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Prize Fight Promotions should be credited with putting on three well matched
women’s bouts on Saturday night (July 31) at Sam’s Town Casino in Tunica,
Mississippi. All three bouts consisted of women who were equally
matched against one another, both on paper and within reason of actual ring
skills possessed.
The first bout of the evening, which was featured on CSI Sports, consisted
of Lana Alexander versus Leora Jackson. Judges scoring the match awarded the
four round decision to Jackson: 40-36, 39-37, 39-37.
Rounds one and two provided fans with a fair amount of action from both
combatants. Unofficial ringside scoring (my own) gave Jackson the first and
Alexander the second round. This was based merely on who landed the most
effective punches, as all other aspects of skill appeared equal throughout
round two.
However, rounds three and four proved themselves to Jackson’s credit. She
was able to consistently land a straight jab, which she used to lead most
combinations. Alexander, on the other hand, dropped the use of her jab.
Instead, she began to lead with a wide left hook. Beginning the shorter
fighter, this did not work to her advantage.
The third round of their fight provided fans with the most excitement. In
that round, Alexander landed a straight left that sent Jackson’s head on a
tilt. Retaliating, Jackson unleashed a fury of punches. The two engaged in a
heated exchange that sent the crowd yelping for more.
Christy Nickel (now 3-1) advanced her record by defeating pro-debut Kim
Catlena. Nickel, an obvious hometown favorite, entered the ring to heavy
metal music screaming something about a razor. With short auburn hair spiked
up as if she had stuck her finger in an electrical socket, she was able to
charge the crowd with the same energy. Singing along to the music, she
charmed the fans with her knee high red and black striped, pippy-long
stocking socks. Fashionably speaking, this fighter has flare!
Of course, she was also there to box. With 1:28 in the first round, the
referee called the fight against Catlena. During this short time, neither
boxer displayed an exorbitant amount of experience. But, then again, they’ve
only been boxing a few months each. Nickel has a clear passion for the sport
and I would look forward to seeing her a year from now.
The co-main event, featured on CSI Sports, pitted Erin Toughill (now 5-1-1)
against Cassandra Geiger (now 6-3, 6 KO). The judges for the fight awarded
the eight round decision to Toughill based on the following scores: 79-73,
78-74, 77-75. My unofficial ringside scoring was 78-74, with Toughill
winning the last six rounds of the bout.
For those who have never seen Toughill fight, she could be said to be a
cross between Kathy Rivers and Marsha Valley. A counter-puncher, who has a
tendency to “paw out” her gloves in an attempt to set up a stronger
(opposite) lead, Toughill is not opposed to trading punch for punch. Geiger,
on the other hand, is more of brawler. During this fight, she put her faith
in her right hand and waited for a chance to throw it.
As if to test the waters, Toughill started the fight slow. Geiger came out
to kill. Despite Toughill catching Geiger with a left hook that dislodged
her mouthpiece, Geiger was still successful in pushing Toughill backwards.
But, in the third round, Geiger stopped using her jab. Instead, she started
coming in with a straight right or with hooks to the head. Toughill, still
moving backwards, began to wait on Geiger’s punch and, after slipping or
blocking it, started to land with punches of her own.
During the next couple of rounds, both fighters gave (and received) some
good shots. However, without the jab to get her inside of Toughill (She
fights better on the outside), Geiger did more receiving than giving. On the
occasions when Geiger did get inside, she proved to have a strength
advantage over Toughill.
As the fight made it into the home stretch, Toughill initiated forward
momentum. She began throwing most of her punches in combinations, ending
several times with solid hooks to the body. As her confidence level
increased, she became more aggressive and less defensive minded. This gave
room for Geiger to catch her more than once with solid punches, which were
thrown as single right or left hand power shots.
Both Toughill and Geiger were equally game for the fight. During eight
rounds, neither woman showed excessive signs of fatigue. Although they had
two different styles, each woman fought at a skill level appropriate for her
record. And, notwithstanding the fight being clearly dominated by Toughill,
it was a competitive match with Geiger never falling too far out of
contention. PRE-FIGHT
REPORT
Big Bad Wolfe
aka V. Mahfood
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