Commentator: “Virani starts the round on the attack. Lilim fires a few jabs, and Virani answers with a few more, forcing Lilim backwards… but Virani follows up with a big right hand! Lilim thought it was safe to drop her left and she wasn’t quite expecting Virani to be so aggressive right off the start of the round. Virani certainly made her pay for being a little lazy there.”

Virani: I want to start this round out on the right foot. Lilim and I meet in the centre of the ring and exchange jabs. I force Lilim backwards with some jabs and I see Lilim backing away. For a split second, Lilim drops her left to make it easier for her to slip away. There’s a small opening available and its not without risk, but I decide to go for it – I almost leap forward to close the gap between us. My right hand lands true, smashing Lilim on her cheek, jerking her head around and sending sweat flying. I can’t find a follow up, but that’s a warning shot to Lilim early in the round.

Lilim: Lilim: As soon as round 2 started Virani was already throwing swift jabs at me. I stay calm blocking and dodging all of them until a solid right cross soared and crashed into my cheek. “Uuuhh!!” I grunted as my head jerked over my shoulder. Damn. Her hand speed is incredible. If I make a tiny mistake she’ll make me pay for it. Nothing gets past Virani. I can’t afford to make any more mistakes. I instantly get my gloves up and ready myself for anymore punches my opponent might throw at me.

At ringside:

Alesia: Such a smashing right hand from Virani. With perfect timing, too.

Regina: I don’t like how she dropped her left at the same time, though. If she does it more than once, Lilim will pick up the pattern and tempt her to throw the right to maul her with a counterattack.

Commentator: “Lilim seizes the middle of the ring and begins pushing Virani towards the ropes. Virani doesn’t want to go there and she fires off a right hand…but Lilim ducks under and lands a vicious uppercut to Virani’s midsection. That’s a big body punch from the Azure Valkyrie. Once again, Lilim gets inside and hurts Virani.”

Lilim: It’s difficult landing clean shots on Virani, but if I can get her to the ropes I could land some real power shots. I try to push her to the ropes and Virani throws a right jab. My reflexes kick in and I swiftly move my body to the side to avoid it. At the same time, I frown, show off my blue mouthpiece, turn my body slightly, swing my right arm, and pound Virani’s abdomen with a right hand. I hear the loud noise of leather hitting meat. I know she had to have felt that one.

Virani: Lilim’s keeping up a high tempo in the second round, and she seizes the middle of the ring. I sense myself getting close to the ropes, so I decide to push Lilim away with good right hand. I lash out with my right hand, but Lilim, quick as a tigress, sways to her left and twists her body, bringing around her right hand to thud into my midsection. It’s a sickening body shot, one that seems to shudder my entire body for one quick moment. A little moan escapes my lips. That hurt.
At ringside:

Alesia: Please, Virani, protect your body better. Lilim is digging in too easily.

Regina: With a big blue shovel. I still suspect that you like Virani too much.

Alesia makes a face that means: so what?

Commentator: “Alterion is inside of Virani’s defense and she fires another sharp uppercut to Virani’s guts, this time with the left hand. MacVicar did not shrug off those body punches with ease. She looks to clinch and tie up Lilim to prevent further damage, but some damage has clearly been done.”

Virani: I realize, far too late, that I have no way of preventing Lilim from firing off her left hand. I try to minimize her attack by leaning into it and trying to both disrupt her balance and force a clinch. It doesn’t exactly work and her left hand pounds away, furthering the pain from the right hand she just landed. I can survive this, but I cannot make a habit of taking too many body shots like this…otherwise I’ll end up taking a seat on the canvas.

Lilim: As soon as my right hand landed I immediately unloaded a left hand as fast as I could that speared into Virani’s abdomen. Again, making a loud “Bap,” noise as much punch landed. The punch lands perfect, but like the last body shots I landed. Virani’s body is tough as nails. I might have damaged her a little, but I need to hit her harder if I’m going to drop her.

