LCA on DAZN from Las Vegas

Selena Gomez vs Hailee Steinfeld
(Lioness Club of America vs The Fighting Academy)
(40-23, 37 KO vs 7-11, 7 KO)
Results: Lookout!; Story: Vassago

BEFORE: Some pundits question why Selena Gomez would agree to fight Hailee Steinfeld when she's got the unified bantamweight title fight lined up already but the Latina stunner claims she wants to have the best run-in before a career-altering opportunity:

"I'm not in the same boat as Vanessa Hudgens or Michelle Williams. It bugs me to say but they get more title shots than Elizabeth Taylor had husbands while gals like me have to grind out for every opportunity. I have no idea why that is because I'm as good as Nessa and her string of wannabees. Who knows when I get the next shot after Demi Rose? There are some managers out there who prefer Minka Kelly over me too. How awkward!"

Meanwhile Hailee Steinfeld wants to play spoiler similar to Olivia Munn who originally derailed Selena's title ambitions few weeks ago. However she comes off a painful loss to another veteran (Rachel McAdams) and there are questions whether she can truly live up to her hype or simply becomes another Miley Cyrus luxury journeywoman kind of character going forward.

Selena Gomez wears a turquoise bikini set & black gloves. Long dark brown hair tied in a custom ponytail. Hailee Steinfeld wears a black crop top with white trim, matching hotpants & red gloves. Long dark brown hair tied in a custom ponytail. The fight is scheduled for ten rounds in the bantamweight division.

Round 1:
Hailee gets aggressive early and makes Selena pay with some quick jabs up the middle, the older brunette tries to respond over the top but Hailee's gung-ho approach allows her to stay on top of the pending title challenger down the stretch. She knocks more leather into Gomez's face and drives her onto the ropes where Selena manages to escape at the last moment but spends the remainder of the round in hectic retreat as Steinfeld is really going up the seam to dominate the betting favorite. She lands a couple of good hits into Selena's face but barks in anger at the bell since the Lioness brunette taunts her over some "girly creampuff" action!

Round 2:
Selena avoids the initial jabbing rush and picks the younger brunette over the top which leads into a back & forth exchange in the center of the ring. Hailee finally eats a meaningful attack but stands tall as Selena tries to knock her head off before succumbing a low shot on the navel that bends her into rare spasms. Ugh! She fails to get out of the jam and endures a rough stretch with Gomez blowing into her midriff until she shoves her onto the ropes where she cleans up more tummy to leave Steinfeld out of breath come the bell.

Round 3:
More of the same early in the third, Selena's footwork makes the difference to avoid the head-hunting charge and she works downstairs to stuff Steinfeld in the center of the ring again. Both girls keep driving meaningful shots up the middle but Selena gets the last laugh when she wobbles the younger brunette to her heels and proceeds to back her onto the ropes where she cashes in with more body shots Hailee simply cannot stop for remainder of the round. Ugh! Hailee can only clinch her rival deep on the clock and slams a wayward kidney shot that earns her a late warning with Selena shouting in delight at the bell as she gets the Vegas crowd going during the interval.

Round 4:
Hailee relies on her speedy delivery to halt the Latina's run but lacks outright power punching display to overcome the response which leads into another back & forth tussle in the center of the ring. The head-hunting attack has fallen on the one-dimensional path which Gomez controls from mid-range before thumping more body shots the younger brunette has a hard time dealing with so far. A rare uppercut on the jaw finally stings Selena off the charts but Steinfeld's pursuit gets her nowhere as both women tangle up along the ropes where the action calms down during the closing stretch.

Round 5:
Hailee seeks more success over the top and clips Selena on the temples but bounces off a huge wall thereafter and doesn't carry enough power to make her efforts count. Meanwhile Selena shuts her down in the phone booth and keeps racking up low shots to the body until a lenghty clinch enters the picture. Hailee traps Selena in a standing headlock which delays the action even more before an uppercut double tags the Lioness brunette on the chin again. Gomez drops back into coverage and lets Steinfeld chase her down without much success for remainder of the round.

Round 6:
A visibly frustrated Steinfeld gets carried away with her jabbing charge and gets caught from the inside when Gomez whacks her on the chin and drops a quick hook on the temple moments later. Hailee tries to swing from the back foot which is a bad idea all around and meets a wild right hand that squashes her nostrils upon impact spilling blood as well... DOWN SHE GOES!!! Huh! A huge hit floors the younger brunette and she is down and out here, folks!!! She rolls to her side with eyes closed and makes no effort to get back up! KO6 Selena Gomez!!!

AFTER: Some pundits questioned whether Selena was smart to even take this bout after the Olivia Munn disaster but she will not be denied at the last hurdle again! The January title clash versus Demi Rose Mawby is back on! Selena tries to sound nice after the fight but tells it was coach Eva Mendes who called Hailee as "poor man's Kira Kosarin" so maybe that's not exactly a nice comment after all? Whatever! Gomey is ready for prime time any way you want to look at it! See you in four weeks!

Official Result: Selena Gomez def. Hailee Steinfeld KO6.