Emma Watson vs. Michelle Williams (Flyweight Title)

BEFORE:

Watson with a chance to be the FCBA's feel-good story of 2018. She passed her ninth anniversary fighting in the organization a few months ago, but, until 2018, her career has gone from one disappointment to another. She's in her FIFTH stable and, until 2018, she's never had a year where she finished more than one fight over .500, and, as recently as 2014, she went an entire year without a fight. But. It all came together in 2018 with an impressive winning streak that's finally pushed her above .500 career. And, here she is, looking to cap a career year by taking the flyweight belts from a Hall of Famer. "Yes," Emma says with a nod, "I've had ups and downs in my career, and lots of people have counted me out. But. I've never given up on myself. I always knew I was as good as any flyweight in the FCBA. And, tonight, I'll prove it."

"The only thing I like more than winning," says a hard-eyed Michelle, "Is crushing dreams. I've crushed so MANY over the years. And, tonight, I get to destroy all of little Hermione's hopes just in time for the new year!"

ROUND ONE:

Watson on the move early. She's taking a page out of Vanessa Hudgens' book on "How To Beat Mishy" perhaps. This isn't normal Watson. She likes to box at range, fight defensively, work the counters, but, now, it's about the legs, and she has them, at least for the moment. She's circling, jabbing, bouncing on the toes. Williams not sure what to make of this. Does she try and cut ring and bring Emma to battle or fight her at range? Champ spending altogether too much time trying to figure that out, and the result is that she's getting touched up in a major way. Watson's landing the jab, following with right hands, scoring good, clean shots. Michelle's never hurt, but she's clearly getting the worst of it, and not in spots, basically from the opening seconds until the final bell. When that bell rings, Watson's claimed the first wide and leads 10-9.

ROUND TWO:

Michelle makes a decision. And, it's a good one. Ranged boxing. Which is something Mishy is PLENTY good at. She turns with the circling Emma, using her interior position to get outside Watson and use the left jab to stop her movement, before following with rights and building combinations. Emma's quick to get back to the circle, but, Michelle simply repeats what's been working, corralling Watson with the left to set her up for sharp, accurate flurries. Now, it's Emma looking for answers as the champion takes control of the fight. Like Michelle in the first, Watson's never hurt, but she's getting touched up, and, by the late stages of the round, getting thrown to the defensive and backed up as well. That's when Michelle changes tactics, coming forward to keep Emma on the back foot and piling up both points and punishment to the bell. It's Williams wide in the second and we're even at 19.

ROUND THREE:

Watson finds an answer, and it's a drop step. Now, she's circling while giving a little ground, forcing Michelle to step forward, and, not just move laterally. And that adjustment makes a ton of difference. Now, Williams CAN'T control Emma with the jab, allowing Watson to keep moving, and we're back on the terms we saw in the first round. Results? Same as those in the first. Watson's getting the jab in Mishy's face setting up both follow on rights and combinations. She's piling up points as Williams struggles to get her own offense going. Michelle game, continues to try to get the geometry to work, but, for the moment, at least, all the theorems and corollaries in the veteran champion's arsenal are not enough to solve the current problem. Instead, Watson gets more dominant as the round goes on, romping to the bell with a wide victory that puts her up 29-28.

ROUND FOUR:

Mishy changes tactics again. If Watson's going to fight like Hudgens, then Michelle's going to fight her like she FIGHTS Hudgens. Champ now coming forward and cutting the ring, looking to bring the Brit to battle, creating sharp exchanges when she does so. Watson giving just about as good as she gets in these. Ems very very good on defense, and it's those skills that stop Michelle from taking control when she's able to force battle. Now, Williams does do more on those terms, but that's being offset by what Watson's able to do when they're moving, scoring with both hands as Michelle works to close and cut. And, all of that means there's not a lot in it as we head down the stretch. And, despite efforts from both champion and challenger to steal the points late, things are still dead even when the bell rings ending the fourth. It's a draw, and that means Watson maintains her lead, 39-38.

ROUND FIVE:

More of the same. Watson on the move, looking to fight in open canvas, while the champion works the feet, tries to cut the ring, and, when she's able to do so, goes after the challenger aggressively. Williams so slick, working a little body, then going back to the head, finding small openings to fill with leather. Emma still showing excellent defensive skills, blocking punches, slipping others. And, the challenger isn't being thrown to the defensive. She's firing back in combination, making Michelle pay a price for every punch she lands. Again, it's very close the entire way through, but, this time, Emma's able to get something going in the final twenty seconds, landing a sharp right hand that backs Michelle up and following on with a blizzard of punches that forces the champ to cover up. Williams isn't hurt, but the late work is enough for Watson to grab the points and extend her lead to 49-47.

