Post by Lookout! Boxing on Jul 31, 2021 4:43:15 GMT -6
Natalie Portman vs. Vanessa Hudgens (Results: Lookout! Words: Wiz)
BEFORE:
Absolutely zero hype needed for this battle of brunette flyweights who have a whopping FIFTEEN titles and two Hall of Fame plaques between them. Surprisingly though, since the pair have been at the top of the flyweight rankings for the better part of a decade now, this is their first meeting since 2015, and Vanessa remembers well how that went.
"Natalie," says Hudgens with a dismissive waive of the hand, "Is a back bencher at HISC. As much as I LOATHE Mishy and as much as I've proven, over and over again, that she's INFERIOR to me, she's FAR superior to Natalie. So, Portman has no chance tonight. Absolutely none."
"Yes," says a hard-eyed Natalie, "She beat me six years ago. And I beat HER the first time we fought. And, neither of those fights will have any bearing on tonight. What WILL decide the fight tonight is the fact that I'm a SUPERIOR fighter, as Vanessa is about to find out."
ROUND ONE:
'Nessa wants to do the jab and circle routine early in this one, but Natalie having none of it. Portman has a degree from Harvard, so, it's safe to say she understands geometry, and she uses it very, very well. The older woman cuts the ring, corners Hudgens, then gives her a boxing lesson. 'Nessa clearly uncomfortable not being able to range around the ring, and Natalie uses that to her advantage, putting together sharp combinations that force Hudgens to the defensive. 'Nessa looking for ways out of Portman's traps, but can't find them, leading to long exchanges on Natalie's terms. And, you can guess how those go for 'Nessa. Late in the round, Portman actually buzzes Hudgens with a short right hand, and 'Nessa ends up on the ropes at the bell. It's Portman wide in the first and up 10-9.
ROUND TWO:
Hudgens adjustment to Portman's tactics is even more movement. 'Nessa's circling wide, using a drop step, snapping out that jab, making it hard for Natalie to cut the ring. Result is more of a two-way round than we had in the first. Now, we've got 'Nessa having spells in open ocean, and, when she's there, she's scoring well with both hands, piling up points. At other times, Natalie forces her to battle, and, it's then that Portman controls things, offsetting a lot of what Hudgens is doing on the move. There's not much in it the entire way and both fighters up the work rate late in an effort to steal the points, though neither gains much of an edge in those final 30 seconds. When the bell rings, it's a near thing, but it's 'Nessa who's evened things up at 19 after two.
ROUND THREE:
More of the same. It's all about terms now. Hudgens working hard to stay out of the traps Natalie's trying to force her into. At times, she's able to do that, and, when she can, she's getting much the better of things. Portman can't match the speed and athleticism of the younger woman. But. When Natalie's able to coop 'Nessa up, the exact opposite happens. Portman gets the edge, putting together punches well, keeping 'Nessa on the defensive, using that geometry to her advantage in a very big way. And, again, both fighters get some, but not nearly enough of what they want, creating another two-way round in which there's very little in it right to the bell. When it finally rings, it's another razor-thin margin, this one going to Natalie, who pulls back into the lead 29-28.
ROUND FOUR:
Same again. Until it isn't. 'Nessa's trying to stay on open canvas while Natalie works to cut the ring until...BOOM! A NASTY right hand from Vanessa and Portman is HURT! Natalie's knees give a shimmy and that's all the invitation 'Nessa needs to let the hands go in a big way. Hudgens drives all before her, sending Portman to the ropes and then giving her an absolute THRASHING. Ref is looking in closely as Nat plays slick defense, blocking and rolling, keeping the guard high, but plenty of effective leather is getting through. Hudgens is piling up the points and the hurt and it's just a matter of whether or not she has time to get the referee to put a stop to things. She doesn't. Portman does just enough to keep the ref at bay until the bell rings. But, it's 'Nessa's round wide and we're even again at 38.
ROUND FIVE:
Younger woman pressing the advantage. She's walking forward behind the jab, backing up Portman with hard leather to the head and even a little to the body. BOOM! Right-hand counter, Portman and Hudgens is HURT! Now it's Vanessa's knees doing a shimmy and it's Natalie who's all in, sending a blizzard of leather at Vanessa and DROPPING HER TO ALL FOURS! It's not one punch, but a BUNCH of punches that send the Hall of Famer sinking to the canvas, but the result is the same. Natalie in a neutral corner. The ref counting down on 'Nessa. Hudgens struggles to her feet at eight and Portman comes at her, guns blazing, driving her into a corner and absolutely ABUSING her for the remainder of the round. Again, the ref is kept at bay by slick defense and just enough offense, but 'Nessa's wobbly and scuffed when the bell rings, and Portman, with a 10-8 round, pulls into a 48-46 lead.
