Alesia Schumann vs. Amber Rose: Round 5

Both women are up in their corners and ready to go for Round 5. Before referee Rebecca gives them the green light to go, we take a quick look at their body language.

In the blue corner, Amber isn’t smiling anymore. The champion faces a genuine test against the challenger. Her face has been marked by Alesia’s crisp punches. She wants to regain the upper hand but her facial expression shows a hint of worry, or at least pain.

In the red corner, Alesia is more composed than earlier in this fight. She is looking forward to this round, with anticipation and desire to vanquish to earn the WBC Silver title against all odds.

“Alesia! Alesia!”, chants the crowd to give her an energy boost.

Regina: “Whether the fighters’ fortunes will be influenced by their state of mind remains to be seen, but we know we have a fight on our hands. A harder, better fight than the bookmakers suggested when they had 4/1 in Amber’s favour.

Rebecca: “BOX!”

Our fighters walk towards each other and meet in the middle of the ring. They circle for a few seconds and look closely at each other, faking movements, dissecting their respective reactions.

The Russian-American makes the first move by firing a jab but the German reads the situation accurately. Her head goes under the opponent’s arm as her own stiff jab finds its way to the middle of Amber’s face. Whap!

Maxim: “Well done, baby! Rock her with your right hand!”

Regina: “A cool move under pressure by Schumann. She hammers her opponent’s bleeding nose in an attempt to worsen its condition and build on the work done in the previous round.”

There is no time to waste, thinks Alesia. Following her coach’s instructions, she withdraws her left hand, pivots and transfers her weight behind a fast right hand that travels a short distance to collide hard against the side of Amber’s face.

The Munich crowd is delighted. “Woo hoo!” “Come on!” “Beat her up!”

Amber’s corner: “Move away! Don’t stay in her range. Reset your position!”

Regina: “This is a gorgeous start of the round for Schumann, who seems to be on a mission at the moment. This already is the longest fight of her career and she finally looks like she is ready to take it further. I expect Rose to react quickly, though. Never underestimate the heart of a champion.”

Amber disengages to avoid further punishment and find a way to regain the upper hand. She knows that her right cross is the punch that made the most damage in the last few rounds. She fakes the left hook to make Alesia move and throws her right hand in her direction.

Ally doesn’t swallow the bait. She takes a half step back and lowers her upper body as the white glove approaches, to spring back up with her own right hand, which crashes against Amber’s nose and mouth. The whipping sound is heard at ringside and picked up by microphones.

Maxim: “Great reaction, kid!”

Regina: “This is indeed a great reaction by Schumann, who had all sorts of problems with Rose’s right in Round 3. She just applied the lessons learned to smack Amber with a punishing power shot.”

Although not desperate, Amber is under pressure after eating three unanswered punches. She needs to reassert herself to keep the younger, fearless challenger at bay. She decides to keep her distance for a change of pace to make that happen. She backs up tactically in an attempt to frustrate Alesia and force a mistake. The German senses it, though, and refuses to engage.

Unhappy, Amber brings a new twist to the round by taking a quick step forward to jab. In fact she doesn’t throw just one. She doubles and triples it to work against Alesia’s guard. The third one lands on her forehead and forces her head back.

Amber’s corner: “Now is the time to throw a combination!”

Regina: “This is intelligent boxing by Rose. She realised that she was not in the right position to outgun the challenger and made immediate adjustments to shift things around.”

The pace has slowed down in Round 5, but despite normal fatigue, our fighters are thinking things through after a grueling Round 4. They keep circling around each other in a search for the right weapon to drill a hole in the opponent’s defense.

Alesia makes the next move by pumping her right fist to fake a cross. Amber brings her guard up to block it… to the German’s satisfaction. She pulls her hand back and bends to go downstairs with a right hand that thumps the body.

The crowd cheers and it wants more. “Alesia! Alesia! Alesia!”

Maxim: “Follow it up NOW!”

Regina: “A tactical battle is taking place between Rose and Schumann and the latter is currently winning it with surprising assurance. Can she carry on? Is she turning the tables?”

“I can’t let this happen, thinks Amber. She’s beating me!”

After receiving a right to the body, the lady in yellow and black wants to fire back before Alesia goes further. She aims at the German’s head by sending a right cross downward to meet her head.

Alesia slips under it and comes back up with a left hook that connects with Amber’s jaw. The impact doesn’t just turn her head. It forces her to spit blood from a cut inside her mouth.

