Posted by Green & Gold Magazine on 1/5/2012, 12:23 am, in reply to "ACB PPV - Preview"
Sarah: Well here we are ladies and gentlemen. After what seems like the longest card in history, we have finally arrived at the main event, the ACB Welterweight title between Elle MacPherson and Erika Heynatz. Erika was crowned the AWUBA Super Lightweight champion just before the AWUBA demise, with a 9th round technical knockout of the former champion, Sonia Kruger. She is lightly fought at this weight but does boast titles in 3 divisions and is certainly a rising star. What can’t we say about her opponent Elle MacPherson. She is approaching her 49th birthday. She is arguably the Greatest AWUBA fighter of all time having won titles in 3 divisions and holds the mantle of the Greatest Lightweight of all time. She recently won and then defended the AWUBA Lightweight Title for the 51st time. This fight is sure to go down in history as the best possible Main Event for the Inaugural ACB PPV.
Elle, it is an honour to be here tonight to watch you and even more of a privilege to interview you before the fight. How much longer can you do this for?
Elle: I set out to try and win another FCBA title before I retire at 50 and that is still my gal. It is looking like a harder journey than I expected but winning this tonight is the first step. The next step is a BBU title. Then hopefully those yanks will let me at them.
Sarah: Well good luck tonight. And Erika, you have fought on this stage many times before but a title fight against the greatest of all time, this is the stuff dreams are made of.
Elle: You know, when I was 10 I had a Sports Illustrated calendar which Elle was in when she was 23. If anyone ever said that I would get to fight against her for a title at 35, and she is 48, I would have laughed. But it is no laughing matter when you get in the ring with her. I’m ready.
Sarah: Here we go people.
Round 1
Elle skipping to the middle, meets Heynatz, they circle, jabbing. Heynatz swaying at the hip, switching the guard, Elle likewise but catches Heynatz on the chin, once, twice. Heynatz leaning away now, then ducking and swiping at Elle’s midsection, missing. Elle jab, jab, more scoring shots. Heynatz stepping away now, good from though, keeping Elle at distance. Elle upping the tempo, jabbing one two and she’s doing a little damage there. Heynatz, quicker to retreat, circling the ring but Elle is on her, jabbing upstairs, swiping the body, all over her younger opponent. Great work from MacPherson, dominating the final minute, just tracking Heynatz around the ring, jabbing at the face, lots of scoring punches and there’s the bell.
Kylie: Good first round there for the champ. I thought she controlled that nicely, definitely scoring a lot more.
Kristy: She looked good. Her jab is on the money early. Erika looks good to though. She is moving well. Maybe just getting caught by the pace of Elle.
Round 2
Much of the same from Elle, straight into that dominant display, really quick hands. She keeps finding Erika’s face, not a lot of power, just speed and quantity. Erika red faced, still working well, ducking weaving, but taking more than those missing. Midway through MacPherson traps her against the ropes, swatting quick hooks to the ribs, lightning fast from Elle, Heynatz popping shots to Elle’s face but she grits her teeth and keeps going, working upstairs now, puts a hard right through the gloves, Heynatz left jab goes astray and THE RIGHT HOOK from MacPherson sends Heynatz sideways, regrouping near the corner but Elle fires in a QUICK LEFT UPPERCUT that gets all her chin and her back smacks into the corner. ON COMES MACPHERSON! The body torment continues, I can’t see Elle’s hands, combinations just smacking into Heynatz’s rock hard abs, LEFT UPPERCUT takes the chin, SOLID RIGHT HOOK to the jaw AND DOWN GOES ERIKA HEYNATZ! Seconds left in the round as Erika sinks to her knees and there’s the bell.
Kristy: So pretty to watch. Elle was just too much for Erika that round. She is so quick. I just cannot believe that this woman at 48 can still have the quickest hands in the AWUBA, ACB, whatever. Amazing.
Kylie: I get to watch her work with the girls every day and you see Em Browning and Emilie De Ravin standing there watching this woman twice their age, jaw’s dropped. It’s truly inspirational.
Kristy: Can Erika answer?
