Post by Lookout! Boxing on Dec 26, 2020 4:22:15 GMT -6
Evangeline Lilly vs. Naomi Scott
Hall of Famer Lilly in a bit of a funk, the kind of funk that gets gums to flapping when a fighter is 41 and has over 100 career fights. She's lost three in a row and four of six and hasn't beaten a ranked bantam since successfully defending the belts against Kaya Scodelario back in April. But, of course, Lilly HELD the belts as recently as seven months ago, so, reports of her demise are almost certainly greatly exaggerated. "I haven't lost a thing," the Canadian beauty says. "No, I'm not 25 anymore, but I can still fight at the highest level, as I've proven again and again."
"Don't believe the hype about her slipping," says Naomi, who's used 2020 to vault into the bantam title picture with an impressive 6-2 run after a 6-1 2019. "She's still just about as good as it gets in this division. But. She's not as good as I am. Because, no bantam IS."
ROUND ONE:
Scott has a slight reach advantage and she uses it early in this one. British beauty sets up at range and gets the jab going, picking off Vangie, holding her, setting her up for hard right hand follows. Lilly's trying to angle, get to spots, but not having any success doing it. Instead, the younger woman is calling the tune, working everything off that long, accurate jab, controlling the Canadian with it, while frustrating her attempts to go over to the offensive. For two and a half minutes, Scott dominates. In the final half, Lilly gets going, finding ways to slip the jab and get inside where she works some body, goes upstairs, backs Naomi up, forces her to cover up. It's good stuff from Lilly, but too late to make a difference as far as the opening stanza's points go. Those are claimed by Naomi, wide, and Scott leads 10-9 after one.
ROUND TWO:
Lilly's found something now, and she's making good use of it. She wants to fight thing thing in the phone booth, and she's getting past Scott's jab and forcing that issue. Result is that the brunettes are banging away in close quarters, and Vangie's getting much the better of it. Canadian going body, then upstairs to back the British beauty up with hard shot to the head. Scott's getting tossed to the defensive despite her best efforts to respond in kind, as veteran Lilly uses her wiles to lever with the shoulder, bump and grind, opening up the body and head for good, clean shot. Naomi more than a little uncomfortable on these terms and it shows. She has her moments, mind, but they're few and far between, and, when the bell rings, there's no doubt Lilly's grabbed the round wide and evened things at 19.
ROUND THREE:
Lilly pressuring. Scott forced to back up again and again. Naomi can't find a way to slow Vangie down or keep her off, and the result is the Canadian taking command of this thing. BOOM! Right hook, LILLY! Scott is HURT! Naomi covers up and VANGIE DROPS HER WITH A STRAIGHT RIGHT! Lilly splits the gloves and sends Scott crashing to her back. Naomi wide eyed, looking up at the ref as Evangeline heads to a neutral corner. Looks like it might be all over, but, somehow, Scott struggles to her feet at eight. Ref thinks about it during the mandatory, but allows it to continue, and Vangie POURS in on a dazed Scott. British beauty forced to the ropes and PUMMELLED as the Canadian trains the big guns on her looking to finish. Ref's looking in closely the whole time, but, Scott manages to ride out the storm. At the bell, Naomi's unsteady and scuffed, and Lilly, with a 10-8 round, has grabbed a 29-27 lead.
ROUND FOUR:
Vangie cleaning up. Scott's still dazed and the Canadian knows it. She's walking forward, backing the Brit up with hard shot to head, stopping a moment to work some body, then going right back to head hunting. Scott covering up, backing up, playing for time here. She's jabbing back in spots, but is mostly reduced to trying to block, slip, and roll with all the heavy fire the older woman is tossing at her. Naomi does well to stay off the ropes most of the round. She's trapped there a couple of times and takes some punishment as a result, but, mostly, she's able to remain in open canvas where she can give ground and run clock. By the time the bell rings, there's no doubt that Vangie's executed the clean up. She's taken the round wide and extended her lead to 39-36. But. Naomi is still on her feet.
ROUND FIVE:
Lilly pressuring, committing on punches, backing up Scott. Naomi giving ground, countering here and there and ROCKING EVANGELINE WITH A RIGHT HAND! Brit KEYHOLES a perfect right hand counter and Lilly is STEPPIN' IN FENCE POST HOLES! Scott quickly over to the offensive, letting the hands go, backing up the Canadian, forcing her to the cables, then grabbing the radio to begin calling in the artillery strikes. Lilly in a tight earmuff, taking a ton of fire. Ref looking in. Vangie putting the body on sale, but Scott's not buying. She wants to finish this thing RIGHT NOW. But, the veteran Canadian has been here before. She's rolling with, blocking, tying up when she can. And, she's punching back enough to keep the ref at bay. Scott gives her a beating, but she can't get her out of there. When the bell rings, Lilly's still standing. And, despite the fact that Naomi has taken the round wide, still leading, 48-46.
