Round 9. Officially, these are the championship rounds. Unofficially, both fighters would love to just shake hands and call it a day. Unfortunately, there’s this thing called ‘pride’ and ‘The Canadian Featherweight championship’ preventing that.
The round starts out fairly cagey. Neither fighter wants to waste the energy, or make the fatal mistake. Both fighters know how close this fight is, know what the cost of one mistake might be.
It’s Emma who feels the need to attack first. She’s the one feeling the pressure, she’s the one that feels like a decision may not go her way. She throws a left hook and then follows up with a right. The Pretty Warrior ducks both in a great display of defensive boxing. But as she dodges the second one, she puts all her weight on her left foot in order to prepare to throw her left.
Chantal: “Elusiveness, thy name is Mechelle Gauthier. Blocking punches with your face might be appropriate for a Rocky film, but The Pretty Warrior would like to keep her nickname.”
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Now or Never
Sylvie thinks: Now or never, kid.
Mechelle launches forward, transferring all her weight into the big left hand that she throws. Emma mistakenly tries to stand her ground and hit the ducking Mechelle with an uppercut. It never gets to its intended target.
Chantal: “Massive shot from Gauthier! She caught Emma flush with a brilliant shot!”
Sylvie thinks: Am I a great coach, or am I a great coach?
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Emma staggers backwards from that massive shot, almost becoming entangled with the ropes as she uses anything she can to stay upright. The Peach’s legs are gone, and she is seeing stars. But she’s not done yet, as she quickly extracts herself from the ropes before the ref… or Mechelle can intervene.
Chantal: McGale is staggered! The crowd rises to their feet as the finish might come shortly!
Mechelle thinks: This is it. I let you off the hook last time. This time you won’t be so lucky.
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The Uppercut
Thomas: “Tie her up, Emma!”
Emma tries to do so, but she finds that grabbing on to Mechelle is much harder when badly disorientated. Mechelle bullies Emma into the corner, reveling in the fact that the tables are turned and now she is the one that is dominant in close quarters. Emma valiantly tries to fight back, but she has no answer for Mechelle’s current strength. Mechelle bullies her, and then creates the space for the uppercut.
PAFF!
Mechelle’s uppercut comes through like a powerful piston. It lands right underneath Emma’s chin. A more perfect spot could not have been calculated.
Sylvie: “YASSS!”
Chantal: “A massive, massive uppercut from Gauthier! McGale was already hurt, but this one was a haymaker of a different level.”
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Peach Down
It’s pretty obvious what is going to happen next after that punch. Emma collapses to the canvas, her body draped over the bottom rope as her legs splay out. Mechelle stands overtop of her rival, taking one moment to appreciate what her fists did to her opponent. It’s the sight that any boxer dreams about, the sight that they envision when they think about an upcoming fight late at night. The sight of a defeated rival that must bow to your superiority.
Chantal: “Emma McGale is down hard! She took an absolute howitzer from Gauthier, and I do not see that there is a way back for her. We will wait for the ref’s pronouncement, but I believe we have a new champion!”
Mechelle thinks: This is a pretty sight. The prettiest of my life, I think.
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Referee Victoria James is on hand quickly to point Mechelle to the neutral corner. Mechelle doesn’t need much prompting. She had her moment, now it’s time for the officials to do their job.
Victoria: “To your corner, madame!”
Emma’s head lolls around, as she struggles to keep conscious after taking such punishment. She’s winning that fight, but barely.
Victoria thinks: I’m 99% sure that this one is over, but unless Emma is in need of medical attention, I’ll give her a count. A warrior like her deserves that much.
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The Count…
Victoria: “1…2…3….4….5…”
Emma thinks: Ungh. It feels like my body is disconnected from my brain.
Emma struggles to get her body to respond to her commands as she tries desperately to get to her feet. Emma’s body isn’t quite as willing as he brain and although she manages to get her head back through the ropes, she’s not exactly making much progress as the count has reached the halfway point.
Victoria thinks: This girl ain’t making the count. And if she did, I’d have to be insane to let the fight continue. So why am I counting? Because I like the tradition, and if Emma can make it to her feet, she deserves to show that she still had fight left.
