Hailee Steinfeld versus Danielle Panabaker

BEFORE:

Rematch of a bout from six months ago that saw Steinfeld stop Panabaker in five. And, Hailee's convinced things won't be any different this time. "She surprised me a little the first fight," Steinfeld admits. "But, once I figured out what she was doing, I took her out of there. And, that's exactly what I'll do THIS time."

"I'm better than her," Danielle insists. "I was proving it the first time and she got lucky. She won't get lucky again."

ROUND ONE:

Ladies know one another pretty well at this point, and Hailee takes full advantage of that. She's seen a lot of the tricks in Danielle's bag, tricks aimed at staying off square and keeping Steinfeld from getting her power shots on. And, now, she knows how to deal with them. Result is Hailee walking forward behind the jab and walking the smaller woman down in the first. Panabaker holds canvas here and there and fires back, but she can't keep her front stabilized. Instead, Steinfeld takes canvas pretty much at will, using her size and strength advantages to excellent effect. As for Danielle, she's reduced to a solid counter here and there, which, while it keeps Steinfeld honest, doesn't do much to keep things close on the cards. Instead, when the bell rings, it's Steinfeld wide for the early 10-9 lead.

ROUND TWO:

Danielle has some more tricks, and she uses one early in the second. She's giving ground but, all of a sudden, sets her feet and lands a beautiful keyhold right hand counter and STEINFELD IS HURT! Perfectly-placed punch by Danielle sends the bigger woman stumbling back and ON COMES DANI PANI! Smaller woman letting the hands go in a BIG way, driving a reeling Hailee back into the ropes and giving her a beating. Steinfeld in a high guard, jabbing back in spots to keep the ref at bay, but, mostly taking a pasting. Panabaker throwing everything she has at the younger woman trying to get her out of there, but, none of it works. When the bell finally sounds, Hailee's still standing, but Danielle has taken the round wide and evened the score at 19.

ROUND THREE:

Panabaker in control early. Hailee's legs not all the way back and the older woman knows it, so she's pouring forward and pouring on the fire. Dani Pani effecting a nice clean up here, but what she wants is a stoppage. However, as the round goes on, it becomes clear she's not going to get it. Steinfeld is shaking the worst of the damage and beginning to hold canvas. Panabaker knows better than to press the issue at that point, and we get back to ranged boxing, with Hailee having the better of things. She's not advancing like she did in the first, but she's using her reach and her excellent left jab effectively to outbox the older fighter. It's too little, too late, however. Because, when the bell rings, the work done by Panabaker early plays and Danielle takes the round to move into a 29-28 lead.

ROUND FOUR:

Brunettes boxing at range. Panabaker trying to angle, get to spots. Hailee looking to square up the smaller woman and advance behind the jab like she did in the first. And, Steinfeld has some success doing that. But, at other times, Danielle's able to stay off square, play the geometry, and get off in combination. Result is a good, two-way round for the first time in the bout. Neither brunette able to gain any sort of control in this stanza, but, both get plenty of work done along the way. Nobody's hurt, but everybody takes some punishment and both fighters manage to put plenty of points on the board. Final seconds see the sharpest exchange of the bout, with Panabaker backed up by a series of right hands from Steinfeld. When the bell rings, Hailee's done just enough to take the points and even things at 38.

ROUND FIVE:

Same again, with Steinfeld looking to walk Danielle down, and Panabaker working to stay off square to prevent that from happening. Steinfeld a little more cautious after what happened in the second, and that's working to Dani Pani's advantage, as the older girl is getting a BIT more time to move and angle. BOOM! Right hand, HAILEE and DANI IS HURT! A nice straight right hand off a left jab sends Panabaker stumbling and Steinfeld lets the hands go DROPPING DANIELLE with a three-punch flurry! Hailee walks to a neutral corner with her hands raised as Danielle lies on her back staring up at the referee. As the count moves along, Panabaker manages to sit up, but that's all she can do before the referee reaches ten. It's OVER! And your winner by KO5 is Hailee Steinfeld!

AFTER:

Hailee all smiles in the post-fight. "This girl is tough and she's a good boxer. But, she's too small and not good enough to beat ME. Now, my management needs to get me some fights against good lightweights so I can move up the rankings and grab that gold!"