(JULY 13)  On Friday night Jennifer Hamann faced Ariel Beck to open the show in a four round super featherweight fight at the Little Creek Casino in Shelton, Washington leading up to the ESPN2 television broadcast. Beck entered the fight with three wins, all coming in her native Montana, though she has not been in the ring since 2012. Hamann was making her professional debut.

In the opening moments of the first round Beck stepped to Hamann to assert her strength. She threw hard punches, but Hamann, who had the quicker feet, was able to slip out of trouble. Then, nearing the thirty second mark, Hamann landed a solid punch that dropped Beck. Beck stood and fought hard and fast to regain some momentum.

The frenetic pace of the opening round settled a bit in the second. Hamann used her quickness to jab her way in close and then throw quick rights targeting Beck’s head and midsection. Beck continued to load up her right hand and throw it hard trying to catch Hamann.

Hamann continued to rely on her combinations in the third round, and she was quite effective in moving Beck around the ring. Though most of Hamann’s punches were aimed at Beck’s body, she shot a right hand to the head just often enough to keep the stronger Beck from getting too close. Beck appeared to tire a bit and was throwing single punches, often from the outside, which sailed wide.

Sensing that she needed a burst of scoring punches to win the fight, Beck answered the bell for the final round with some of the aggression she showed in the first round. She continued to fire hard shots at Hamann’s head, but she was unable to connect. Hamann moved out of range of the power shots and got herself in to a position to throw body shot. As the round closed, Hamann backed Beck across the ring and landed a few solid right hands to her head.

At the end of four rounds two judges scored the fight 40-35, the third scored the fight 40-36, all in favor of Jennifer Hamann.