At ringside:

Alesia: Lilim’s body shots look heavy. Virani has the right idea when she clinches, but it may be late.

Regina: There’s also a lot of space between her at the lower level. Even if she holds on, Lilim might be able to land one more punch before the ref gets in there.

Commentator: “Lilim seems aware that there is going to be a clinch, and she shows a bit of savvy, pushing Virani up against the ropes. It seems like Virani may have said something to Lilim…and she appears to be smiling? I’ve never seen so much smiling in a fight before.”

Virani: Lilim, strong like an Ox, pushes me into the ropes. For some reason, people think the ropes are like cushions. They are not. I can feel them almost cutting into my skin. Still, after taking two big punches from Lilim, it feels like I need to do something. So I turn my head and whisper to Lilim:

“Hey Alterion….do you think those punches actually hurt me? You hit like a wet noodle.”

I really wish that was the truth.

Lilim: Virani might be more hurt than I thought because she clinches me and I struggle to try and break free and I push Virani to the ropes hoping to loosen her strong grip. It didn’t work. Virani then whispered something in my ear. A wet noodle? Are you kidding me? Maybe she’s not hurt at all. I know she’s trying to get into my head, but hearing her trash talk to me during the fight sort of annoys me to fight harder. I’ll make her eat her words.

At ringside:

Alesia: Virani’s smiling and talking to Lilim. I wish we were close enough to hear it.

Regina: Probably more banter to destabilize her. She’ll have to back it up, though, or it’s all talk.

Alesia: Please do so, Virani!!

Commentator: “A bit of a lull in the action here…but now Virani feints and then lands a solid left hook. That one god around Lilim’s guard. Nice footwork and feint from the Canadian. That wasn’t the biggest left hook in the Cobra’s arsenal, but that one must be a warning to Lilim Alterion.”

Lilim: As I’m trying to find a good moment to strike, but Virani tricks me with a fake right hand and then smacks me with a left hook that distorts my cheek as it lands. “Uuughh!” It wasn’t her strongest left, but it was still sharp. I don’t want take anymore left hooks from her.

Virani: I need to get back on the front foot. If I don’t Lilim’s just going to run me over. I feint the right hand and then slip slightly to the left, giving me an angle to sneak in a left hook. It’s not the most powerful punch of my career, but maybe next time I can put a bit more power on it. Maybe I can even follow up with my right hand too…

At ringside:

Regina: That’s not the most powerful punch Virani has landed, but knuckles on the cheekbone still hurt. A few of these can contribute to a headache.

Alesia: She’s keeping her right hand up when throwing this time. Nice, nice move!

Commentator: “Virani just scores with a left hook, and now she scores with a right hook right behind it. Alterion just took two good punches in a row from the Canadian Cobra. Good reply from Virani after taking some heavy punches along the ropes.”

Virani: Lilim doesn’t reset her defence after my left hook lands. I don’t think she’s hurt, I just think that she made a mistake. Well, capitalizing on mistakes is my gameplan. I twist my body and bring around a right hook to follow my left. It slams nicely into Lilim’s cheek, sending sweat flying off her head. A nice pair of punches. Lilim takes a couple steps backwards, but I don’t think she’s hurt, so I don’t follow up immediately. Lots of time left in this round, and I want to win it.

Lilim: My gloves dropped slightly when Virani’s left hook landed. It stunned me for only a fraction of a second and I didn’t raise my gloves back up quick enough. But it was enough time for Virani to land another punch. Her right hook blasted hard across my face. “Uuuhhh!” My head jerked over my other shoulder while sweat flew off my face.

Jett: Don’t let your defense falter Lil!! Keep you hands up and head moving!!” Damn Virani got her with a good combination that time. Lilim took the first punch well, but it was still strong enough to stun her. Even if it was only a moment. Virani saw that weakness and struck. Her hands are fast and accurate. We need to be very careful with Virani in this fight. She has the speed and power to take Lil down. That’s for sure.

