Odette Yustman vs Holly Valance

Celebrity Boxing After Dark
Odette Yustman vs Holly Valance
(Lioness Club of America vs The Metermaids)
(45-29-1, 38 KO vs 14-18-1, 7 KO)
Results: Lookout!; Story: Vassago

BEFORE: It's debatable whether Odette Yustman mounts another championship campaign given the crowded nature of the lightweight division but since Mary Elizabeth Winstead ascended to another title reign over the weekend you simply can't rule this possibility out. Odette has dropped some upset losses in recent months and hopes to build some confidence back by taking on the exciting Holly Valance who has seen better days before herself but is anything but a walking punchbag.

Odette Yustman wears a white bikini set & red gloves. Long dark brown hair tied in a custom ponytail. Holly Valance wears a black bikini set & golden gloves. Long light brown hair tied in a curled ponytail. The fight is scheduled for ten rounds in the lightweight division.

Round 1:
Holly tries to upstage the American with some high-tempo jabbing but gets overrun by Odette's delivery and has to soak up a heavy dose of leather up the middle which triggers a hectic back & forth exchange in the center of the ring. It's fairly uncommon to see Odette in such aggressive stance so early during a fight but she's really pressed to shake off all those bad losses and Valance learns it the hard way as she gets thumped back to the ropes with Yustman blasting her on each temple with significant power supply. The Aussie game plan remains DOA as Holly disappears behind a tight earmuff and defaults the action as Odette clocks her from both flanks and keeps wrapped in a desperate cover for remainder of the round.

Round 2:
Holly hasn't recovered from that poor opening round and gets blasted up the middle again showing signs of woeful punching resistance as Odette slices her almost at will and scythes a nasty gash under the right eye before the Australian tourist finally gets off the mark. Better late than never but Holly can only match Odette's work rate and still gets bumped onto the ropes when the American blows into her midsection and stuffs her into another yelping disarray. Holly looks woefully hittable here and struggles to even clinch her foe as Odette racks up more clean hits upstairs and wraps the older brunette into another earmuff bubble come the bell. One-way traffic here and those pre-fight comments about Valance escaping the punchbag status were truly off the mark!

Round 3:
Odette seems surprised how little resistance she faced in the first couple of rounds but suddenly Holly whacks her with a nasty hook on the nose and beats her for a swift overhand which triggers a proper Aussie recovery. Holly squares up to the younger brunette in slugging fashion and stuffs her with a well-timed shot on the solar plexus before another back & forth exchange rocks Yustman's head and slumps her on the heels. She fails to swing back from this position and gets drilled by Valance's speedy overhands until both women end up on the ropes following a clash of heads. Odette tries to bend her way out of the phone booth jam but Holly whacks her across the stomach and sends more body assault thereafter which keeps Yustman tied to the ropes as she's unable to shake off the chaotic opponent who might have done enough to nick the round on points.

Round 4:
Holly seeks another slugging approach and belts Odette up the chimney before looping a vicious double on each temple that slumps the American on her heels. Ugh! Another half-uppercut attack forces Yustman into mid-distance cover while Valance hassles her around the area and managed to lock her on the turnbuckle just past the one-minute mark. Holly racks up more body shots to soften the younger brunette up and switches high to pummel more leather into Odette's face as she widens the performance gap down the stretch. Odette in survival mode come the final minute, suddenly she can only clinch the Aussie tourist who barges more shots into her breasts and gets vocal when she noitces how effective they are. This off-script attack slumps Yustman into loud spasms and desperate clinching effort in the dying seconds of the round. Valance didn't have to do all that much to even the scorecards and one has to wonder if this says more about Odette's punching resistance these days?

Round 5:
Holly seeks to dismantle the visibly lacklustre opponent and forges ahead with a jabbing delivery however Odette lands a cruel uppercut on the jaw and picks the older brunette from the inside until she whacks her on the nose with her best punch for quite a while. Holly wobbles to her heels but still tries to swing back at the American only for Yustman to counter her with a brutal hook on the mouth that drops the Aussie into loud spasms. Huh! Valance has to yield real estate but gets bumped onto the ropes as Odette cracks another uppercut combo on the jaw and scythes her foe across the mouth again. Holly swings and misses in response and fails to buckle up for a powerful hook that catches her flush on the jaw moments later.... DOWN SHE GOES!!! Uh-oh!!! That happened so fast even LCA coach Eva Mendes didn't see it coming! Holly crashes on her backside and slumps on the bottom rope during the count as she simply can't shake that chin-checking nightmare! All frickin' over!!! KO5 Odette Yustman!!!

AFTER: Odette shakes her head even in victory and there's no denying she was somewhat fortunate to knock Holly out in the end. A win is a win but future doesn't look so bright for the Lioness veteran who might find it impossible to thrive against younger opposition going forward. It's fair to argue whether she's reached the high-water mark of her otherwise impressive boxing career already?

Official Result: Odette Yustman def. Holly Valance KO5.