Round 3
ELLE CHARGES ACROSS THE RING! Heynatz quick out of corner, edging to her right, watchful as MacPherson meets her but is slow to duck a left right combo, she took that all in the mouth, she’s backing away. Heynatz watchful, MacPherson’s at a distance still, Heynatz closing, jabbing another one two through the veterans gloves. Elle in full retreat now, more compact and defensive, Heynatz taking territory now, closing Elle to the corner, jab hook the torso, little uppercut that just clips the chin, oh Elle leans right and lands a hard hook to that bounces off the shoulder to temple, Heynatz backing away and shaking it off. Elle back on the front foot, driving forward into the jab, Heynatz taking hard shots again and she’s out of there. MacPherson zeroing in. One two, one two. Heynatz ducking, swiping a hook to the gut, steps in and gives Elle a quick combo of her own, not as quick, Elle clinching, Heynatz hanging on also. Both girls letting go and throwing a short jab each and falling together again as the bell ends the third.
Kylie: Elle wanting to finish it there but perhaps a bit premature. She can do that to weaker opponents like Sophie Howard but not against champions like Heynatz.
Kristy: That’s a great round by Erika to keep herself right in the fight. She took no crap from Elle early and although she took a lot of punches midway through, she might just take that round.
Kylie: Too close to call I’d say.
Round 4
IT’S A SLUGFEST IN THE MIDDLE! Both machines just throwing hard punches at each other. Great form, switching, twitching, leaning, ducking, firing huge punches out of the crouch. Neither girl is budging from the spot. One full minute of total all out punching. Elle the first to break, skipping back for a quick breather, Heynatz waits patiently, Elle circling, OH STEPS INTO THAT ONE, CRUCHING UPPERCUT Erika Heynatz and that’s cut Elle to the eye, stomping backwards to the ropes, SHE’S HURT! ON COMES HEYNATZ! Elle is wearing the gloved helmet, Heynatz low, smacking hard punches into the 48 year old abs, ripping off shot after shot, cracking against the ribs, Elle just soaking it up, still with a high guard, but starting to bend in under the onslaught, RIGHT UPPERCUT HEYNATZ, MacPherson’s head bobbing, eye’s wide, blood from the cut, more torso torment for Elle, oh the power from Heynatz, Elle weak in the knees, RIPPING SHOT TO THE RIBS, lowers the guard and takes a THRASHING HOOK to the cheek right on the bell. Elle spinning and hanging on the top rope at the bell.
Kylie: JE-ZUZ! Hinzy let me ask you whose round was better? Elle’s second or Heynatz fourth?
Kristy: Elle gets it for the knockdown but Heynatz otherwise. That was a future great taking apart the greatest of all time right there. I’m a big fan of Elle but I’m afraid she won’t come back from that. And knowing Erika, this could end very quickly.
Kylie: Big call Hinzy but you might be right. Looking at Elle in the corner, she is a mess. All disheveled, cut under the left eye and swelling and she’s sucking in the big ones. Challenging times for the champ.
Round 5
HEYNATZ RUSHES IN, but meets a determined MacPherson, jabbing at the champ, can’t find an opening, Elle catches her a flush shot on the forehead, Heynatz walking through it, takes another to the mouth and now her corners calls her out. She back, just within reach of the MacPherson jab, ducking and weaving again, often getting under and swiping at the body but missing. Elle is solid, not fazed by the last round, back to her jabbing style, quick fire at the face of Heynatz but she is now just back to clinching with Elle and closing up the contest. Midway through, Elle pushes her away with her forearms, fires a left jab past Erika’s ear and takes a FLASHY RIGHT HOOK to the cut, Elle bunny hopping backwards as Heynatz attacks again, down low at Elle, smacking punches into that midsection, she tries to cover up but takes a PUMPING UPPERCUT on the chin, just staying on those aging legs. Heynatz relentless, punch after punch into Elle’s abs as again she starts bending in. HARD LEFT AND RIGHT HOOK to the head, has Elle blinking mouth agape. Another tidy little hook on the bell and Elle is in all sorts of trouble.
Kylie: The trouble for Elle now is that the power is gone from her punches. Heynatz is coping with the pace of the fight because the power isn’t there. Elle can score from the outside but she can’t hurt her. Also, Elle has been touched up by some powerful punches and those ones to her abdomen are really taking a toll.
Kristy: Couldn’t have summed it up better myself Kylz. Erika is really just taking her down peg by peg. I think this will be the round.
Kylie: I’ve got the first three rounds to Elle and the next two to Erika, 46-43 MacPherson.