Thomas: “Good job, Virani!” That’s the quickness and combination punching I’ve been trying to teach Virani. Bit of an unorthodox combination, but the punches scored.

At ringside:

Alesia: This is fun. I like seeing Virani landing punches.

Regina: Sadist.

Alesia: Says the one who yelled at her so she’d punish me in sparring!

Regina: You deserved it. Haha!

Commentator: “The two fighters seperate for a moment and Alterion drops her left hand for a moment and appears to smile at her opponent. The Azure Valkyrie appears to be relishing this fight!”

Lilim: I take a couple steps back after getting hit with those two strong hooks. Besides the pain my head felt. At that moment a strange feeling took hold of me as I locked eyes with my opponent. It was a feeling I haven’t felt since I faced Karen Carlson. I was enjoying this moment. No. This match is fun. I was fighting a strong opponent I respected in the ring. The sound of the crowd and the intense glare Virani gave me was really awakening the warrior in me. It was just one of those… I just really love boxing. I couldn’t help, but drop my gloves and smile at Virani. I want fight her head on and knock her out. Either there is really something wrong with me or I’m just a boxing junkie.Virani:What in the hell. Why is Lilim smiling at me? Are my punches even doing anything? Or is she crazy?

Jett: What is this? Lilim never smiles during a match. Except when she fought the KO Kitten. She must really be having fun out there since she’s fighting a boxer she’s a fan of. However it’s a good mental tactic to throw Virani off.Auroun: What the hell is she doing?

Thomas: Lilim’s standing there with a grin on her face after Virani whacked her with two solid hooks. And now Lilim looks like this is the most fun she has had in weeks. I don’t think that’s good. I think Virani just woke up Lilim Alterion.

At ringside:

Alesia: I like Virani’s muscle definition. Not easy to achieve.

Regina: It’s easy. Just a couple of dials in DAZ Studio.

Alesia: What the…?

Commentator: “Virani has been displaying an improved jab in this fight. Her trainer, Thomas Nagy, has said before the fight that Virani’s jab might be key to this fight. She lands a solid one here, preventing Lilim from going where she wanted to go – that is, I’m assuming, inside.”

Virani: I see Lilim trying to get low and get inside, so I fire off a quick jab that lands cleanly. Eat my jab, Alterion!

Lilim: I step forth to try and get inside, but a left jab nails me again and my head turns slightly. But I’m not going to let you stop me MacVicar. Let’s go.

At ringside:

Regina: Whoa! What a jab!

Alesia: I know right? Full extension, smooth landing. You know what? Virani should be called the Smooth Cobra. Slick venom.

Regina shoots a puzzled look at Ally

Commentator: “Virani has been doing well in the middle part of this round, so its up to the Azure Valkyrie to win this round back from the Canadian Cobra…and there’s a good start as Lilim finds a home for a nice right hand at the end of a combination. That one landed nicely for the American.”

Lilim: I’m having fun, but I need to do better in this round. I squeeze my gloves tightly and I snipe out four jabs as fast as I could. The first three jabs were either blocked or barley missed. My last jab flashed between Virani’s gloves and landed perfect into her check. Her head turned over her shoulders as a few fold of spit flew from her lips. My right jab felt good as it landed, but it wasn’t my strongest right hand. But at least I showed Virani I have fast hands too.

Virani: Lilim must know that she’s losing this round, but it feels like I kind of am figuring her out. That is until she launches a four punch combination at my head. One glances off my shoulder, another just grazes my nose and then the last one smacks into my cheek. Holy crap. Lilim should not be able to throw combinations that fast. Dangit. While it was only the punch at the end that did damage, that attack shakes my confidence just the tiniest bit.

At ringside:

Regina: Virani needs to move more to prevent damage during combinations.

Alesia: Constant movement, bob and weave, yes. Then kapow from an angle!