ROUND SIX:

Pattern set as we start the second half. Ems all about movement and Mishy determined to run her to ground. And, again, both fighters able to get some but not all of what they want. When Williams can get the ring cut, she's getting more done, though Watson continues to hold her own. When Emma's moving, she's having the better of things. And, with no one able to force terms, again it's very close. For two minutes. Then. BOOM! A straight right hand from Watson and MISHY IS HURT! Williams' knees do a shimmy and the British beauty is all in, letting the hands go, hammering away and DROPPING THE CHAMPION TO HER BACK! Crowd going batcrap as Emma bounces to a neutral corner. Has it finally happened for the fan favorite? Well. Not quite yet. Mishy beats the count, but she's looking more than a little unsteady during the mandatory. Referee, however, waives Watson forward and Emma GOES. TO. WORK. Brit firing everything but the kitchen sink at the champ in the final minute trying to finish. Can't get it done. Mishy hangs on. But, it's a 10-8 round for Watson, who now leads 59-55.

ROUND SEVEN:

Emma all about the finish. No lateral movement now for the British challenger. Now, she's coming FORWARD and letting the hands go. She's backing up a still-wobbly Michelle as the champion plays defense and looks to counter in spots. Watson dominating, giving the older woman a THRASHING, banging her around the ring as an unsteady Mishy works to run some clock and stay off the ropes. As Emma keeps piling up the hurt and the points, it's clear something's got to give. BOOM! A scintillating right hand and WATSON IS HURT! Champion manages to set the feet and land a perfect counter that wobbles Emma! And now it's Michelle who's all in, HAMMERING away at Watson and EMMA GOES DOWN! Watson dropped to all fours with twenty seconds to go! Mishy to a neutral corner this time, but she's just as disappointed as Emma was in the sixth. Watson beats the count. And, after the mandatory, ref waives on Mishy, who lands a few hard shots before the bell rings. Emma, who was 20 seconds from being up FIVE points with three rounds to go drops the seventh 10-8, and it's now 67-65 for the challenger after seven.

ROUND EIGHT:

Williams all OVER Watson early. Emma's legs still very wobbly as the round starts and Michelle takes full advantage. Champ sitting down on every punch as she squares up the challenger and brings the hurt. Watson staying on defense, keeping the guard high, trying to counter here and there, but finding very few opportunities to do that. Instead, it's Mishy who's doing all the punching, working the challenger over to both head and body before finally backing her into the ropes in the final minute and piling on more and more hurt. Watson taking an absolute POUNDING as the referee watches closely. Brunette rolling with punches, blocking others, but there's so much accurate volume coming that plenty of leather's getting through. Somehow, the British beauty's able to ship it all, stay on her feet, and keep the referee at bay, but, when the bell rings, Watson's looking more than ready to go and Michelle's pitched a shutout to cut the challenger's lead to a single point, 76-75.

ROUND NINE:

Williams boring in on Watson to start the ninth. Emma giving ground, wants to hold canvas, but the legs unwilling. Instead, she's back on her back foot and taking a thumping. Mishy determined to finish now, SNARLING as she hammers away at the challenger, slowly working her back toward the ropes and, finally, trapping her on the cables. Again, Watson forms the tight earmuff, but Mishy quickly digs a vicious right hook into Emma's rack followed by a nasty left to the midsection that brings a scream from the challenger. Emma begins to double up and Michelle's ready with a blistering right uppercut that snaps back the challenger's head and cuts power to her legs. Williams then steps back and watches as Watson falls past her left shoulder to crash, face first, to the canvas. The champion takes her time getting to a neutral corner, and there's no need to hurry, as there's no movement at all from Watson as the count passes her by. It's OVER! And your winner by KO9 and STILL Unified Flyweight Champion is Michelle Williams!

AFTER:

No question it was hard going in there, but Mishy dismissive in the post-fight. "She came out RUNNING," says the champion with a shake of the head. "Didn't expect that, because that's not the way she usually fights. I don't blame her, though, because, if I were HER, I'd run from ME, too. But. As the saying goes, she could run, but she could not hide. Eventually, she was going to have to FIGHT me. And, when that happened. Well. You SAW her sucking canvas."