Chantal: “McGale is struggling, that much is clear. But all the struggle is showing is that Mechelle Gauthier’s punch has knocked her senseless.”
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Victoria: “6…7…”
Emma tries to get up, she really does. But there’s no chance that her battered, bruised body can do it. She’s just not strong enough. Mechelle’s strength has beaten the fight out of her.
The Peach has had enough. She leans back against the ring post, accepting the small amount of support that it can give her.
Emma thinks: I’ve given it everything. I have nothing left.
Victoria: “8…9…10! She’s OUT!”
Mechelle runs and thrusts her arms in the air. Her dream is complete. She is the Featherweight champion of Canada.
Mechelle: “YEAAAAAHHHH!”
Chantal: “We have a new champion and her name is Mechelle Gauthier! She has won with a decisive knockout of Emma McGale here in the ninth round. Now our attention turns to Emma McGale who we hope is okay after a hellacious knockout.”
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The Aftermath
Victoria: “Stay down kid, I’ve got you.”
The referee gently takes out Emma’s mouthpiece and gives her a reassuring pat on the shoulder.
Emma: “I’m okay. Just…beaten. Give me a minute.”
The experienced referee is quickly joined by Thomas and the ring doctor, with the latter examining Emma intently. Emma’s answers are quick and to the doctor’s satisfaction. She never lost consciousness after that uppercut, she’s just exhausted. Out of strength.
Emma is assisted on to the stool (actually provided by Sylvie, as Thomas forgot to carry his over). Emma’s legs are shaky, but the more time passes, the more Emma seems to recover.
Emma thinks: So this is what it feels like to lose a title fight. I got to tell you, I thought it would feel worse.
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Emma is on her feet for the official result. Thomas offers to assist her to the back, but The Peach wants to be in the ring for this. Part of it is she wants to see the title presented to have some additional motivation for next time, and there will be a next time, she promises. Part of it is that she wants to show respect to a fighter that was better than her today. Maybe it was just today, but Mechelle won fair and square.
Ring Announcer: “Ladies and Gentleman, referee Victoria James has called an end to this contest at 52 seconds of the 9th round. Your winner by KNOCKOUT and….NEW CANADIAN FEATHERWEIGHT CHAMPION, Mechelle ‘The Pretty Warrior’ Gauthier!”
Victoria: “Congrats, champ.”
Mechelle thinks: This is it. This is the peak of my career. This is what all the work in the gym was for. It’s what all the punches I took was for. I did it. Best Featherweight in Canada. No one can ever take that away from me. This moment will be mine forever.
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Taking Stock
As soon as the official particulars are done, Virani MacVicar beckons Mechelle over to her so that they can do the interview for Fight TV. But Mechelle shakes her off for a moment and goes to Emma.
Emma: “Congratulations, Mechelle. You deserved that win.”
Mechelle: “Thank you. I feel like your fists have dented my skull. That was a great fight.”
Emma: “It was, wasn’t it? Shame about the result, but the fight was good.”
Mechelle: “I’m glad you are okay. I put everything I had into that last punch. Anything less than that, and you would have gotten up.”
Emma: “The count could have been to 100, and I wouldn’t have gotten up from that uppercut. Can I ask you a question?”
Mechelle: “Sure.”
Emma: “At the end of the 7th, how hurt were you?”
Mechelle: “I was done. I couldn’t keep my gloves up. One more punch and I think I would have collapsed.”
Emma winces.
Mechelle: “Too much honesty?”
Emma: “Maybe. Well, something to aspire to in the rematch.”
Mechelle: “I look forward to our rematch. I’m going to knock you out again, of course. But it’ll be fun.”
Emma thinks: It’ll be fun to share the ring with you again. But I’m going to avenge my loss. That pretty little title will be mine. Not as soon as I had hoped, but one day.
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Having had her moment with Emma, Mechelle makes her way over to the previous champion, who will interview her for Fight TV.
Virani: “Mechelle Gauthier, Featherweight champion of Canada. How good does that sound?”
Mechelle: “It’s better than my dreams. Words cannot describe how great this feeling is. And I mean, don’t I look good with this belt around my waist?”
Virani: “It’s a fantastic fashion accessory. But let us talk about the fight. Did it go the way you expected?”
