Double knockdown: Alesia Schumann vs. Katia Nagel – Round 6

Round 6 begins with Ally jabbing to keep Katia at a distance.

Lacie: “Don’t just let her do that. Go in!”

By now, the Berliner knows the timing of that jab. Barely 10 seconds after the action started, Katia bends her legs and twists her upper body inside at the perfect moment. As Ally’s left comes out, the right hand to the body comes in and thumps her body hard. Her plexus and stomach bend under intense application of force.

Alesia: “Ummmfff!”

Esther: “Schumann’s hurt!”

Cecilia: “She is. Four jabs in 10 seconds made it predictable enough for Katia to come in with a powerful counter inside.”

At ringside:

Anna: “Ah fuck. Why can’t Ally pull away from this broad?”

Akane: “She’s so tough, it’s mindblowing.”

Katia knows that Alesia is hurt after that thumping right to the body and she wants to go back upstairs.

With her fans screaming for blood, the Berliner shifts her body from left to right with a good ankle twist. The result is a full weight transfer behind her left hook. Ally is in pain and her hands dropping, leaving her head unprotected.

The crowd emits a collective “ohhh!” as the dark green glove collides at full speed with Alesia’s jaw. PISH.

Katia thinks: “Finally! I got her good this time. No more evading now!”

Esther: “Nagel is ‘guilty’ of having hurt Schumann for the first time. She is in no mood to clear the Bavarian of all charges.”

Cecilia: “Quite the opposite. She is most likely to charge if this punch isn’t enough to send her down.”

At ringside:

Virani:“Wow… what a combo! That rocked Ally!”

Sophie sighs: “Yes. Got a bad feeling there.”

Alesia’s legs give in. The very strong combination that Katia just landed, early in Round 6, sends her towards the canvas.
Katia thinks: “Oh my God, I did it! She’s going down!”

Lacie: “YES! Good job, Katia! Now go to a neutral corner, quick!”

The crowd, save for the Alesia fans, cheers the most sensational moment of the fight thus far.

Esther: “Schumann goes down! With this knockdown, Katia Nagel is likely to widen her lead in the German championship fight ”

Cecilia: “If Alesia gets up from this and makes it to the bell, she has to win several rounds in a row to get the title. It’s an uphill battle.”

Regina thinks: “Ah man. We need to react very quickly to this, so that Katia can’t run away with the title. Time’s short. Super short. Hopefully Ally isn’t too hurt.”

Lacie: “YES! Good job, Katia! Now go to a neutral corner, quick!”

Sophie: “FUUUUUUUUUUCK!”

Virani: “NO!”

Anna looks down without saying a word, and sighs.

Akane: “I don’t get it. I know that Alesia is the better boxer. And one good move is enough to send her down. I don’t get it at all.”

Rebecca is already near the two fighters, making a hand gesture to tell Katia where she needs to go. The nearest neutral corner.

Katia thinks: “Yes, four more rounds and the rest of this one. Then I will be the new champion!”

Esther: “What do you reckon, Cecilia? Does Schumann have it in her to get back into this one?”

Cecilia: “She has the quality, but she needs to survive a few seconds and dig deep enough to find a solid dose of willpower. I’m not saying it’s impossible, but given the way Katia has been fighting and the way she now builds a lead, she has to be considered as the favourite. Barring a spectacular turnaround either in this round or in the next round.”

At ringside:

Anna: “Shit. Now Katia is getting further ahead. WHY?”

Akane: “She landed that combination on the button. You know the punches are hard when Ally goes down.”

Lacie: “Katia!”

The fighter turns to look at her coach, on her left.

Lacie: “You have her! You are a couple of punches away from being the German champion! Go after her NOW!”

The fighter nods.
Katia: “This is my chance to finish the fight. There may not be a second one. Gotta knock her out. Now. I’ll give everything for a few seconds and walk out as the champ.”

We go to Alesia, who is on the canvas after getting knocked down, from Regina’s point of view.

Regina
: “Are you ok?”

The fighter nods with an eye movement. She hears Lacie’s yelling to Katia, and avoids giving anything away about her state.

Ally thinks: “They think I’m really hurt. No I’m not, but I can fake it. I’ll draw her in and fight back.”