Maxim: “Oh! My! What a move! What a move! WHAT. A. MOVE!”

Regina: “Schumann took more punishing shots than Rose earlier in this fight, but she is getting even, and doing it in style. I will never count a defending champion out but Rose has to remind us of who she is. Otherwise, her status will slip away. This fight is making me think of the Lillim Alterion vs. Karen Carlson bout, with the challenger making strides.”

A sentiment of urgency invades Amber’s head and guts. Must. React. Now. To. Avoid. Losing. This. Fight!

Amber is ready to take a punch in order to score. She retreats to draw her opponent in. The German comes after her and throws a right hand, which the champ counters. Both shots land, but while Amber’s chin gets hit, it’s Alesia’s face that takes the hardest knock.

Amber’s corner: “Well done! Now put her under pressure!”

Regina: “Rose wins this exchange. She just did what classic punchers do: putting her chin in the line of fire in the hope that she can land the bigger blow.”

Alesia was rocked by a mean right hand a moment ago and she doesn’t want to fall into that trap again. She backpedals to her right to find safety for a few seconds.

Amber wants to win the round, though. She needs to do something special to get there, and she has to act quickly as seconds flee before the end of Round 5.

Amber sees an opening that is big enough in Alesia’s guard to squeeze her right hand in. She puts all her weight behind the punch but the German moves to her right and takes advantage of a mistake. Her right hook comes in to sock Amber’s left cheek.

Regina: “Amber is hurt. Schumann found a solution to Rose’s best punch in this round and she is landing almost at will.”

Alesia is happy with what she has done so far in Round 5, but she wants to go even further in the dying seconds. Before Amber can pull her right hand back, she unloads a quick left uppercut that whacks the champion’s mouth.

Regina: “For the first time of the fight, Rose is in trouble. Nothing that a quick clinch could not fix, though.”

There is no time for further action. The bell sounds to end Round 5 and Rebecca separates our fighters. The crowd applauds and cheers. Everyone in the Circus Krone knows that the local favourite won it.

Regina: “Alesia Schumann made a stand in this round. Her excellent tactics made it look easy and she is ahead in the scorecards as we reach the mid-point of this fight. It now looks like she has a real chance to win this title.”

Amber is shaky after eating a left uppercut in Round 5, with only a couple of seconds left. Alesia is pressing. This is a dramatic situation.

Maxim: “DOUBLE IT!”

Alesia knows what this means. She is huffing and puffing but Amber’s head is coming down and there is free space to strike again. Alesia takes a half step back, shifts all her weight on the right foot while twisting her upper body. She goes in the right uppercut motion. Her right arm, with a nearly 90 degree angle at the elbow, rises fast with her upper body. Everything is behind this punch and the knuckles connect with the left side of Amber’s face. A trademark Ally uppercut!

Amber: “Hrrrfff!”

Maxim: “THIS IS THE BEST UPPERCUT OF YOUR CAREER! SHE WON’T STAY UP!”

Amber’s coach is half looking at the action, half looking at the ceiling in disbelief. His fighter refused to listen when she should have piled on the pressure on the challenger. Now she’s getting hammered.

Regina: “Rose is in danger. She took Schumann’s best punch once again after eating power shots for most of the round. She has to remain on her feet for two more seconds if she wants to see Round 6.”

Amber is stricken after receiving Alesia’s right uppercut. She falls down, and forward, her knees touching the canvas.

Amber’s corner: “Noooooooo!”

The crowd in Munich is ecstatic. The fans jump to their feet. They cheer the knockdown!

Regina: “DOWN SHE GOES! Rose hits the canvas with no time left in Round 5. Remember the unified rules: you cannot be saved by the bell in any round! The champ has to beat the count and convince Rebecca that she is able to continue.”

Regina: “Amber Rose is down and I wonder if she is able to get up from this. She ate a violent uppercut and Schumann is going straight to the neutral corner to which referee Rebecca Linden is sending her. Her confidence level could not be higher, and for a good reason.”

While going to the corner, Alesia pumps her right fist and says “yes!” Then she thinks: “There’s no way she’s getting up. That punch was so good!”

There is no time left in Round 5 and Amber is on the canvas after receiving a huge right uppercut delivered by Alesia. Her eyes are closed and her head is resting on her left glove.

Amber’s corner: “Amber? Get up! Come on! Please?”

His calls are unanswered. She’s still breathing, of course, but not hearing any of what he says.

