Post by Lookout! Boxing on Jun 28, 2019 21:54:57 GMT -6
Karlie Kloss (#15, Fighting Academy) vs. Jennifer Lawrence (#21, Chimera) @ Welter
TALE OF THE TAPE: (Result: Lookout/Words: Simgrrl)
Kloss (27yo, 6', 128#, 17-9) vs. Lawrence (29yo, 5'8", 139#, 29-24-1)
Before: Both fighters coming off a three month break from action. Kloss hoping to fight her way back into the Welter title picture after three failed attempts to win the unified belts from a champion. First Gemma Atkinson, then Hannah Ferguson, and finally, Kate Upton all rebuffed Karlie and sent back to her corner with an ignominious dismissal. These were, however, three of the tougher welters to ever strap on the title belt.
Like Kloss, Jennifer's been on hiatus since March. Also like Karlie, her career record shows three unsuccessful title challenges. She challenged for the FCBA Lightweight title twice, losing to Strahovski in 2014 and Yustman in 2015. Moving up to Welter didn't improve her odds because she was rebuffed by Kate Upton just two months after Kloss also fell to Kate in 2018. One thing hurting Lawrence, so far, is her stable's inability to make up their mind whether she was a lightweight or a welter. Only recently has Chimera decided Jen's future will be at welter...and possibly JMD/D.
Lawrence's weight fluctuated wildly in her early years between 128 and 140 depending on the film she was toning up for... or how much time she spent in the gym. Jen enjoyed the "good life" plus she's been involved in celebrity wrestling in addition to her boxing - something that was detrimental to her training. She's a fan of the WWE and until Ronda Rousey left Chimera, Jen said Ronda was her favorite wrestler.
This fight is critical for the winner. With a victory tonight, she'll be in position for another run at the Welter crown. The loser will slip back into a group of 20 or more jockeying for position outside the top ten. Climbing over that many competitors will take time neither of these women want to spend!
Kloss: Sheer white lace Victoria's Secret bra & panties, white thigh-hi's, gloves and shoes; long brunette hair loose.
J-Law: Chimera's go-to outfit, a green "Theron bikini", yellow gloves and bare feet; her honey blond hair in a French Twist.
* * * *
R1: Jeri Ryan already glowering at Charlize Theron in Lawrence's corner before the fight. Charlize leans in to give their girl a kiss on the cheek and a spank as J-Law rises from her stool. Kelly Hu and Sarah Gellar flank Kloss as Hu puts in Karlie's mouthguard. Bell.
Jen attacks immediately, throwing big right hands, keeping her left at her cheek where it blocks several dangerous Kloss rights. Lawrence non-stop punching, finally fights her way thru the defense of Kloss's long arms and gets to the willowy brunette's supple, lean, body. J-Law's the "big woman" in this fight in every way except height and reach. She's more muscular, heavier and with a stocky build. She has success against lighter women when she can make them take her weight, but she also is impatient and isn't willing to take her time to set opponents up. She's a straight ahead punching machine - as Karlie is finding out in the early going as she's being forced backward by Lawrence's relentless attack.
Inside Karlie's long arms, Jennifer finds a place where she can settle in and go to work breaking down Kloss's slim model's body. J-Law hammering away to Karlie's belly, slamming her fists into Kloss's flanks and battering her from one foot to the other as Kloss is forced to clinch, wrapping her arms around Lawrence's torso in an attempt to smother those devastating body punches.
J-Law pushing Karlie off, then coming up between them with a couple of uppercuts. KARLIE'S HURT! Kloss shaken by a clean shot to her chin, knees buckling, she reels back in disarray to the ropes with Lawrence in dogged pursuit! Jen bodies up to Kloss, pressing her chest onto Karlie's with her head under Kloss's chin. Karlie slapping at Lawrence's flanks while Jennifer is driving her fists into Karlie's abs and her sides. Kloss resorts to holding Jen's arm but the referee quickly breaks it up and Jennifer gets right back to her heavy-handed bludgeoning of the supermodel. At the bell, Lawrence is breathing hard after throwing dozens of full strength punches. Karlie slumping in the ropes, waiting for a hand as Hu and Gellar hurry out to escort her back to her stool to do damage control. Lawrence wins the 1st round on points, wide.
R2: Karlie getting an earful from Hu between rounds and comes out eager to even the score. She raises her offensive output, using her long legs more and keeping Lawrence at arms length, landing a dozen or more left hooks to Jen's belly in the first minute - and nearly as many rights. Karlie is a different fighter this round, firing either hand with authority, targeting Lawrence's left breast. The targeted attack forces Jen to drop her left - which was Karlie's intention - exposing Jen's head for Karlie's always dangerous right hand which she's slicing down in over Jen's left.
Jen struggling to get inside this round, Karlie's made adjustments and is doing a much better job of keeping herself out of Lawrence's reach for the most part. Whenever Jen tries to get inside, Karlie is able to punch her face and slip away laterally before Jen can land more than a single punch. Kloss's footwork is night and day improved from the first round and she's making it easy for herself to steer Jennifer around while piling up points.
Lawrence trying to adjust, using her jab more, fighting from a crouch, but with Karlie's longer reach, Kloss, in an upright stance, can still get to Jen while Lawrence has to lean forward and extend to get her jab to Karlie's head. Kloss learning from videos of Lawrence's JMD/D fights, landing left hooks to Jen's right breast or belly; softening up a midsection that's been a concern of boxing experts sharply divided about J-Law's fitness.