Mechelle: “Um, I knew I was in for a tough fight. I didn’t think this was going to be an easy fight, and it certainly wasn’t. But I think I executed well on my strategy and my coach and I made some great strategy calls throughout the fight. I have to say, a knockout that big and decisive exceeded my wildest dreams.”
Virani: “You were clearly hurt at a couple points and even on the canvas in the 7th. Talk to us about fighting through adversity.”
Mechelle: “I mean, it was not easy. There were a few points that I thought I was done. Especially in the 7th. I remember looking up at Emma approaching me and thinking ‘well this is it.’ I made it through and came out on top in the end, but it could have easily gone the other way.”
Virani: “With a fight this close, the fans will probably want a rematch. Is that something you are interested in?”
Mechelle: “I think the fans might want me to take on another person currently in the ring.”
Virani thinks: I would demolish you, girl. You’d be lucky to last three rounds.
Virani: “As appealing as that idea is, I’ve had that belt. I’ve got my eye on something else.”
Mechelle thinks: If I really wanted the fight, this is the part where I’d call you a coward. But I’m not that stupid. I know my level.
Mechelle: “Well I’m going to be the type of champion that defends her title. Whenever Emma is the top contender again, I’ll be happy to fight her.”
Virani: “Any last words for your fans?”
Mechelle: “Montreal, thank you for your support! I promise I’ll bring more big fights here. I also want to thank Sylvie, the absolute best coach in Canada and maybe the world. I’ll defend this belt…well, until someone proves they are better than me! Merci!”
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Though Virani is not scheduled to interview the loser of the match, there’s still time left on the broadcast, so Virani pulls a little audible and has Emma come over to her for an interview.
Virani: “Montreal, please give a hand to a determined challenger, Emma McGale.”
The audience in Montreal gives Emma a warm response, and she waves to the crowd, acknowledging their support.
Virani: “First of all, Emma, how are you feeling?”
Emma: “You know, for someone who got almost knocked out in the third round and was knocked out in the ninth, I don’t have any complaints. I’m not sure I’ll be able to move tomorrow morning, but that’s a tomorrow problem.”
Virani: “We’ll I’ll be there to help you tomorrow. Any thoughts on the fight?”
Emma: “The better fighter won. She knocked me down and I couldn’t get up after a ten count. That’s how you win a boxing match. But seriously, Mechelle showed some really nice skills and I think I’m going to see those red gloves in my dreams tonight. She was accurate, she showed good defence and when she had her chances, she took them. I think we can all be proud of a champion like that.”
Virani: “Mechelle just said that she’s interested in a rematch, is that something you are looking for?”
Emma: “I still want her title. I want it more now than I did yesterday. But there’s other fighters that are probably more deserving of a shot at the title than me, so I’ll wait my turn. I’ve got to get back in the gym and improve.”
Virani: “Well thank you for your time, and we hope to see you on Fight TV again! Chantal, back to you.”
Once it’s confirmed she’s not on air anymore, Virani hugs Emma.
Virani: “We should talk.”
Emma: “Not now. Right now, I just want to get home.”
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Well, I’m not gonna lie, I was really hoping that Emma would come out on top this time. However, I’m also not gonna discourage Mechelle because I definitely give her credit where credit is due. And I’m glad that there is anything but no love lost between them and that there is a potential rematch on the horizon for them. Now, the only questions left are will Emma win again and where does Mechelle go from here?
Will Emma win again? Of course! I love Emma as a character. It’ll be a cold day in hell when I retire the character :D. But she does need to lose from time to time, though it would have been fun to give her this moment right away it may come in due course.
Where does Mechelle go? Well, she probably will feature more on this page I think!
Well it definitely isn’t the result everyone wanted to see but it felt like this result was coming since the beginning and before the fight, It seemed Mechelle was more prepared for this fight Emma, not saying that Emma wasn’t prepared at all as you saw she gave her one hell of a fight but they should have watched more videos of her recent fights.
Yes I’ll admit I’m sad that Emma didn’t win the Canadian but I’m not mad that Mechelle won either, she won fair and square, so congratulations to Mechelle the new Canadian champ 🙂
Even though Emma lost shes isn’t letting it get to her like I thought it would, she lasted 9 rounds with an equal and respectable opponent, I’m glad this will just motivate her to keep on fighting instead of being depressed, but first she’s gonna need a much needed break and probably sleep for a week after this lol XD
She may have not won the belt like she told her so called father, but one thing she did prove to him is that she’s an amazing a skilled fighter that will never give up, she’ll keep going till the end. ❤️?