Commentator: “The Azure Valkyrie shepherds Virani towards a corner of the ring and looks to put on the pressure. Virani reacts by firing off a 1-2 combination, which Lilim slips..and she lands a good body shot in reply. Lilim has worked very well to the body this round. One has to wonder what kind of toll this is taking on the Canadian.”

Lilim: I feel a good rhythm and Ikeep jabbing and pressuring Virani more and more until she’s almost toughing the ropes. Virani fired a left, right jab combo, but I’m ready this time. I moved my head and dodged both punches and countered with another solid right jab to the body. I see Virani’s expression frown and I could hear her grunt a little louder during the impact. My body punches are starting to bother her more. Her body is still rock solid, but I wonder how many more can she take?

Virani: Freaking Lilim never stops coming forward. She’s like a damn terminator. I notice that I’m about to be trapped in the corner, which is absolutely where I do not want to be. I fire off a 1-2 combination, which Lilim ducks out of the way of…and I’m in no position to block when she again goes low and hammers me with a good punch to the body. I’ve reached the point where I am visibly wincing to each bodypunch she lands. Lilim must see that she’s doing good with these body punches.

Jett: Good Lil. Keep sneaking in those body shots. They don’t need to be the strongest, but if she keeps landing those punches eventually Virani’s shield will keep cracking until it shatters.

Thomas: Virani has a strong midsection, but there’s a limit to how many clean bodypunches she can take. Especially from a big puncher like Lilim.At ringside:

Alesia: She’ll have to protect the body better. Otherwise, these shots will take Virani down, little by little.

Regina: True. If not, the head will be next and she’ll take the punches at full force.

Commentator: “Lilim has Virani trapped in the corner. Virani tries to punch her way out with a right hook, but Lilim lands a sneaky left hook over the top that lands with a nice, solid impact. You have to wonder how many punches can Virani take from a big puncher like Lilim Alterion. She seems fine so far, but Lilim has a habit of putting her opponents down…and then out. At least Virani manages to slip out of the corner in this case, but Lilim has sounded a warning to the Canadian.”

Lilim: I finally corned Virani. Now if I can just keep her there I know I can drop her again. She tries a couple of feints, but she’s not fooling me this time. She then fired a right hook at me at the same time I swung my left. My left hook is faster and it landed flush while Virani’s falls short. Her lips part and a misty spray of spit flys out as her head turns. I’m doing better in the round now. I’m going to keep it up.

Virani: I’m in a bit of a precarious situation here, as Lilim has slowly cornered me. I try a couple of hand fakes to see if I can get Lilim to commit to a direction, but she stays calm, like she’s a terminator or something. Finally, I decide I have to punch, but my punch is too slow and Lilim snaps out a quick left hook that I feel distort my face. Fricking hell. I can’t let Lilim land clean punches like that.

At ringside:

Alesia: Get out of there NOW!

Regina: That won’t be easy. She threw the right and got smacked by the left, so she can’t immediately move in either direction.

Commentator: “Alterion has really been on the front foot this round, working Virani well to the body. But there Virani evades a few punches from Lilim and then she scores with a sweeping right hand to the body of the Azure Valkyrie. Virani will certainly like having paid Lilim back for the punishment to the body she has taken so far in this fight.

Virani: Lilim’s aggressiveness occasionally gets into trouble. Here, she misses a punch or two, and as she’s retracting her right hand from a failed hook, I twist my body into a solid right hand that thumps into Lilim’s midsection. I don’t know how much damage that did…Lilim’s abs are strong as hell, but at least its some nice payback for her pounding me to the stomach in this round.

Lilim: I fire a few jabs and Virani keeps blocking them perfectly. I don’t give up and I swing a sharp right hook that gets deflected by Virani’s left glove and causing it to miss my target. In an instant Virani smashes the center of my abdomen with a solid right jab. “Uugghh!” I’m okay, but that punch defiantly hurt. Crap. Virani can punch. I don’t want to take anymore body shots like that.

At ringside:

Alesia: I heard Lilim’s “ugh” from here. Sounded like music.

Regina: With Virani playing the drums.