Jen slowing visibly late in the round as the damage Karlie's doing to her body continues to mount. Much like the 1st round, the 2nd ends with one girl trapped on the ropes as her opponent picks her apart. But this time the positions reversed and Karlie won the 2nd round points wide to pull even.
R3: Following her dominant second round, Karlie continues to attack Lawrence's body, switching quickly from her lower body to attacking her rack, then when J-Law puts her hands up, Karlie goes low again. With her longer arms, Kloss stays - for the most part - outside the range of Lawrence's counters and by shifting her points of attack, she's keeping Lawrence off balance.
Jennifer, heeding shouted advice from her corner (after a heated disagreement between Ryan and Theron) changes from trying to fight her way inside and instead, backs off, trying to lure Kloss into coming toward her when Jen could then strike suddenly and wrong foot the leggy supermodel. But Karlie's too smart to fall into such an obvious trap and simple continues to circle to her left, pumping her jab in Jennifer's face while keeping her own body just tantalizingly out of reach of the stronger woman's fists
Final minute of the round, the blonde's clearly frustrated and unsure of herself after two straight solid rounds of offensive punishment by the surprisingly nimble supermodel. Lawrence had the advantage of not only viewing a hundred hours of Kloss fight video, but she also sparred often with Charlize who'd been in the ring with Karlie almost exactly two years ago. Jennifer can't comprehend how all that isn't translating into a winning strategy since Kloss looks nothing like a welterweight contender.
As the final seconds tick down, Jeri Ryan pounds her hand on the canvas, signaling it's time for Jen to make a furious attack that may sway the judges in her favor. Jen slips under Karlie's left and turns into a right to the supermodel's right side ribs. Karlie grunts with the impact of the powerful blow, but she instantly reacts with a chopping right of her own, down onto Jen's left cheek. The punch sends Lawrence headlong into the ropes where she ends up with her head and shoulders outside the ropes, her body tottering on her belly on the middle rope. As she's trying to grab one of the ropes to get back inside the ring, the bell sounds to end the 3rd round. Karlie steps up and gives Jennifer's big round bottom a couple of playful spanks that raise a pink blush on her nether cheeks. The referee quickly jumps in to prevent trouble as Kloss wins another round on points, but it's close!
R4: Lawrence angrily shaking her fist and screaming at the referee for allowing Karlie to embarrass her like that as she returns to her corner. Ryan and Theron join the chorus but everyone knows nothing will be done. The FCBA tell fighters, "protect your ass at all times"...or something like that. Across the ring, Kloss and Gellar yakking it up, Sarah Michelle pantomiming winding up to spank someone but Hu warns Karlie, "Don't to get cocky, hon."
A fire has been lit under Lawrence and she comes out throwing like a deranged berserker in the opening minute of the 4th. Two right hands by Lawrence stun Kloss early to give Lawrence an opportunity to regain some of her earlier offensive momentum. With Karlie on shaky legs, Jen pounds her back into the Chimera corner where Theron leans in, her head between the mid- and bottom ropes yelling advice to J-Law. Ryan tugging at Theron's shorts trying to get her off the apron, but Charlize slaps Jeri's hand away and keeps barking at her protege.
Once she has Karlie trapped in the corner, Kloss's advantages of movement and distance are negated and Jennifer is able to lean in to pummel Karlie's wiry frame with both fists. Kloss frantically trying to escape, but the heavier, stronger, blonde rebuffs every attempt and, keeping her body on Karlie, Jen keeps pumping her fists into Karlie's taut tummy, then coming over the top with crushing rights.
Kloss moving her head well, not giving Lawrence a stationary target, but even glancing blows... or those that land somewhere other then their intended target, still hurt and Kloss is starting to show the effects of Lawrence's powerful body attack. As the round winds down Jen staying calm, sticking to her game plan to kill Karlie's body before taking her out. At the bell, the referee springs forward, grabbing Jen's right arm as she's about to throw another punch, pulling her away as Karlie settles into the supporting ropes at her back. Theron reaches between the ropes and pushes Kloss's butt out of the way so she can put Lawrence's stool in the corner. Lawrence wins round on points wide as the two women trade dominant rounds...but with J-Law taking a razor thin margin in points to the fifth!
R5: Lawrence hugged by Charlize as she nudges Karlie aside and flops onto her stool for a quick sip of water from Ryan who starts pointing out everything J-Law had done wrong that round. "Gotta stay focused," Jeri telling her. "Don't go there and showboat; stick to the plan! Work the body."
And Jennifer does just that, starting the fifth round just as she did the fourth, with a lunging overhand right that connects and has Karlie seeing stars in the opening seconds. Jen jacking Karlie up on the ropes, digging into the model's smooth abs; stealing her breath with every punch. Kloss clinching, then spinning Lawrence around and slithering out of her arms to escape into the open space of center ring where she buys time to catch her breath and shake the cobwebs out of her head.