ROUND SIX:
Scott in control. Lilly's legs more than a little iffy, so Naomi's able to walk her down, back her up. Vangie playing defense well. She's slick with the slips and blocks, but the younger woman's tossing a lot of heavy leather, and some of it is getting through. Naomi putting together a thorough clean up like Evangeline did in the fourth, but, what she wants is what eluded Lilly, the finisher. The Canadian, though, continues to deny her same. Lilly finding ways to run clock, countering here and there with dangerous right hands, tying up, giving ground. By the latter stages of the stanza, Evangeline is moving well again, able to hold canvas and Scott responds by easing the pressure, going to range to box, working the jab to the bell. When it rings, Naomi's taken the points wide, but she's still trailing on the cards 57-56.
ROUND SEVEN:
Naomi working the jab. She wants space, but, again, Vangie not having it. Lilly working forward, wants to get back into the phone booth where she had so much success early. BOOM! Straight right hand, SCOTT! Naomi catches Vangie on the way in and Lilly stumbles and GOES DOWN ON HER BACK! Scott quickly to a neutral corner as Evangeline stares up at the referee. She waits until six. Sits up. Takes the remaining three seconds, and stands at nine. Ref gives the Hall of Famer the mandatory and WAIVES ON SCOTT! British beauty letting the hands go, pinning the Canadian to the cables and just REEFING hard shot at her. Vangie firing back, but she's WOBBLED with a right hook and her legs go rubbery after a short uppercut and it's OVER! The referee leaps in and bundles Vangie to safety and it's OVER and your winner by KO7 is Naomi Scott!
AFTER:
Scott showing all due respect to her vanquished opponent. "No question why she's in the Hall. She's very skilled and very smart and hits like a ton of bricks," the British beauty admits. "I've no doubt she can grab the belts again before she's done. But. Right now is MY time. I'm gunning for the gold, and anyone who gets in my way is going to get what Lilly got!"
Hall of Famer Lilly in a bit of a funk, the kind of funk that gets gums to flapping when a fighter is 41 and has over 100 career fights. She's lost three in a row and four of six and hasn't beaten a ranked bantam since successfully defending the belts against Kaya Scodelario back in April. But, of course, Lilly HELD the belts as recently as seven months ago, so, reports of her demise are almost certainly greatly exaggerated. "I haven't lost a thing," the Canadian beauty says. "No, I'm not 25 anymore, but I can still fight at the highest level, as I've proven again and again."
"Don't believe the hype about her slipping," says Naomi, who's used 2020 to vault into the bantam title picture with an impressive 6-2 run after a 6-1 2019. "She's still just about as good as it gets in this division. But. She's not as good as I am. Because, no bantam IS."
ROUND ONE:
Scott has a slight reach advantage and she uses it early in this one. British beauty sets up at range and gets the jab going, picking off Vangie, holding her, setting her up for hard right hand follows. Lilly's trying to angle, get to spots, but not having any success doing it. Instead, the younger woman is calling the tune, working everything off that long, accurate jab, controlling the Canadian with it, while frustrating her attempts to go over to the offensive. For two and a half minutes, Scott dominates. In the final half, Lilly gets going, finding ways to slip the jab and get inside where she works some body, goes upstairs, backs Naomi up, forces her to cover up. It's good stuff from Lilly, but too late to make a difference as far as the opening stanza's points go. Those are claimed by Naomi, wide, and Scott leads 10-9 after one.
ROUND TWO:
Lilly's found something now, and she's making good use of it. She wants to fight thing thing in the phone booth, and she's getting past Scott's jab and forcing that issue. Result is that the brunettes are banging away in close quarters, and Vangie's getting much the better of it. Canadian going body, then upstairs to back the British beauty up with hard shot to the head. Scott's getting tossed to the defensive despite her best efforts to respond in kind, as veteran Lilly uses her wiles to lever with the shoulder, bump and grind, opening up the body and head for good, clean shot. Naomi more than a little uncomfortable on these terms and it shows. She has her moments, mind, but they're few and far between, and, when the bell rings, there's no doubt Lilly's grabbed the round wide and evened things at 19.
