand on target and looking to follow with rights. Jennette eventually gets going, too, and we have some nice, two-way boxing through the middle portion of the round. Late, Bell begins to get the better of things. Not by a ton, mind, but it's Krissy who's getting a little more done, getting a little more leather on target, scoring a few more points. And, at the bell, it's the early and late portions of the round that tell. Bell takes the points close and leads 10-9.
ROUND TWO:
Jennette gets aggressive. Blonde coming forward behind the left hand, forcing Bell to circle, then stepping to to cut the distance and land solid shot. Kristen won't go over onto the defensive easily, not wanting to allow the younger woman to fight lead, but, in short order, she's thrown there by Jennette's effective aggression. Soon, Krissy's being backed up and touched up. McCurdy's sitting down on punches, landing hard shot. Krissy eventually sets her feet and bangs back, slowly stabilizing her front and leading to a series of sharp exchanges that send sweat flying from the heads of both fighters. Bell begins hooking some body, and Jennette responds in kind, and soon we've got some serious slugging going on in there. In the final seconds of the round comes the best exchange so far, with both fighters landing hard right hands at the bell. But, despite Bell's getting things back on even terms late, it's Jennette's round wide and McCurdy evens things at 19.
ROUND THREE:
Krissy getting the feet moving now. Pretty blonde is not bouncing and circling or anything like that, though. Her movement is tactical, all about angles, about getting herself where she wants to be to punch and keeping Jennette from doing same. The movement and the accurate jag are the stories of the first half of the round, ninety seconds that see Krissy fight lead and control the action. That changes in the latter half, as McCurdy adjusts, gets the geometry down, and begins landing more effective leather of her own. Final half of the round is good, two-way stuff, with lots of quick exchanges of fire. Again, both blondes take hard shots, but neither is hurt. Down the stretch, Jennette lands the best punch of the fight so far, a sharp right hand that backs Bell up a step, but the round comes to an end before she can follow up. On the cards, Bell's early work is the difference. Krissy takes it close and is back on the lead 29-28.
ROUND FOUR:
Jennette's got this figured. When she's physical, she has the advantage. So. She gets physical. The younger blonde comes forward soundly but aggressively. And, Bell, being the talented, skilled veteran that she is manages the aggression, and very, very well. She's moving the feet, turning with, giving a little ground, then slipping to the side, always finding ways to get to spots to punch and not missing when she does so. For Jennette's part, she's getting some leather on target. Bell's slipping some, blocking some, but McCurdy's landing the stuff that's getting home is good stuff. Both fighters are scoring well, and neither is able to take control of the round. Instead, it's good, back-and-forth stuff right to the bell, and, when it rings, there's not much in it. It's another close round, this one to Jennette, and we're all even at 38.
ROUND FIVE:
McCurdy continues the aggression, but Bell manages, playing matador to Jennette's bull. Oh, McCurdy's not sloppy or out of control, Krissy's just that good. She's able to slip and angle and always be in the right position while putting the younger blonde in the wrong one. To her credit, McCurdy doesn't get flustered or frustrated. She keeps working hard, moving the feet, looking to square up a very slippery opponent. About two minutes in, she does it, with a NASTY right hook and Krissy is HURT! Bell wobbles, quickly covers up, and Jennette goes into seek and destroy mode, throwing everything she has at the older blonde and DROPPING HER WITH A LEFT HOOK! Krissy sent crashing to her back. McCurdy quickly to a neutral corner, watching and hoping, but, in vain. Bell struggles to her feet at seven, and, after the mandatory, the referee waives on Jennette. McCurdy cleans up nicely, backing Bell into the ropes and giving her a thorough going over, but Kristen's still standing when the round ends, though Jennette now leads 48-46.
ROUND SIX:
McCurdy doesn't care about consolidating or anything of the sort. She wants to FINISH and do it right NOW. She's after Bell from the opening seconds, coming forward aggressively, willing to take a punch to give one, all in the name of getting more shell into the listing S.S. Krissy Bell. Older blonde is still a bit wobbly, lacking as much leg as she'd like, but she's still able to dip and slip effectively, avoiding the worst of what the younger woman's throwing at her. Until, she doesn't. It's another right hook from Jennette and Krissy is GOBSMACKED! Bell staggers, wide-eyed and Jennette DROPS HER with a BOOMING right hand! Bell on her back again, as McCurdy jogs to a neutral corner, again to wait and watch. Only, this time, Bell can only roll to her belly before the count passes her by. It's OVER! And your winner by KO6 is Jennette McCurdy!
AFTER:
McCurdy over the moon. There's no overstating how huge this win is for her. "Jennette 2.0!" she shouts in the post-fight interview. "Jennette 2.0! But, this isn't for all the people who doubted and hated. This is for the ones who kept believing in me. It's a new start, a new day, almost a new year. And 2018 is going to be the year of Jennette McCurdy. Front Street's been BEGGING for a flyweight champion. Well. It just SIGNED one."