Karlie's a slippery target when she has room to use her long, slender legs to make space to keep jabbing Jen in the face to discourage foolhardy rushes. Both women slowing the action, each looking for an opening to land the one big punch that can turn the fight around at it's midpoint. And it's Karlie who lands it! J-Law stunned by a Kloss left hook in the second minute. Karlie quick to take advantage, throwing a right and another left that puts a shimmy in Lawrence's thighs. JEN'S CLINCHING!
Lawrence hanging on, her face buried against Karlie's neck, left arm around Kloss's waist, right hand clamped onto Kloss's left bicep. Karlie banging away with her right to J-Law's left side, then pushing off to give the busty blonde the old criss-cross Bra Buster, then they're back to the clinch.
Jen's eyes watering as Karlie belabors her bosom with that right hand; Karlie's found a way to get Jen's attention and she's really laying into it. Karlie piles on the hurt for the final thirty seconds of the round and turns what started out looking like a J-Law round into another dominant round by Taylor Swifts' supermodel girlfriend (wide) to put Kloss back into the lead at the halfway mark.
R6: Lawrence unable to regain the momentum she lost in the fifth round as, once more, she's having problems handling the taller, lankier, model's whiplash right hand. Jen getting in a few licks of her own, landing a right that sends Karlie back to the ropes at one point, but Kloss is able to side slip and avoid being penned in. As long as Kloss can stay away from Jen, Karlie's able to pretty much do whatever she wants. But when Lawrence is able to impose her will, Kloss looks like an over matched lightweight against a full size welter.
But Karlie continues to use her long legs to stay away from Lawrence and Jen is forced to chase the taller woman around the ring. As the round continues, Jen's frustration becomes more and more obvious and she starts taking chances. From her corner, Ryan and Theron scream advice, but Jen ignores them and continues her relentless pursuit of a KO!
Midway through the round, Jen's recklessness nearly does her in! In her haste to throw a right hand, she drops her left and Karlie crosses over it with a right hand of her own. Karlie's punch lands first, and solidly! Jen is sent bouncing on her bubble butt as the (heavily pro-Kloss) crowd goes wild screaming and chanting, KARLIE! KARLIE!
Jen sits up blinking, struggles to one knee, then pushes herself upright; bent over with her hands on her knees. With over a minute left in the round the fight has become a battle for survival for Chimera's welter contender. Her ego stung, Jennifer backs off fists raised as Karlie quickly moves forward to finish it before Jen can recover. J-Law leans away from a left hook, but can't escape a right that rattles her cage. Jen, again forced to clinch to buy time, bearhugs Karlie; their hot bodies pressed tightly together. Bosoms and bellies rub and bump as one struggles to break out of the embrace and the other equally determined to hang on as long as she can.
Fans began to boo and chant, BREAK 'EM UP, REF! as the action slows to a waltz tempo. The ref finally slaps Jen's hands down and pushes the two women apart, warning them, "Fight, not dance, ladies!"
Karlie darts to her right, trying to intercept Jen and cut off her flight, but Lawrence feints left and goes to her right, leaving Kloss with her right cocked and ready, but no target in front of her. J-Law keeps rotating to her right, pushing her left out hoping to discourage Karlie's pursuit, but the tall model takes advantage of her long legs to cut off the ring, forcing Jen to once again engage.
They trade right hands, with neither landing with much force, but Karlie scores again with her left hook, a punch that's worked well for her most of the night. Jen, rocked, again forced to clinch with her back on the ropes and the two wrestle belly-to-belly, reeling along the ropes until they hit the turnbuckles in The Fighting Academy corner where Kelly Hu shouts advice to her fighter.
Kloss planting her right forearm across Jen's chest under her chin to pin her, then drives two... three... four lefts low into the blonde's belly jusssst at the waistband of her low-riding bikini bottom. Jen gags and gasps as the wind is driven from her. Before Karlie can do more damage, the referee separates them, giving Lawrence an opening to escape. Karlie catches her and lands a heavy right hand, but then the bell ends the seventh round. Karlie's knockdown in minute two, and her subsequent domination, easily won Kloss her second straight round (wide) to put her in the lead, both in rounds and points, after 6 hard-fought stanzas!
R7: Hu and Gellar between rounds tell Karlie, "Stop playing around and finish her off!" In Chimera's corner, Jeri Ryan and Charlize Theron get in a screaming match that nearly results in the blondes trading blows. Ryan urging Lawrence to, "Attack, Attack, Attack!" while Theron advises, "Stay back; jab more... bide your time and don't give her an opening. Wait her out and win on points."
Lawrence, confused by the conflicting advice, steps out tentatively after the bell then quickly circles away from Kloss who, indeed, seems eager to bring the retreating blond to heel. Karlie chasing J-Law as she retreats in good order, but not doing much in the way of offense by doing so!
Karlie loping left, leaning into stiff jabs, roughing up Lawrence's pretty face which starts showing wear with both brows swollen and her nose dripping blood. Jen working rights to the body, but Karlie walks through them to land overhand rights to the head and left hooks to Jen's torso as she keeps the pressure on, keeping Jennifer back on her heels in retreat.
Lawrence's back hits the ropes and instead of clinching, she comes off the ropes with a left-right combination to the head, the right landing flush on Karlie's jaw...sending Kloss to the mat! Karlie stunned by the two punches, writhes around on her back as the referee wrestles with Lawrence who wants to stand over Karlie admiring her handiwork. Once the referee gets Jen away from Karlie, Kloss struggles to her knees, then manages to pull herself up just barely beating the count!