Regina: “We need a quick reaction. She’s got a good lead now.”

Ally makes the same eye gesture as before.

Regina thinks: “She’s more pissed than hurt. This is good news for us.”

At ringside:

Sophie: “GET UP, SIS! GET UP NOW!”

Anna: “GET UP!”

Everything is in order for Rebecca, who starts her count as soon as Katia is in a neutral corner.

Rebecca: “One… two… three… four… five…”

Ally has made it to one knee on the canvas. She looks up, seemingly still in pain.

Alesia thinks: “Keep going. I’m recharging batteries here.”

At ringside:

Anna: “You think she’ll be ok?”

Akane: “I think so. I’ve hit her a lot, and hard, and she simply refused to stay down. Even fooled me to knock me out in our first fight.”

The ref keeps counting while Alesia rises to her feet.

Rebecca: “Six… seven… eight…”

The Diva is up and she raises her hands, keeping her poker face on.

Rebecca: “Ready to continue?”

Alesia: “Yes.”

Rebecca thinks: “I’ve seen her in better shape but stopping it now would be too early. Especially in a title fight. Gotta let her show if she can fight back or not.”

Rebecca: “Box!”

The crowd cheers as the two fighters are about to clash again.

At ringside:

Virani: “Hold on, Alesia!”

Sophie: “She will. It’s in her blood by now.”

Eager to finish her handywork, Katia comes forward instantly after hearing “box” from Rebecca. She puts all her weight behind a left hook aimed at Alesia’s chin.

The Bavarian takes a step back, lowers her upper body drops her right hand and twists her arm upwards. Unwillingly, Katia just walked into the Diva’s uppercut.

PISH!

The crowd’s cheering intensifies with a few “oh’s!” around the place.

Esther: “Nagel gets nailed by Schumann’s fierce uppercut, which we haven’t seen in the first five rounds. Given the angle, Nagel felt it without seeing a thing!”

Cecilia: “What could be the most dangerous single punch in women’s boxing, like nitroglycerine in a glove, just blasted Katia’s chin. Let’s see if she can handle this kind of detonation.”

Esther: “Your puns are improving, Cecilia.”

At ringside, Regina smirks.

Lacie: “Damn! How could she miss her? And that uppercut… That’s dangerous!”

Sophie: “I KNEW THE SLEDGEHAMMER WAS COMING.”

Virani: “Holy hell! She walked into that one!”

Anna: “FUCK YES. ABOUT TIME.”

Akane: “HAI!”

Esther: “Nagel’s arms and legs lose strength and Schumann has one more punch for her! She lands a left hook as her opponent is on her way down to try and finish the job. This is no jobber.”

The crowd makes loud noise to cheer the sheer violence of this round, and a turnaround that could be underway. Rebecca walks to the fighters, ready because she expects someone to fall down.

Cecilia: “Alesia has shown us acting skills when she got up from a knockdown. She faked being hurt, and delivered hurt in a way that cannot be faked.”

At ringside:

Lacie: “Oh no, this is going all wrong!”

Sophie: “THAT’S WHAT I’M TALKING ABOUT.”

Virani: “She’s hurt! Finish it!”

Anna: “COME ON CHAMP! GO FOR THE RIGHT HAND.”

Akane: “OMG. She’s going to win this fight. DO IT, ALLY!”

A face-crunching uppercut and a left hook surprised Katia when she went for the kill. She nosedives and her body pounds the canvas.

An overexcited crowd cheers the second knockdown in barely more than 30 seconds. Some chant: “Alesia! Alesia! Alesia!”

Esther: “Nagel goes DOWN. Face first on the canvas after absorbing massive punishment in just two punches. Schumann disguised a flash knockdown to attract her and brutally return the favour. I’m telling you: she’s evil.”

Cecilia: “That was a risky tactic given Rebecca Linden’s tough refereeing, but it worked to perfection. The way Katia went down… I’m convinced that she is truly hurt.”

At ringside:

Lacie: “Come on, Katia, get up! You know you can do it!”

Virani: “Oh my god, I think it’s over! She fell like a sack of potatoes!”

Sophie: “Hahahaha! The potatoes are boiled!”

