The bell rings and the third round begins with Heather Barker quickly taking the middle of the ring.

The Canadian leaves little breathing room for Sue Strong to find her way into this round. As soon as they meet, the White Swan “greets” her foe with a strong right cross on the tip of the chin.

It sets the tone. Heather goes back and forth with pace, throwing fast shots to bet her opponent to the punch. Sue tries hard to match the rhythm, but her efforts don’t pay off.

After 15 seconds of this, Tiger tries to accelerate the pace by going forward and throwing a right hand to the body. The former Canadian champ responds with a fast left hook upstairs on the counter. It lands on the cheek, rocking Sue in a heartbeat.

The Purplehead piles the pressure on her opponent. One in two punches land, pushing the American back, far outside her comfort zone. There’s actually no comfort in this ring with Heather coming forward all the time.

Then, the local repeats the earlier trick. She slows down a tad to invite the attack. When Sue gets ready to throw a punch, a right cross comes in. The purple glove smacks the left side of her face, right next to the nose. Pish!

Sue is hurt for the second time in two consecutive rounds. She moves sideways to evade Heather’s tactical advances and retreats. In the ropes, the American waits for the smallest breather to throw an effective punch.

Going for the final shot

Heather slows down and lowers her torso, making Sue unleash a right hook with evil intentions. The Swan pulls back to the left and drops her right hand before making an upper body rotation for the uppercut. Her glove enters empty space behind Sue’s right arm and blasts her jaw. PISH!

Sue groans and the crowd cheers.

The visitor stumbles back and falls in the ropes, apparently held back by them. Referee Chantal Gagné sends Heather in a neutral corner to take a look.

Chantal thinks: “I have two options here. Knockdown with a count or ruling this as a knockout, if she’s in a bad state. Gotta see if she can get back to normal.”

In the meantime, Heather enjoys a wild round of cheers and applause. It appears that Montréal’s boxing fans are very satisfied with the action so far.

Sue gathers herself to stand up, prompting Chantal to think about giving her a count and a chance to get back in the game. Just as she looks ready to show that she’s ok, the American stumbles to the left and falls forward near the corner. The ref has no other choice than to call the fight.

Chantal: “OUT!”

Happy return

The audience rises to its feet to applaud the winner, who greets her coach for a warm embrace. Mark Ford goes to his fighter to make sure she’s OK. She’s super disappointed, but she makes it to her feet within a minute.

Heather goes to Sue to thank her for the fight, receiving congratulations from the Strong camp for the win.

Moments later, the result is officially announced.

Ring announcer: “Ladies and gentlemen, at 1:18 in the third round, we have a winner! By knockout… Heather ‘The White Swan’ Barker!”

Further cheers fill the casino’s small arena, completing a successful ring comeback for the former Canadian champion. Heather’s record moves to 6-1 with three knockout wins. Sue’s drops to 11-1, ending her undefeated run.

Shortly after the announcement, Heather drops on her knees in the middle of the ring for a moment.

Thank you, God, for this fabulous win. What a return! Haha. I was so excited I forgot to give my mouthpiece back!