Ryan screaming at J-Law to attack and Jen follows orders, jogging across the ring to launch an all-out assault on the taller brunette who's leaning back rubber-legged on the ropes. Jennifer goes in low, slipping under Karlie's limp jab to hammer a right into Kloss's left side. Karlie grunting, doubling over, exposing her head to Lawrence's left which she drives home, twice, jack hammering Kloss's head backward.
Jen brings a right up from her knees and buries her fist in Karlie's belly, folding her forward as Kloss wraps her arms around Jennifer's neck and hangs grimly on, giving up her body. Lawrence working quickly, pounds away with both fists to Karlie's long, limber, body; slamming lefts and rights into both flanks and smashing her abs. Kloss not punching, just holding on, straining to wrap Jennifer in a bearhug as she attempts to weather the leather storm breaking over her.
Final seconds of the round sees Lawrence pressing Kloss relentlessly, slamming her back against the ropes, then battering her sideways into Karlie's corner where Jen stacks her brunette model up like so much cord wood and starts chopping her into so much kindling. Lawrence's knockdown in the first half of the round - and her subsequent relentless attack - easily won the round wide and it almost seemed to be a miracle that Kloss survived as J-Law has completely flipped the script this round.
R8: Comeback Karlie! Ryan stops Lawrence's bloody nose while Theron ices down Jen's swollen eyes.
Kloss, after being put back together between rounds, comes out fighting mad for the eighth and both fighters go toe-to-toe in the opening minute, each determined to impose her will on the other! Jen head-hunting, looking for Kloss's off switch, while Karlie goes back to Lawrence's body, digging into her belly with two or three punches, then firing upward to the underside of Jen's firm young breasts with devastating effect! J-Law stunned by the ferocity of Kloss's rack attack, forced to back off after more than a minute of mindless trading with the tall, willowy, model.
Karlie, grinning, surging forward to take advantage, rocking the blond actress with a sweeping right that staggers Lawrence, who is forced to clinch. Each woman digging to the flanks of the other, but J-Law's shorter arms give her a slight edge in the close-in punching. Karlie pushes off and throws a looping overhand right...SHE'S HURT as Jen leans into a straight right that just beats Karlie to the punch.
Karlie's right drops over Jennifer's left shoulder as Jen's right cracks square on Kloss's chin. The model's hands drop as her knees buckle! Kloss leans forward, right into a crackling left cross by Lawrence that slams into Karlie's right cheek and snaps her head to the side. Kloss body goes limp and crashes to the canvas on her left side, her left arm flung out in front of her. The big brunette's body hits the mat and bounces, then settles and lays still.
The arena falls silent, shocked by the sudden end to what had been a Crackerjack fight to this point. The referee ushers Lawrence to a corner, turns and after taking a quick look at Kloss, he waves off the count. Trainers for both fighters spill into the ring, Theron grabbing Lawrence around the hips and lifting her in the air as Jen pumps her right fist in the air. Hu and Gellar break out the smelling salts and go to work on Kloss and for a few moments there's concern about her, but once she's brought around, fans breath easier. Lawrence KO's Kloss and wins a stunning come-from-behind, KO8!
After: Lawrence, her left eye and bottom lip both swollen and with blood dripping from her nose, still can't stop smiling as she faces the cameras. "I started slow, but I sure stopped that big, bad, ol' bytch, didn't I?" she laughed. "She's a big long body and it's not easy getting inside against her when she gets on a roll like she did early in the fight. Except for a few minutes in the fourth, she was a handful after she made some adjustments after I hurt her in the first round. I really wanted to end this fight before she could get warmed up, because once she starts getting into a rhythm, she's a hard out.
You've all seen her against top welters so you know even when she loses, she gives anyone problems. Only a few women have stopped her in under seven rounds, I mean... even they beat her at all. And when you can beat her, you're in for a long, difficult, fight. She did a good job keeping me off her body and at long range; it's hard to get inside because she's got those long arms and legs and moves really well."
Asked about Karlie's 'rack tactics' Jennifer's face reddened, but she took a breath and replied, "I won't criticize another fighters strategy. She fought the way she thought she had to to win the fight...and she came pretty close to doing it, so I can't say she was wrong. I will say, I wasn't at all prepared for the way she smashed and bashed my lovely boobs, but if you want to know what she was thinking, you'll have to ask her. I'll just say I'm making a point of remembering tonight. If... or when... we meet again somewhere we'll have a chat about it."
Kloss, once she was brought around and checked out, made a brief appearance for the press accompanied by her close friend, Taylor Swift and her trainer Kelly Hu. She praised J-Law for fighting a good fight and pointed out how tough she was, mentioning she thought she had her ready to go several times, but each time, Lawrence came fighting back.
Asked about using "JMD tactics" against Lawrence in a non-JMD/D fight, Kloss appeared to stiffen and was about to respond when Hu put a hand on Karlie's arm. Kloss stopped, took a deep breath and said, "We studied a lot of video of Lawrence and my team and I saw things we thought I would be able to take advantage of against her. She's certainly got a sturdy, solid, beefy body, but nobody's invulnerable and her previous opponents have been able to wear her down and take her out late. I tried the same tactics and they didn't work for me... at least, not tonight. If she wants a rematch, I assure you, she'll come out of that fight just as sore and bloodied as she was after this one... maybe more."