Anna: “What a fucking comeback.”

Akane: “What did I tell you a moment ago?”

 

Happy campers at ringside.


Esther: “Now, the question regarding Katia Nagel is… can… she… get up from this knockdown from hell?”

Rebecca: “One… two… three…”

Katia pushes up.

Cecilia: “I think there’s enough life in there for her to make it.”

Rebecca: “Four… five…”

The Berliner is on her knees.
Katia thinks: “I can’t let her win like this. That uppercut, though. Geez.”

At ringside:

Sophie: “STAY DOWN FOR YOUR OWN GOOD OR WE’LL FEED YOU TO THE CROCODILES!”

Anna: “LOL! Sophie is a hoot.”

Akane: “I’m happy not to be against her.”


Shaken, but awake.

Rebecca: “Six… seven… eight… ready?”

The Berliner finishes getting up. She puts her hands up.

Katia: “Yes.”

Alesia is also ready in the neutral corner. She can’t wait to hear a three-letter word.

Rebecca: “Box!”

Regina: “ATTACK!”

Fighting resumes in Leipzig with Alesia marching towards Katia, who is more tentative than at any time earlier in this bout.

Esther: “Schumann charges and whoa, she plants her feet on the ground and throws a bomb that explodes in Nagel’s jaw. A powerful right hand that had a serious dose of TNT in it.”

Katia grunts when she feels the knuckles licking her bones. The crowd laps it up with even louder cheers.

Alesia thinks: “I’m better than you, I’ll be the champ and I’ll show why right now.”

Cecilia: “This confirms what we suspected. Katia is hurt and Alesia is taking advantage of what she created with the knockdown. If she plays her cards well, she can either win the fight or at least the round in the coming minute.”

At ringside:

Sophie: “HERE COME THE CROCODILES!”

Anna: “Oh! That right has to sting.”

Akane: “Tell me about it. Knocked me out in the 10th round in Tokyo.”

Esther: “Schumann hasn’t given any breathing room to Nagel, who is gasping for air since getting up from her knockdown, and the Bavarian is looking to choke her for good.”

Cecilia: “Alesia is indeed taking command after a rough start to this round. It feels like a taste of the canvas switched her on.”

Ally drives forward as the two fighters approach a corner. Katia is looking to throw her left hand but the Diva beats her to the punch. A big left hook comes in, smacks her cheek and makes her head swivel.

Esther: “Another power shot landed by Schumann. She is relentless like a squirrel scrambling around to prepare for winter.”

Ally’s fans are chanting: “Alesia! Alesia! Alesia!”

At ringside:

Anna: “She’s on a roll.”

Akane: “No. Driving a steamroller.”

Katia spends her time on the defensive, around the ropes and sometimes near corners.

Clack clack clack.

With 10 seconds left, Alesia maintains high pressure and throws more bombs at Katia in an attempt to take the round decisively. In the dying seconds, both think of throwing a right hand but the Diva’s release is faster. A red Paffen glove strikes in the jaw.

Esther: “This could be the last punch of the round although Nagel seems to want to finish her motion.”

At ringside:

Sophie: “This round started like shit, but I think it’s hers.”

Anna: “What a right hand. So much faster than Katia’s.”

Akane: “She slowed down, didn’t she?”

As Esther predicted, Katia finishes her motion to throw her right hand after absorbing a cross.

Ally makes a clever move to avoid it. She finishes her own motion to slip under the incoming glove.

Ding! The round is over.

Esther: “Such excellent boxing from Schumann, who avoids taking a clean hit at the bell.”

Cecilia: “Alesia just turned offense into defense, throwing a shot while having a plan to evade the counter. She shows us the quality of a true technician.”

Esther: “Did you show her that move?”

Cecilia: “Um… hey look, Laura Ritter is coming for her interview at the break.”

Esther: “Some people are elusive inside and outside the ring.”

At ringside:

Sophie: “Katia is finding Ally a little slippery. Muhahahaha.”

Anna: “I want to move like that one day.”

Akane: “So easy to do in the gym, so hard to do at full speed in competition.”

New weapon: corners

As Esther predicted, Katia finishes her motion to throw her right hand after absorbing a cross.