Commentator: “The middle section of this round belonged to Lilim Alterion, but Virani appears not to have given up hope of winning the round as she spears Lilim with a good jab. I don’t believe it is in Lilim’s best interest to get into a battle of jabs. Virani’s is fast and accurate, and Lilim has never really been known for hers…”

Virani: The one thing that’s working for me in this round is my jab. Thomas and I worked hard on it for this fight, how to throw it, when to throw it, how to mix up probing jabs with hard, punishing jabs. My jab has always been a good punch, but now its a weapon. A weapon that I want to keep Lilim on the end of. Here, we exchange jabs and I catch her clean with mine, jerking her head around. I smirk and reset. Hard for you to get inside if I keep smacking you in the face with my glove, Ms. Alterion.

Lilim: I like fighting and exchanging in the middle of the ring. But Virani keeps throwing out her jab and keeping me at a distance. I’m confident in my skills. I might be an infighter, but I think people forget I can box too. So, I snap out a left jab and my head instantly turns as Virani’s right jab lands first. “Uhh!” Damn you Virani. She beat me that time. Her jabs are so quick and sharp.

At ringside:

Regina: Virani’s jab has improved. It’s sharper and longer than before.

Alesia: Sometimes you do have a point.Regina gives Alesia “the look”

Commentator: “We are heading towards the end of a very even round, I wonder who the judges have ahead at this juncture…Virani goes for a jab, but Lilim slips it with some slick movement. Looks like Lilim got tired of trying of exchanging jabs with Virani and went the evasive route. It might even lead to some openings…”

Virani: “I know the round is nearing and end, and I want to leave an impression with the judges. So when Lilim bends, clearly to get inside, I fire off a jab, hoping to smash Lilim right in the nose. The Azure Vaykire, however, is a bit too fast for that, and my punch goes over her right shoulder. Damn. Lilim seemed a lot slower on tape…

Lilim: We circle around each other in the center of the ring and fire back and forth at each other. Things are getting heated and I stay on my toes. Virani fires a blinding fast left jab and I bend and move my upper body with all my speed. Barley dodging my opponents left hand. I know can keep up with Virani’s speed. I only hope I’m faster than her.

Jett: That’s right Lilim. Keep doing that head movement. Get on the inside and hit her with those shots.

Thomas: Beautiful slip from Lilim, I hope the bell rings before Lilim can do more damage…

At ringside:

Regina: That slip is great. The kind of thing you do well yourself.

Alesia: I know right?

Commentator: “…And Alterion nails MacVicar with a big uppercut! It nails Virani square on the chin! Virani tried to throw the right but Lilim got there first with the uppercut and walloped the Canadian. MacVicar backs away and will survive the round, but that is the the last impression of the round the judges get, it will certainly make them more likely to favour Alterion.”

Lilim: I got on the inside. I see my opening, I narrow my eyes, and I sharply move my right glove up as fast and hard as I can. I see my uppercut crash underneath her chin. I know that would do some damage. “PISH!” Virani’s head snapped up violently while sweat scatters off her face. I hoped it would be enough to knock Virani down senseless, but I saw her catch herself, raise her black gloves, and stand strong on her feet with a determined look on her face. I know I have good punching power. So, how the hell did she stay up after that? Virani is a lot stronger than I thought.

Virani: I see Lilim’s movements and I think there is an opening for my right hand, but before I can sweep it around, Lilim’s right hand jerks my head upwards. Stars dance in front of my eyes for a moment and my legs give a little quiver as I feel my hair fly around. That was a clean punch from Lilim, but I manage to get my gloves back up and my legs to steer me away from further punches. A moment after the punch lands, the beel rings. Thank goodness, perfect timing.

Jett: I threw my fist into the air as Lilim’s uppercut landed. My smile then vanished when I saw Virani still standing. Wow I thought that drop her for sure. Virani is a lot more durable than I thought. That’s troubling.