* * *
TALE OF THE TAPE: (Result: Lookout/Words: Simgrrl)
Kloss (27yo, 6', 128#, 17-9) vs. Lawrence (29yo, 5'8", 139#, 29-24-1)
Before: Both fighters coming off a three month break from action. Kloss hoping to fight her way back into the Welter title picture after three failed attempts to win the unified belts from a champion. First Gemma Atkinson, then Hannah Ferguson, and finally, Kate Upton all rebuffed Karlie and sent back to her corner with an ignominious dismissal. These were, however, three of the tougher welters to ever strap on the title belt.
Like Kloss, Jennifer's been on hiatus since March. Also like Karlie, her career record shows three unsuccessful title challenges. She challenged for the FCBA Lightweight title twice, losing to Strahovski in 2014 and Yustman in 2015. Moving up to Welter didn't improve her odds because she was rebuffed by Kate Upton just two months after Kloss also fell to Kate in 2018. One thing hurting Lawrence, so far, is her stable's inability to make up their mind whether she was a lightweight or a welter. Only recently has Chimera decided Jen's future will be at welter...and possibly JMD/D.
Lawrence's weight fluctuated wildly in her early years between 128 and 140 depending on the film she was toning up for... or how much time she spent in the gym. Jen enjoyed the "good life" plus she's been involved in celebrity wrestling in addition to her boxing - something that was detrimental to her training. She's a fan of the WWE and until Ronda Rousey left Chimera, Jen said Ronda was her favorite wrestler.
This fight is critical for the winner. With a victory tonight, she'll be in position for another run at the Welter crown. The loser will slip back into a group of 20 or more jockeying for position outside the top ten. Climbing over that many competitors will take time neither of these women want to spend!
Kloss: Sheer white lace Victoria's Secret bra & panties, white thigh-hi's, gloves and shoes; long brunette hair loose.
J-Law: Chimera's go-to outfit, a green "Theron bikini", yellow gloves and bare feet; her honey blond hair in a French Twist.
* * * *
R1: Jeri Ryan already glowering at Charlize Theron in Lawrence's corner before the fight. Charlize leans in to give their girl a kiss on the cheek and a spank as J-Law rises from her stool. Kelly Hu and Sarah Gellar flank Kloss as Hu puts in Karlie's mouthguard. Bell.
Jen attacks immediately, throwing big right hands, keeping her left at her cheek where it blocks several dangerous Kloss rights. Lawrence non-stop punching, finally fights her way thru the defense of Kloss's long arms and gets to the willowy brunette's supple, lean, body. J-Law's the "big woman" in this fight in every way except height and reach. She's more muscular, heavier and with a stocky build. She has success against lighter women when she can make them take her weight, but she also is impatient and isn't willing to take her time to set opponents up. She's a straight ahead punching machine - as Karlie is finding out in the early going as she's being forced backward by Lawrence's relentless attack.
Inside Karlie's long arms, Jennifer finds a place where she can settle in and go to work breaking down Kloss's slim model's body. J-Law hammering away to Karlie's belly, slamming her fists into Kloss's flanks and battering her from one foot to the other as Kloss is forced to clinch, wrapping her arms around Lawrence's torso in an attempt to smother those devastating body punches.
J-Law pushing Karlie off, then coming up between them with a couple of uppercuts. KARLIE'S HURT! Kloss shaken by a clean shot to her chin, knees buckling, she reels back in disarray to the ropes with Lawrence in dogged pursuit! Jen bodies up to Kloss, pressing her chest onto Karlie's with her head under Kloss's chin. Karlie slapping at Lawrence's flanks while Jennifer is driving her fists into Karlie's abs and her sides. Kloss resorts to holding Jen's arm but the referee quickly breaks it up and Jennifer gets right back to her heavy-handed bludgeoning of the supermodel. At the bell, Lawrence is breathing hard after throwing dozens of full strength punches. Karlie slumping in the ropes, waiting for a hand as Hu and Gellar hurry out to escort her back to her stool to do damage control. Lawrence wins the 1st round on points, wide.
R2: Karlie getting an earful from Hu between rounds and comes out eager to even the score. She raises her offensive output, using her long legs more and keeping Lawrence at arms length, landing a dozen or more left hooks to Jen's belly in the first minute - and nearly as many rights. Karlie is a different fighter this round, firing either hand with authority, targeting Lawrence's left breast. The targeted attack forces Jen to drop her left - which was Karlie's intention - exposing Jen's head for Karlie's always dangerous right hand which she's slicing down in over Jen's left.
Jen struggling to get inside this round, Karlie's made adjustments and is doing a much better job of keeping herself out of Lawrence's reach for the most part. Whenever Jen tries to get inside, Karlie is able to punch her face and slip away laterally before Jen can land more than a single punch. Kloss's footwork is night and day improved from the first round and she's making it easy for herself to steer Jennifer around while piling up points.
Lawrence trying to adjust, using her jab more, fighting from a crouch, but with Karlie's longer reach, Kloss, in an upright stance, can still get to Jen while Lawrence has to lean forward and extend to get her jab to Karlie's head. Kloss learning from videos of Lawrence's JMD/D fights, landing left hooks to Jen's right breast or belly; softening up a midsection that's been a concern of boxing experts sharply divided about J-Law's fitness.