Ally makes a clever move to avoid it. She finishes her own motion to slip under the incoming glove.

Ding! The round is over.

Esther: “Such excellent boxing from Schumann, who avoids taking a clean hit at the bell.”

Cecilia: “Alesia just turned offense into defense, throwing a shot while having a plan to evade the counter. She shows us the quality of a true technician.”

Esther: “Did you show her that move?”

Cecilia: “Um… hey look, Laura Ritter is coming for her interview at the break.”

Esther: “Some people are elusive inside and outside the ring.”

At ringside:

Sophie: “Katia is finding Ally a little slippery. Muhahahaha.”

Anna: “I want to move like that one day.”

Akane: “So easy to do in the gym, so hard to do at full speed in competition.”

 

Regina: “Listen. You are the reason why I got back into pro boxing. Today, you are my pride and joy in this sport. I want to make you a champion and it starts with the German title. I want you to give everything to earn this belt.”

Ally just listens.

Regina: “It’s time to unleash the new weapon. The one we’ve been working on since I became your coach. Bring it out and surprise the shit out of her. School this chick even better than you’ve schooled Akane in Tokyo. Show her what boxing is all about, at the highest level.”

Ally nods once again.

Regina: “This title means everything. It’s our springboard to world-class boxing and you know it as well as I do. Ok?”

Alesia: “Yes!”
The coach gives her protégée water and her mouthpiece.

Lacie: “Come on, girl, sit down. How do you feel?”

Katia: “Hammered.”

Lacie: “You had this round in the bag, maybe the whole fight when you knocked her down. A three-point lead would probably have been enough. You only needed to put her down for good when she got back on her feet. What happened?”

Katia: “I think she wasn’t really hurt. She only played hurt. When I went in for the kill she avoided my shot easily while she launched her uppercut at the same time. That took me by surprise.”

Lacie: “Okay, breathe, listen. I think we’re even on the scorecards, nothing is lost so far. I don’t know what shit she will come up with in the next round, so be careful. I know it’s not your favorite game, but be defensive. Let her come to you. Be evasive, circle around, make her waste energy by missing her punches. Attack when there’s an opening, combination, one-two, then step back. Watch how it works. Okay?”

Katia nods.

Lacie: “Okay, tiger, go get her!”

Esther: “After a very busy round, we need insight from Laura Ritter, the former champion herself. Laura, we had a tactical battle for five rounds and fireworks in the sixth. What do you make of it?”

Laura: “The quality in this ring tells me that women’s boxing in Germany is in good hands, at least in the Super Lightweight division. Any of these two would be a worthy champion based on performance.”

Esther: “Both had their moments. Nagel took some close rounds with decisive punches before the bell. Schumann dominated some of the rounds. Then, we had two knockdowns in Round 6. Does anyone have the edge?”

Laura: “A few minutes ago, I told Anna Schwartz and Akane Watanabe that if this match were about boxing science, Alesia would win. If it were about trading, Katia would prevail. However, Alesia just proved me wrong by taking the fight to Katia after getting up from the canvas. I think that she goes into the next round with a psychological advantage.”

Esther: “Why do you say that?”

Laura: “When Katia knocked Alesia down, it seemed to be the moment when you could separate the two, but Alesia turned on a dime, returned the favour and landed powerful shots to get ahead. Being on the receiving end of that is very tough on a fighter.”

Esther: “What do you expect in Round 7? Can these two be separated?”

Laura: “I expect Alesia to come out with more aggressiveness and would not be surprised if Katia were to take a few hard swings to try and make up for the unexpected loss of Round 6. I believe it will be a very decisive round. Whoever wins it will go into the championship rounds with the advantage.”

Esther: “Still convinced that Alesia will do that?”

Laura: “If I had to put money on it, I would maintain my opinion. What she did in Round 6 proved her determination to become the German champion and that cannot be ignored.”

Esther: “Thank you!”

Cecilia: “This was an intense round, in which two knockdowns canceled each other out. Once she sent Katia to the canvas, Schumann took control of the action and landed the best punches, which is well reflected in the round statistics. She was busier and more accurate.”

Cecilia: “With this in mind, I give Round 6 to Alesia 10-9, bringing us back to an even race to the title.”

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.