Ally thinks: “Regina is right. I gotta do something. Can’t just let her beat me up like that.”
The bell rings and Round 2 can start.
Lee: “Box!”
A confident Masae goes forward with pace. She wants Round 1’s bombing to resume as quickly as possible. She gets close to Alesia, lifts her left heel and pumps the jab to try and make it collide with the middle of her face.
Ally crouches just enough to her right to avoid it while keeping her eyes set on her opponent. Her right hand is free and she has angles to throw a punch.
Esther: “Golly! There is a grand canyon open for Schumann to either land a solid right to the body, a massive uppercut to Masae’s chin or even a short left to the nose. She better be quick to avoid this!”
Alesia thinks: “Let’s see how good a chin she has.”
A split second after making Masae miss with her jab, Alesia moves her upper body to the left, with her head going under the arm as her opponent wants to pull it back. She lifts her shoulder for a speedy right hook that curls around the Japanese fighter’s arm.
Pow! The white Paffen glove meets Masae’s jaw at full speed.
In the red corner, Yumi thinks: “Oh, shit. That hurts.”
Esther: “That’s beauty and violence from Alesia Schumann. The previous duck was a feathery beauty and her right hand is a stabbing shot in the face. Is the real Alesia showing up at last?”
Alesia was instructed to dominate Round 2 with her defense. Masae is keen to keep the German under pressure, and the blonde welcomes it with open arms at this point.
Masae tries to confuse her visitor once again with bouncing, hand shuffling and tricky punching, but she meets far more resistance. Ally bobs, weaves, moves forward, backwards and sideways to avoid getting hit. She feels only glancing blows from the red Winning gloves.
Alesia finds herself in the blue corner, but she sidesteps to her right and comes out. She’s finding her groove.
Masae is desperate to land a big shot to keep the upper hand. She turns around and throws a left hook, but the girl in black and white moves right on time. She steps back and brings her upper body back to avoid it by a few centimeters.
In the blue corner, Regina pumps her fist in approval. The tough talk has worked.
Esther: “If you are into defensive boxing, you have to be enraptured by Schumann’s sexy moves! She stepped out of the corner and avoided a dangerous punch with the grace of a swan!”
She landed a shot and avoided one. Alesia is regaining confidence in Round 2.
The Japanese is still on the warpath, though, and our fighters play cat and mouse around the ring. Ally’s intention is to take charge with her improved defense, making Masae miss and, in the worst case, blocking with her white gloves.
In the second minute, they are in the middle of the ring and a pissed Masae lowers her stance for a right to the body. She extends her right arm but as it pops out, the visitor’s arm goes down to tap it. The Japanese loses control of her movement.
Esther: “A defensive clinic has started and Professor Schumann is the one giving it. I wonder if Masae brought a green apple to thank her for it.”
Alesia is parrying a right hand to the body and she thinks: “now is a great time to strike hard”.
The Bavarian Diva keeps pushing the incoming arm out and she turns to throw her own right cross. PISH! In the middle of Masae’s face.
Masae groans and the crowd gasps.
Regina thinks: “She’s taking control. We can win this fight now.”
Esther: “Schumann hammers Masae with a solid right hand that should easily draw blood from the nose. Her tactics are coming along nicely, which is bad news for the Japanese camp. They’re learning about it before the papers.”
Round 2 goes on and Masae gets more tentative after tasting Alesia’s white leather.
The German fights patiently, though. She leaves the initiative to her opponent by dropping back in her defensive stance and reacting to whatever she sees.
Near the end of the round, Masae manages to score with a couple of quick jabs as Ally is backing up in the corner.
Masae thinks: “Now is the time to hit harder.”
The Japanese comes forward to throw a left hook, but as soon as she starts moving, Ally releases a thundershot. Her left hook smashes Masae’s jaw!
Esther: “Masae is hurt! She fall into a trap in the corner and took a fast, powerful left hook that her ancestors must have felt!”
Masae received a severe warning from Alesia, in the way of a massive left hook, and she retreats to the middle of the ring. Ally is happy to just keep her away with her jab and let the last 10 seconds of the round disappear.
Ding!
Lee: “STOP!”
Esther: “Round 2 is in the books and we go to the corners, starting with Schumann’s.”
Regina: “Nice. You have made progress in this round and have started fighting the way I am expecting you to fight.”
Alesia: “Thanks!”
Regina: “I want you to take the body in the third round. It’s where Masae is weak. Keep moving around the ring and countering, but go downstairs. Especially in the midsection.”
Alesia: “I will!”
Regina: “Now let me stop that nosebleed.”
Esther: “Someone has scouted the opposition properly! Masae has been hurt to the body when she lost previous fights. Let’s see what is happening in the red corner.”
In the red corner, Masae bears the marks left by Alesia’s punches. There is swelling on the right side of her jaw, a small bruise and a small nosebleed.
Yumi: “Oof. We lost that round. She punches with authority on the counter and you have to be careful when approaching. Be more strategic and keep making different moves to avoid patterns. Confuse her with your hand movement.”
Masae: “Ok, but she’s damn quick.”
Yumi: “Try to stay near the middle of the ring. She’s trying to attract you to the edges before exploding.”
Masae: “Ok!”
Esther: “Yumi Yashima has also done her homework and she doesn’t want Masae to fall into traps. Whether that can be done without being as cautious as a turtle in its shell, though, is unclear.”
We go to Esther Schouten’s table to hear her analysis of the action after two rounds.
Esther: “My scorecard is even with Schumann winning Round 2, and easily! Tough talk in her corner made her swat the butterflies and whap her opponent several times. Both boxers had their moments so far. Masae remains the local favourite with more experience, but the visiting German has the kind of speed, tactics and power to make a serious dent. Let’s see who does best in Round 3!”
What do we have here just ahead of Round 3? Special guests!
Esther: “Our camera crew spotted Akane Watanabe and Sophie Schumann at a table in the arena. Watanabe is Alesia’s next opponent and you probably know her. You may not have heard of Sophie Schumann, who is Alesia’s little sister. These two are having a beer, and they seem to be enjoying each other’s company!”
Who is Sophie Schumann? First, please make sure to pronounce her name correctly: “zo-fee” for the German pronunciation of what is originally a French first name.
Sophie is only 18 years old. She has been fighting in the amateur ranks for some time, inspired by her sister’s highly successful career at that level. She wants to win an amateur German championship as Alesia did before, and perhaps turn professional if everything works out. More on her very soon