Jen slowing visibly late in the round as the damage Karlie's doing to her body continues to mount. Much like the 1st round, the 2nd ends with one girl trapped on the ropes as her opponent picks her apart. But this time the positions reversed and Karlie won the 2nd round points wide to pull even.
R3: Following her dominant second round, Karlie continues to attack Lawrence's body, switching quickly from her lower body to attacking her rack, then when J-Law puts her hands up, Karlie goes low again. With her longer arms, Kloss stays - for the most part - outside the range of Lawrence's counters and by shifting her points of attack, she's keeping Lawrence off balance.
Jennifer, heeding shouted advice from her corner (after a heated disagreement between Ryan and Theron) changes from trying to fight her way inside and instead, backs off, trying to lure Kloss into coming toward her when Jen could then strike suddenly and wrong foot the leggy supermodel. But Karlie's too smart to fall into such an obvious trap and simple continues to circle to her left, pumping her jab in Jennifer's face while keeping her own body just tantalizingly out of reach of the stronger woman's fists
Final minute of the round, the blonde's clearly frustrated and unsure of herself after two straight solid rounds of offensive punishment by the surprisingly nimble supermodel. Lawrence had the advantage of not only viewing a hundred hours of Kloss fight video, but she also sparred often with Charlize who'd been in the ring with Karlie almost exactly two years ago. Jennifer can't comprehend how all that isn't translating into a winning strategy since Kloss looks nothing like a welterweight contender.
As the final seconds tick down, Jeri Ryan pounds her hand on the canvas, signaling it's time for Jen to make a furious attack that may sway the judges in her favor. Jen slips under Karlie's left and turns into a right to the supermodel's right side ribs. Karlie grunts with the impact of the powerful blow, but she instantly reacts with a chopping right of her own, down onto Jen's left cheek. The punch sends Lawrence headlong into the ropes where she ends up with her head and shoulders outside the ropes, her body tottering on her belly on the middle rope. As she's trying to grab one of the ropes to get back inside the ring, the bell sounds to end the 3rd round. Karlie steps up and gives Jennifer's big round bottom a couple of playful spanks that raise a pink blush on her nether cheeks. The referee quickly jumps in to prevent trouble as Kloss wins another round on points, but it's close!
R4: Lawrence angrily shaking her fist and screaming at the referee for allowing Karlie to embarrass her like that as she returns to her corner. Ryan and Theron join the chorus but everyone knows nothing will be done. The FCBA tell fighters, "protect your ass at all times"...or something like that. Across the ring, Kloss and Gellar yakking it up, Sarah Michelle pantomiming winding up to spank someone but Hu warns Karlie, "Don't to get cocky, hon."
A fire has been lit under Lawrence and she comes out throwing like a deranged berserker in the opening minute of the 4th. Two right hands by Lawrence stun Kloss early to give Lawrence an opportunity to regain some of her earlier offensive momentum. With Karlie on shaky legs, Jen pounds her back into the Chimera corner where Theron leans in, her head between the mid- and bottom ropes yelling advice to J-Law. Ryan tugging at Theron's shorts trying to get her off the apron, but Charlize slaps Jeri's hand away and keeps barking at her protege.
Once she has Karlie trapped in the corner, Kloss's advantages of movement and distance are negated and Jennifer is able to lean in to pummel Karlie's wiry frame with both fists. Kloss frantically trying to escape, but the heavier, stronger, blonde rebuffs every attempt and, keeping her body on Karlie, Jen keeps pumping her fists into Karlie's taut tummy, then coming over the top with crushing rights.
Kloss moving her head well, not giving Lawrence a stationary target, but even glancing blows... or those that land somewhere other then their intended target, still hurt and Kloss is starting to show the effects of Lawrence's powerful body attack. As the round winds down Jen staying calm, sticking to her game plan to kill Karlie's body before taking her out. At the bell, the referee springs forward, grabbing Jen's right arm as she's about to throw another punch, pulling her away as Karlie settles into the supporting ropes at her back. Theron reaches between the ropes and pushes Kloss's butt out of the way so she can put Lawrence's stool in the corner. Lawrence wins round on points wide as the two women trade dominant rounds...but with J-Law taking a razor thin margin in points to the fifth!
R5: Lawrence hugged by Charlize as she nudges Karlie aside and flops onto her stool for a quick sip of water from Ryan who starts pointing out everything J-Law had done wrong that round. "Gotta stay focused," Jeri telling her. "Don't go there and showboat; stick to the plan! Work the body."
And Jennifer does just that, starting the fifth round just as she did the fourth, with a lunging overhand right that connects and has Karlie seeing stars in the opening seconds. Jen jacking Karlie up on the ropes, digging into the model's smooth abs; stealing her breath with every punch. Kloss clinching, then spinning Lawrence around and slithering out of her arms to escape into the open space of center ring where she buys time to catch her breath and shake the cobwebs out of her head.
Karlie's a slippery target when she has room to use her long, slender legs to make space to keep jabbing Jen in the face to discourage foolhardy rushes. Both women slowing the action, each looking for an opening to land the one big punch that can turn the fight around at it's midpoint. And it's Karlie who lands it! J-Law stunned by a Kloss left hook in the second minute. Karlie quick to take advantage, throwing a right and another left that puts a shimmy in Lawrence's thighs. JEN'S CLINCHING!