ROUND THREE:
Lilly pressuring. Scott forced to back up again and again. Naomi can't find a way to slow Vangie down or keep her off, and the result is the Canadian taking command of this thing. BOOM! Right hook, LILLY! Scott is HURT! Naomi covers up and VANGIE DROPS HER WITH A STRAIGHT RIGHT! Lilly splits the gloves and sends Scott crashing to her back. Naomi wide eyed, looking up at the ref as Evangeline heads to a neutral corner. Looks like it might be all over, but, somehow, Scott struggles to her feet at eight. Ref thinks about it during the mandatory, but allows it to continue, and Vangie POURS in on a dazed Scott. British beauty forced to the ropes and PUMMELLED as the Canadian trains the big guns on her looking to finish. Ref's looking in closely the whole time, but, Scott manages to ride out the storm. At the bell, Naomi's unsteady and scuffed, and Lilly, with a 10-8 round, has grabbed a 29-27 lead.
ROUND FOUR:
Vangie cleaning up. Scott's still dazed and the Canadian knows it. She's walking forward, backing the Brit up with hard shot to head, stopping a moment to work some body, then going right back to head hunting. Scott covering up, backing up, playing for time here. She's jabbing back in spots, but is mostly reduced to trying to block, slip, and roll with all the heavy fire the older woman is tossing at her. Naomi does well to stay off the ropes most of the round. She's trapped there a couple of times and takes some punishment as a result, but, mostly, she's able to remain in open canvas where she can give ground and run clock. By the time the bell rings, there's no doubt that Vangie's executed the clean up. She's taken the round wide and extended her lead to 39-36. But. Naomi is still on her feet.
ROUND FIVE:
Lilly pressuring, committing on punches, backing up Scott. Naomi giving ground, countering here and there and ROCKING EVANGELINE WITH A RIGHT HAND! Brit KEYHOLES a perfect right hand counter and Lilly is STEPPIN' IN FENCE POST HOLES! Scott quickly over to the offensive, letting the hands go, backing up the Canadian, forcing her to the cables, then grabbing the radio to begin calling in the artillery strikes. Lilly in a tight earmuff, taking a ton of fire. Ref looking in. Vangie putting the body on sale, but Scott's not buying. She wants to finish this thing RIGHT NOW. But, the veteran Canadian has been here before. She's rolling with, blocking, tying up when she can. And, she's punching back enough to keep the ref at bay. Scott gives her a beating, but she can't get her out of there. When the bell rings, Lilly's still standing. And, despite the fact that Naomi has taken the round wide, still leading, 48-46.
ROUND SIX:
Scott in control. Lilly's legs more than a little iffy, so Naomi's able to walk her down, back her up. Vangie playing defense well. She's slick with the slips and blocks, but the younger woman's tossing a lot of heavy leather, and some of it is getting through. Naomi putting together a thorough clean up like Evangeline did in the fourth, but, what she wants is what eluded Lilly, the finisher. The Canadian, though, continues to deny her same. Lilly finding ways to run clock, countering here and there with dangerous right hands, tying up, giving ground. By the latter stages of the stanza, Evangeline is moving well again, able to hold canvas and Scott responds by easing the pressure, going to range to box, working the jab to the bell. When it rings, Naomi's taken the points wide, but she's still trailing on the cards 57-56.
ROUND SEVEN:
Naomi working the jab. She wants space, but, again, Vangie not having it. Lilly working forward, wants to get back into the phone booth where she had so much success early. BOOM! Straight right hand, SCOTT! Naomi catches Vangie on the way in and Lilly stumbles and GOES DOWN ON HER BACK! Scott quickly to a neutral corner as Evangeline stares up at the referee. She waits until six. Sits up. Takes the remaining three seconds, and stands at nine. Ref gives the Hall of Famer the mandatory and WAIVES ON SCOTT! British beauty letting the hands go, pinning the Canadian to the cables and just REEFING hard shot at her. Vangie firing back, but she's WOBBLED with a right hook and her legs go rubbery after a short uppercut and it's OVER! The referee leaps in and bundles Vangie to safety and it's OVER and your winner by KO7 is Naomi Scott!
AFTER:
Scott showing all due respect to her vanquished opponent. "No question why she's in the Hall. She's very skilled and very smart and hits like a ton of bricks," the British beauty admits. "I've no doubt she can grab the belts again before she's done. But. Right now is MY time. I'm gunning for the gold, and anyone who gets in my way is going to get what Lilly got!"