Thomas: I wince as I watch that uppercut land. It landed absolutely flush on Virani’s chin. I see Virani put her gloves up and back off as the bell rings to end the round, but I know that one hurt her for a moment.

At ringside:

Alesia gasps: OMG. No!

Regina: Good thing Lilim doesn’t have your uppercut technique. Virani would go down in a heartbeat

Commentator: “First let’s check out Lilim Alterion in the blue corner.”

Jett: I get the stool ready for Lilim and she sits with her gloves in her lap. There some slight redness showing on her cheeks. I take her mouthpiece out. So far no cuts or blood showing in her mouth.

Lilim: I take a few deep breaths. Jett gives me a small sip of water. I turn my head and spit the water in the bucket. And I look at my coach.

Jett: “Good round Lil. You had rough start, but you adapted to Virani’s rhythm and found a way to counter her. Keep it up. How you feeling?”

Lilim: I nod my head. “I feel good.”

Jett: “Glad to hear it. Keep getting on the inside of her. Your punches are hurting. It may not seem like it, but they are. And keep your head moving.”

Lilim: “Okay, Coach.”

Jett: “I like seeing you on the offense, but don’t get caught with her counters. She’s quick. Make sure to go on defense and then strike back when you see your opening. You have the speed and power to win this fight. Keep using it.”

Lilim: I nod again in agreement. I take a few more deep breaths. I am having fun. I feel strong and confident. I know I can, beat Virani. But her standing after that uppercut does make me a bit bervous. However this is Virani. She won’t go down easy. Fine by me. I want to face her at her strongest anyway.

Commentator: “Now lets go to the red corner and check in on Virani MacVicar.”

Thomas: I pull out the stool and Virani sits on it. Her face is starting to swell up a little, but nothing too bad at the moment. “How are you doing?”

Virani: “That uppercut hurt, but I’m okay.”

Thomas: “You probably lost that round. Plus she did some good work to the body that round. You fell in love with your jab too much at the end. Lilim’s too good, if you keep showing her her the same look, she’s going to punish her.”

Virani: “So what do I do?”

Thomas: “Lilim wants to come underneath your jab and get inside, so show her the jab, but then unleash a counter when she ducks under. Make her pay to get inside. She’s open to counters, we’ve seen it, you just got to go for it.”

Virani: “Ok!”

Thomas: “Use your feet more. She’s pressuring you because you aren’t moving. Use your feet to keep it at the distance you want. Then when she comes in side, hammer her! I need this round, okay? Let’s hunt a Valkyrie.”

Virani: “Gotcha, Tom.” Okay. Sounds good. Now I just need to implement this plan…

At ringside:

Alesia: Darn. She looks a bit more tired and I see swelling from here.

Regina: And she shouldn’t have her arms on the ropes like that. It’s not good for blood circulation!

Commentator: “Let’s go to the unofficial scorecards. I had Alterion taking the second round, though it was very close. That big uppercut near the bell sealed it in my mind. Still, this remains anyone’s fight and there are still six rounds to go.”

Auroun: So far so good. I lean back on my seat and take a slow deep breath. This fight is stressful for me. I love Virani, but I have to support Lil no matter what. She’s my best friend and I’ll always have her back. It just sucks seeing two women I respect so much beating up on each other. But they both probably love the thrill. I guess they wouldn’t be proud boxers if they weren’t. By my book Lilim is winning. She did good in that round. Virani has landed a lot on her though. And her taking Lilim’s full uppercut is making me scared. I know Lilim can win this fight at any moment, but I’m afraid the longer this fight goes on. The harder Virani will be to drop. She’s insanely smart. Hopefully Lilim win knock her out in this round and we can go home. I feel like we’re playing with fire here. Please be careful Lil.

At ringside:

Regina: How do you score it?

Alesia: That round is Lilim’s. That makes her go ahead. Virani needs to respond quickly. It’s just 8 rounds. Not much time to get back into it if you call behind.

Regina: Wow, you’re getting good at this.