Regina: “Barring a miracle, this is game over. Rose is not conscious and even if she were to open her eyes and rise up, referee Rebecca is unlikely to allow her to continue. She is one of the toughest refs in the business. I believe we have a new Silver champion.”

Rebecca kneels to take a quick look at Amber, who still isn’t responding.

“Out!”

The crowd roars at the Circus Krone in Munich! We have a new WBC Silver Champion and it’s the local girl! She raises her arms in the air, with a big smile.

Regina: “Confirmed! In her fourth professional fight, at 25 years old, Alesia Schumann wins the WBC Silver championship belt in the Super Lightweight division! Amber Rose probably thought she would have no trouble beating the less experienced fighter and she gambled in the early rounds. It all backfired. The challenger proved herself to be mature, determined and explosive enough to take her out. She put on a solid display in Rounds 4 and 5 to earn the belt.”

Alesia is beaming. She lets the crowd fill the arena with cheers and applause as she savours the win and the prospect of being called “champ” tonight.

Referee Rebecca calls the ring announcer to the middle of the ring and lets coach Maxim get in for the official result of this fight.

Ring announcer: “Ladies and gentlemen, at 0:00 in Round 5 at the Circus Krone in Munich… the winner by knockout and NEW WBC Silver Champion… from here, Munich in Germany, she’s a fierce fraulein, the Queen of Uppercuts… Alesia “The Diva” Schuuuumaaaaannnnn!”

Rebecca lifts an ecstatic Alesia’s arm high in the air. The German fighter now wears the Silver belt proudly. Her record now is 4 wins by knockout.

Alesia thinks: “Pinch me, I must be dreaming!”

Regina: “The odds were long but Schumann has pulled off a big upset. She had a slow and nervous start and Rose could have finished this early, but the Russian-American thought everything was under control. A big uppercut initiated a brawl in Round 4 and it closed the show in Round 5, after a progressive takeover. In the end, Schumann deserves the title thanks to a gutsy performance.”

After the WBC Silver title handover, Alesia can finally celebrate! She climbs in the ropes in her red corner and salutes a cheering crowd. The Circus Krone in Munich applauds the new champ!

“This is a minor title, thinks Alesia, but who cares? I won it and this is good for my reputation in the game. Wow.”

Meanwhile, Regina is waiting for Alesia to get back to the middle of the ring for the post-fight interview on Box TV.

Right after a bit of celebration, Regina calls Alesia to the center of the ring for the post-match interview on Box TV.

Regina: “Congratulations Alesia! You are the new WBC Silver champion in the Super Lightweight division. What is going on through your head now?”

Alesia: “It’s only beginning to sink in, to be honest. Winning this fight against a much more experimented Amber was a long shot but I’m overjoyed.”

Regina: “She took control early on but it seems that she let it slip away by stretching it to test your endurance. Do you think she gave you one chance too many?”

Alesia: “It wasn’t a stupid idea to test my endurance, but we worked very hard on fitness because I had never completed four rounds as a professional. I thought I could only last 6 or 7 rounds. This is why I went for the knockout punch in the fifth. And yes, I think that Amber gambled and lost in Round 3. She hurt me and didn’t press to finish the job. I’m sure she’d like to have it back.”

Regina, with a more inquisitive tone: “It looks like you did not see eye to eye with your coach at times.”

Alesia: “Tensions are inevitable in compeitition… but the tips I received were conflicting with the action. I let my instinct decide and made corrections. I am not the type to second guess every call, but the situation required a quick turnaround.”

Regina: “As time passed, this became a tactical battle. Do you see that as the turning point?”

Alesia: “It has to be. Fatigue was setting in and slowing things down allowed me to think more and read her game better in Round 5.”

Regina: “Now you are a title holder. The boxing world will notice. Will it be hard to deal with the pressure since you have been in the professional ranks for a short time?”

Alesia: “Keeping a title is harder than winning it. I realise that and know that managing expectations will be difficult. It’s a new, bigger challenge.”

Regina: “Congratulations again Alesia for the win. That’s all from us tonight on Box TV in Munich. See you soon!”

[Once the microphones are off.]

Regina: “Seriously, well done. I am very happy for you.”

Alesia: “Thanks! It’s a crazy night. I know I’ll need help to manage what follows, though.”

Alesia Schumann
Alesia Schumann
Super Lightweight champion of the world, German champion and one of the pound for pound best. The Diva is known for her tactical strength and durability.
Amber Rose
Amber Rose
An original character by Circulo90, she is a former American Super Lightweight champion.