ROUND SIX:
Portman in total control. Hudgens' famed legs are plenty iffy, and that makes her plenty easy for Portman to line up. Which is great news for Natalie, and very, very bad news for Vanessa. Result is that Portman gives Hudgens an absolute shellacking, putting punches together, landing hard shot to the head, backing up the younger woman, keeping her on the defensive. Hudgens tries to hold canvas and bang back at times, but she can't get it done. Instead, Portman brutally puts down any of those uprisings and the ref is, again, watching very closely lest the time come when he needs to step in to stop the beatdown. Final seconds see Hudgens beginning to move a little better, but it's too little, too late. Shutout, Portman in the sixth, and Natalie's lead is now 58-55.
ROUND SEVEN:
Hudgens moving much better now, and that makes all the difference. Now, we're back to where we were in rounds two and three, as both brunettes are fighting tactically. 'Nessa using the jab and circle, reversing field, drop-stepping, doing whatever she can to maintain distance and keep out of the traps Natalie continues to set for her. But, the Harvard-educated Portman knows what she's doing. She's able to cut the ring, force the exchanges she wants, not as often as she'd like, but FAR more often than Vanessa would like. All adds up to another good, two-way round between two Hall of Famers. And, to a very, very close round. There's, basically, nothing in it the entire way, but some late flurries from Hudgens allow 'Nessa to steal the points and cut Portman's lead to two, 67-65.
ROUND EIGHT:
Eighth looks an awful lot like the seventh. Tactical stuff, with Hudgens scoring well when she's free to roam and Portman offsetting all that when she can bottle the younger woman up and force exchanges. Then, it all changes with one right hand from Vanessa. BOOM! Natalie's steppin' in fence post holes! Portman in SERIOUS trouble as 'Nessa goes all in and DROPS HER TO HER BACK WITH A RIGHT HOOK! Hudgens throws the arms up in victory and heads to a neutral corner. But. You might want to turn around, 'Nessa, because Natalie's back on her feet. Ref gives her the mandatory, then waives on Hudgens. 'Nessa letting the hands go in a big way, driving Natalie into the ropes and tossing flurry after flurry of leather at her, then SNAPPING her head back with a NASTY uppercut and it's OVER! The ref leaps in and bundles Portman to safety and it's OVER! And your winner by TKO8 is Vanessa Hudgens!
AFTER:
'Nessa looking plenty scuffed, but convinced in the righteousness of her pre-fight comments. "I TOLD you," the brunette beauty says with fire in her voice and eyes. "She's not in my LEAGUE." When reminded that Portman is, like she, herself, in the Hall of Fame, Hudgens responds with a smile. "Well. Maybe there should be a HIGHER LEVEL Hall of Fame for the elite of the elite...because, I'm one of those, and Natalie ISN'T."
BEFORE:
Absolutely zero hype needed for this battle of brunette flyweights who have a whopping FIFTEEN titles and two Hall of Fame plaques between them. Surprisingly though, since the pair have been at the top of the flyweight rankings for the better part of a decade now, this is their first meeting since 2015, and Vanessa remembers well how that went.
"Natalie," says Hudgens with a dismissive waive of the hand, "Is a back bencher at HISC. As much as I LOATHE Mishy and as much as I've proven, over and over again, that she's INFERIOR to me, she's FAR superior to Natalie. So, Portman has no chance tonight. Absolutely none."
"Yes," says a hard-eyed Natalie, "She beat me six years ago. And I beat HER the first time we fought. And, neither of those fights will have any bearing on tonight. What WILL decide the fight tonight is the fact that I'm a SUPERIOR fighter, as Vanessa is about to find out."
ROUND ONE:
'Nessa wants to do the jab and circle routine early in this one, but Natalie having none of it. Portman has a degree from Harvard, so, it's safe to say she understands geometry, and she uses it very, very well. The older woman cuts the ring, corners Hudgens, then gives her a boxing lesson. 'Nessa clearly uncomfortable not being able to range around the ring, and Natalie uses that to her advantage, putting together sharp combinations that force Hudgens to the defensive. 'Nessa looking for ways out of Portman's traps, but can't find them, leading to long exchanges on Natalie's terms. And, you can guess how those go for 'Nessa. Late in the round, Portman actually buzzes Hudgens with a short right hand, and 'Nessa ends up on the ropes at the bell. It's Portman wide in the first and up 10-9.
ROUND TWO:
Hudgens adjustment to Portman's tactics is even more movement. 'Nessa's circling wide, using a drop step, snapping out that jab, making it hard for Natalie to cut the ring. Result is more of a two-way round than we had in the first. Now, we've got 'Nessa having spells in open ocean, and, when she's there, she's scoring well with both hands, piling up points. At other times, Natalie forces her to battle, and, it's then that Portman controls things, offsetting a lot of what Hudgens is doing on the move. There's not much in it the entire way and both fighters up the work rate late in an effort to steal the points, though neither gains much of an edge in those final 30 seconds. When the bell rings, it's a near thing, but it's 'Nessa who's evened things up at 19 after two.