Fave pic has to be the uppercut to Emma’s chin, it hurt to watch but I would be lying if I didn’t think that was one sexy pic. ❤️ Also love the pic with Emma and Mechelle talking after a hard fight, definitely looking forward to a rematch whenever it can happen.
Great work Alex! ? hope will see Emma back in the ring soon, but looking forward to see what’s next ?
It’s not the fun result, but it certainly shows my characters can’t (and don’t win all the time). But you are right, Mechelle is a worthy and lovely Canadian champion :).
Emma’s not letting this loss get to her. She knows that Mechelle was better on the day and I get the feeling she’ll strive to be even better 🙂
Thanks! I really enjoyed making this series. It was one of my best, I think!
It really was one of the best so far! I’m wondering who will be fighting next, there are some fighters that are asking for a knock out lol
First, the compliments. I thought that this fight would be decided by willpower, but it was actually settled by killer instinct. Emma wanted it more, but Mechelle was more decisive when she had her. Didn’t let her slip away, and scored a huge uppercut. Congrats to a lovely champion who overcame her own coach’s doubts.
Second, the hammer. Sorry, but Virani crossed the line between confidence and arrogance, as shown by her internal voice. Seems like she can’t look at another fighter without saying “I’ll knock you out”. I don’t know if you’ll take that further, but it may seem that Virani is falling in love with herself. Remaining humble inside, no matter what you project to the world, is an ingredient for success. When you lose it, you risk taking opponents lightly and falling hard to the one who is either 1. not vastly inferior or 2. at least courageous enough to stand up to you.
Dangerous.
Emma’s attitude? Admirable. She is beating herself up too much since she has vastly improved in the last year or so, but she wants to keep fighting because it’s her passion. Kudos for that.
Pic of the round? It would be easy to say uppercut, but there’s a point where I’d be too damn predictable. I’ll say the second shot of Mechelle celebrating with Emma being down. It makes Mechelle very lovely.
Yeah, Mechelle had Emma hurt and ready to go and she took that shot. Emma? She let Mechelle survive. That’s going to haunt Emma’s dreams for a while.
Virani’s line…yeah that’s a hint of arrogance there for sure. At least she’s smart enough not to say something but yeah. She seems to think a lot of people are below her at the moment. Maybe they are, but Virani’s been beaten by someone who someone may consider to be a ‘lesser’ light in Masae…so uh…don’t get cocky kid!
Emma’s attitude is crestfallen but humble. She admits that one fighter was better on her day. That’s the kind of attitude you might expect from a fighter that is used to collecting losses, but it bodes well for a comeback too.
Alex,
A championship round it was. Unfortunately, Emma was pretty much already done at the end of round 8, but was determined to keep going. Mechelle could already smell blood, and she was going to finish her off. She didn’t dislike Emma personally, but she was going to beat her into submission, and she did, with authority. Mechelle knew she had to knock her out, no winning by points here. And she needed all her fistic power to do so.
That being said, I have to say, Emma looked just so very sexy knocked out on the canvas, hanging onto the ropes. Sexy because Emma looks like the quintessential girl next door, very pretty, but she just happens to be a professional boxer, and a tough one at that. Throughout the fight, she took some serious punishment from Mechelle, but just kept on coming. I know Mechelle is known as, “The Pretty Wsrrior”,but Emma was just as much a Warrior for having taken such a beating and yo just keep on coming,…awesome!!
I like at the end how Virani tells Emma, “We should talk”. I’m hoping it’s safe to assume that’s Virani’s subtle way of telling Emma, “Train with me and I’ll make you a champion”.
Mike
Emma really got taken to the cleaners throughout the fight. By the end there wasn’t much left and she got polished off by the lovely Mechelle.
Emma does look pretty hot in the ropes, I agree :D. At the end there were just two warriors in the ring, but Mechelle was the better fighter on the day.
Virani’s talk might be interesting. That’ll be coming next 🙂