Lawrence hanging on, her face buried against Karlie's neck, left arm around Kloss's waist, right hand clamped onto Kloss's left bicep. Karlie banging away with her right to J-Law's left side, then pushing off to give the busty blonde the old criss-cross Bra Buster, then they're back to the clinch.
Jen's eyes watering as Karlie belabors her bosom with that right hand; Karlie's found a way to get Jen's attention and she's really laying into it. Karlie piles on the hurt for the final thirty seconds of the round and turns what started out looking like a J-Law round into another dominant round by Taylor Swifts' supermodel girlfriend (wide) to put Kloss back into the lead at the halfway mark.
R6: Lawrence unable to regain the momentum she lost in the fifth round as, once more, she's having problems handling the taller, lankier, model's whiplash right hand. Jen getting in a few licks of her own, landing a right that sends Karlie back to the ropes at one point, but Kloss is able to side slip and avoid being penned in. As long as Kloss can stay away from Jen, Karlie's able to pretty much do whatever she wants. But when Lawrence is able to impose her will, Kloss looks like an over matched lightweight against a full size welter.
But Karlie continues to use her long legs to stay away from Lawrence and Jen is forced to chase the taller woman around the ring. As the round continues, Jen's frustration becomes more and more obvious and she starts taking chances. From her corner, Ryan and Theron scream advice, but Jen ignores them and continues her relentless pursuit of a KO!
Midway through the round, Jen's recklessness nearly does her in! In her haste to throw a right hand, she drops her left and Karlie crosses over it with a right hand of her own. Karlie's punch lands first, and solidly! Jen is sent bouncing on her bubble butt as the (heavily pro-Kloss) crowd goes wild screaming and chanting, KARLIE! KARLIE!
Jen sits up blinking, struggles to one knee, then pushes herself upright; bent over with her hands on her knees. With over a minute left in the round the fight has become a battle for survival for Chimera's welter contender. Her ego stung, Jennifer backs off fists raised as Karlie quickly moves forward to finish it before Jen can recover. J-Law leans away from a left hook, but can't escape a right that rattles her cage. Jen, again forced to clinch to buy time, bearhugs Karlie; their hot bodies pressed tightly together. Bosoms and bellies rub and bump as one struggles to break out of the embrace and the other equally determined to hang on as long as she can.
Fans began to boo and chant, BREAK 'EM UP, REF! as the action slows to a waltz tempo. The ref finally slaps Jen's hands down and pushes the two women apart, warning them, "Fight, not dance, ladies!"
Karlie darts to her right, trying to intercept Jen and cut off her flight, but Lawrence feints left and goes to her right, leaving Kloss with her right cocked and ready, but no target in front of her. J-Law keeps rotating to her right, pushing her left out hoping to discourage Karlie's pursuit, but the tall model takes advantage of her long legs to cut off the ring, forcing Jen to once again engage.
They trade right hands, with neither landing with much force, but Karlie scores again with her left hook, a punch that's worked well for her most of the night. Jen, rocked, again forced to clinch with her back on the ropes and the two wrestle belly-to-belly, reeling along the ropes until they hit the turnbuckles in The Fighting Academy corner where Kelly Hu shouts advice to her fighter.
Kloss planting her right forearm across Jen's chest under her chin to pin her, then drives two... three... four lefts low into the blonde's belly jusssst at the waistband of her low-riding bikini bottom. Jen gags and gasps as the wind is driven from her. Before Karlie can do more damage, the referee separates them, giving Lawrence an opening to escape. Karlie catches her and lands a heavy right hand, but then the bell ends the seventh round. Karlie's knockdown in minute two, and her subsequent domination, easily won Kloss her second straight round (wide) to put her in the lead, both in rounds and points, after 6 hard-fought stanzas!
R7: Hu and Gellar between rounds tell Karlie, "Stop playing around and finish her off!" In Chimera's corner, Jeri Ryan and Charlize Theron get in a screaming match that nearly results in the blondes trading blows. Ryan urging Lawrence to, "Attack, Attack, Attack!" while Theron advises, "Stay back; jab more... bide your time and don't give her an opening. Wait her out and win on points."
Lawrence, confused by the conflicting advice, steps out tentatively after the bell then quickly circles away from Kloss who, indeed, seems eager to bring the retreating blond to heel. Karlie chasing J-Law as she retreats in good order, but not doing much in the way of offense by doing so!
Karlie loping left, leaning into stiff jabs, roughing up Lawrence's pretty face which starts showing wear with both brows swollen and her nose dripping blood. Jen working rights to the body, but Karlie walks through them to land overhand rights to the head and left hooks to Jen's torso as she keeps the pressure on, keeping Jennifer back on her heels in retreat.
Lawrence's back hits the ropes and instead of clinching, she comes off the ropes with a left-right combination to the head, the right landing flush on Karlie's jaw...sending Kloss to the mat! Karlie stunned by the two punches, writhes around on her back as the referee wrestles with Lawrence who wants to stand over Karlie admiring her handiwork. Once the referee gets Jen away from Karlie, Kloss struggles to her knees, then manages to pull herself up just barely beating the count!