ROUND THREE:
More of the same. It's all about terms now. Hudgens working hard to stay out of the traps Natalie's trying to force her into. At times, she's able to do that, and, when she can, she's getting much the better of things. Portman can't match the speed and athleticism of the younger woman. But. When Natalie's able to coop 'Nessa up, the exact opposite happens. Portman gets the edge, putting together punches well, keeping 'Nessa on the defensive, using that geometry to her advantage in a very big way. And, again, both fighters get some, but not nearly enough of what they want, creating another two-way round in which there's very little in it right to the bell. When it finally rings, it's another razor-thin margin, this one going to Natalie, who pulls back into the lead 29-28.
ROUND FOUR:
Same again. Until it isn't. 'Nessa's trying to stay on open canvas while Natalie works to cut the ring until...BOOM! A NASTY right hand from Vanessa and Portman is HURT! Natalie's knees give a shimmy and that's all the invitation 'Nessa needs to let the hands go in a big way. Hudgens drives all before her, sending Portman to the ropes and then giving her an absolute THRASHING. Ref is looking in closely as Nat plays slick defense, blocking and rolling, keeping the guard high, but plenty of effective leather is getting through. Hudgens is piling up the points and the hurt and it's just a matter of whether or not she has time to get the referee to put a stop to things. She doesn't. Portman does just enough to keep the ref at bay until the bell rings. But, it's 'Nessa's round wide and we're even again at 38.
ROUND FIVE:
Younger woman pressing the advantage. She's walking forward behind the jab, backing up Portman with hard leather to the head and even a little to the body. BOOM! Right-hand counter, Portman and Hudgens is HURT! Now it's Vanessa's knees doing a shimmy and it's Natalie who's all in, sending a blizzard of leather at Vanessa and DROPPING HER TO ALL FOURS! It's not one punch, but a BUNCH of punches that send the Hall of Famer sinking to the canvas, but the result is the same. Natalie in a neutral corner. The ref counting down on 'Nessa. Hudgens struggles to her feet at eight and Portman comes at her, guns blazing, driving her into a corner and absolutely ABUSING her for the remainder of the round. Again, the ref is kept at bay by slick defense and just enough offense, but 'Nessa's wobbly and scuffed when the bell rings, and Portman, with a 10-8 round, pulls into a 48-46 lead.
ROUND SIX:
Portman in total control. Hudgens' famed legs are plenty iffy, and that makes her plenty easy for Portman to line up. Which is great news for Natalie, and very, very bad news for Vanessa. Result is that Portman gives Hudgens an absolute shellacking, putting punches together, landing hard shot to the head, backing up the younger woman, keeping her on the defensive. Hudgens tries to hold canvas and bang back at times, but she can't get it done. Instead, Portman brutally puts down any of those uprisings and the ref is, again, watching very closely lest the time come when he needs to step in to stop the beatdown. Final seconds see Hudgens beginning to move a little better, but it's too little, too late. Shutout, Portman in the sixth, and Natalie's lead is now 58-55.
ROUND SEVEN:
Hudgens moving much better now, and that makes all the difference. Now, we're back to where we were in rounds two and three, as both brunettes are fighting tactically. 'Nessa using the jab and circle, reversing field, drop-stepping, doing whatever she can to maintain distance and keep out of the traps Natalie continues to set for her. But, the Harvard-educated Portman knows what she's doing. She's able to cut the ring, force the exchanges she wants, not as often as she'd like, but FAR more often than Vanessa would like. All adds up to another good, two-way round between two Hall of Famers. And, to a very, very close round. There's, basically, nothing in it the entire way, but some late flurries from Hudgens allow 'Nessa to steal the points and cut Portman's lead to two, 67-65.
ROUND EIGHT:
Eighth looks an awful lot like the seventh. Tactical stuff, with Hudgens scoring well when she's free to roam and Portman offsetting all that when she can bottle the younger woman up and force exchanges. Then, it all changes with one right hand from Vanessa. BOOM! Natalie's steppin' in fence post holes! Portman in SERIOUS trouble as 'Nessa goes all in and DROPS HER TO HER BACK WITH A RIGHT HOOK! Hudgens throws the arms up in victory and heads to a neutral corner. But. You might want to turn around, 'Nessa, because Natalie's back on her feet. Ref gives her the mandatory, then waives on Hudgens. 'Nessa letting the hands go in a big way, driving Natalie into the ropes and tossing flurry after flurry of leather at her, then SNAPPING her head back with a NASTY uppercut and it's OVER! The ref leaps in and bundles Portman to safety and it's OVER! And your winner by TKO8 is Vanessa Hudgens!
AFTER:
'Nessa looking plenty scuffed, but convinced in the righteousness of her pre-fight comments. "I TOLD you," the brunette beauty says with fire in her voice and eyes. "She's not in my LEAGUE." When reminded that Portman is, like she, herself, in the Hall of Fame, Hudgens responds with a smile. "Well. Maybe there should be a HIGHER LEVEL Hall of Fame for the elite of the elite...because, I'm one of those, and Natalie ISN'T."