Ryan screaming at J-Law to attack and Jen follows orders, jogging across the ring to launch an all-out assault on the taller brunette who's leaning back rubber-legged on the ropes. Jennifer goes in low, slipping under Karlie's limp jab to hammer a right into Kloss's left side. Karlie grunting, doubling over, exposing her head to Lawrence's left which she drives home, twice, jack hammering Kloss's head backward.
Jen brings a right up from her knees and buries her fist in Karlie's belly, folding her forward as Kloss wraps her arms around Jennifer's neck and hangs grimly on, giving up her body. Lawrence working quickly, pounds away with both fists to Karlie's long, limber, body; slamming lefts and rights into both flanks and smashing her abs. Kloss not punching, just holding on, straining to wrap Jennifer in a bearhug as she attempts to weather the leather storm breaking over her.
Final seconds of the round sees Lawrence pressing Kloss relentlessly, slamming her back against the ropes, then battering her sideways into Karlie's corner where Jen stacks her brunette model up like so much cord wood and starts chopping her into so much kindling. Lawrence's knockdown in the first half of the round - and her subsequent relentless attack - easily won the round wide and it almost seemed to be a miracle that Kloss survived as J-Law has completely flipped the script this round.
R8: Comeback Karlie! Ryan stops Lawrence's bloody nose while Theron ices down Jen's swollen eyes.
Kloss, after being put back together between rounds, comes out fighting mad for the eighth and both fighters go toe-to-toe in the opening minute, each determined to impose her will on the other! Jen head-hunting, looking for Kloss's off switch, while Karlie goes back to Lawrence's body, digging into her belly with two or three punches, then firing upward to the underside of Jen's firm young breasts with devastating effect! J-Law stunned by the ferocity of Kloss's rack attack, forced to back off after more than a minute of mindless trading with the tall, willowy, model.
Karlie, grinning, surging forward to take advantage, rocking the blond actress with a sweeping right that staggers Lawrence, who is forced to clinch. Each woman digging to the flanks of the other, but J-Law's shorter arms give her a slight edge in the close-in punching. Karlie pushes off and throws a looping overhand right...SHE'S HURT as Jen leans into a straight right that just beats Karlie to the punch.
Karlie's right drops over Jennifer's left shoulder as Jen's right cracks square on Kloss's chin. The model's hands drop as her knees buckle! Kloss leans forward, right into a crackling left cross by Lawrence that slams into Karlie's right cheek and snaps her head to the side. Kloss body goes limp and crashes to the canvas on her left side, her left arm flung out in front of her. The big brunette's body hits the mat and bounces, then settles and lays still.
The arena falls silent, shocked by the sudden end to what had been a Crackerjack fight to this point. The referee ushers Lawrence to a corner, turns and after taking a quick look at Kloss, he waves off the count. Trainers for both fighters spill into the ring, Theron grabbing Lawrence around the hips and lifting her in the air as Jen pumps her right fist in the air. Hu and Gellar break out the smelling salts and go to work on Kloss and for a few moments there's concern about her, but once she's brought around, fans breath easier. Lawrence KO's Kloss and wins a stunning come-from-behind, KO8!
After: Lawrence, her left eye and bottom lip both swollen and with blood dripping from her nose, still can't stop smiling as she faces the cameras. "I started slow, but I sure stopped that big, bad, ol' bytch, didn't I?" she laughed. "She's a big long body and it's not easy getting inside against her when she gets on a roll like she did early in the fight. Except for a few minutes in the fourth, she was a handful after she made some adjustments after I hurt her in the first round. I really wanted to end this fight before she could get warmed up, because once she starts getting into a rhythm, she's a hard out.
You've all seen her against top welters so you know even when she loses, she gives anyone problems. Only a few women have stopped her in under seven rounds, I mean... even they beat her at all. And when you can beat her, you're in for a long, difficult, fight. She did a good job keeping me off her body and at long range; it's hard to get inside because she's got those long arms and legs and moves really well."
Asked about Karlie's 'rack tactics' Jennifer's face reddened, but she took a breath and replied, "I won't criticize another fighters strategy. She fought the way she thought she had to to win the fight...and she came pretty close to doing it, so I can't say she was wrong. I will say, I wasn't at all prepared for the way she smashed and bashed my lovely boobs, but if you want to know what she was thinking, you'll have to ask her. I'll just say I'm making a point of remembering tonight. If... or when... we meet again somewhere we'll have a chat about it."
Kloss, once she was brought around and checked out, made a brief appearance for the press accompanied by her close friend, Taylor Swift and her trainer Kelly Hu. She praised J-Law for fighting a good fight and pointed out how tough she was, mentioning she thought she had her ready to go several times, but each time, Lawrence came fighting back.
Asked about using "JMD tactics" against Lawrence in a non-JMD/D fight, Kloss appeared to stiffen and was about to respond when Hu put a hand on Karlie's arm. Kloss stopped, took a deep breath and said, "We studied a lot of video of Lawrence and my team and I saw things we thought I would be able to take advantage of against her. She's certainly got a sturdy, solid, beefy body, but nobody's invulnerable and her previous opponents have been able to wear her down and take her out late. I tried the same tactics and they didn't work for me... at least, not tonight. If she wants a rematch, I assure you, she'll come out of that fight just as sore and bloodied as she was after this one... maybe more."
* * *
