French style

Sky Nadia delivers a stern challenge to Sky in the first half

Esther: “Welcome back to the Copper Arena Box in London for the semi-final of the evening. Two Super Lightweight contenders who are having a rematch. Nadia Monteil defeated Sky Houghton in 2018 in a world title defense. This time, the two women will battle as contenders.”

Illustrious

Nadia gets her introduction.

Veronica: “Introducing to you first, fighting out of the blue corner. She is wearing pink and black. Trained by Virginie Rossignol at Killer Gym in Marseille. Her professional record stands at 34 wins, 28 of them by way of knockout, 3 losses and one draw. A former world champion, she is ranked number five in the Super Lightweight division. She is Nadia ‘S.O.S.’ Monteil!”

Anna: “The French veteran has a little less endurance than in the past. Unless she finds a way to roll back the years, she will have to put a stamp on this match as early as possible. Don’t get too close to Houghton, who is a body snatcher. Hit her early upstairs, circle around and punch her to establish violent control.”

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Big and strong

Sky gets her intro as well.

Veronica: “Her opponent across the ring is fighting out of the red corner. She is wearing white and red. Trained by Clifford Little at The Fist Gym in London. Her professional record stands at 13 wins, 7 of them by way of knockout, and 3 losses. A former number one contender, she is ranked number three in the Super Lightweight division. She is Sky ‘The Limit’ Houghton!”

Anna: “Despite a tall frame, what Houghton wants is time and proximity. Containing Monteil if she comes forward to attack, staying close and striking with heavy low shots that sap energy. That’s how she likes her fights, and tonight should be no exception.”

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The champ in the house

Esther: “Ringside is the world champion herself! Alesia Schumann is a special guest of Sky Houghton, who probably wants her to witness her skills at work, with the promise that she’s gunning for her in the future.”

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Early assault

As many observers expected, the Frenchwoman comes out very strongly in the first round. She fires a barrage of shots at English blonde. The aggression is effective against the kind of boxer who likes to settle in a fight progressively. Overhand shots and peppering straight hands from a distance make Nadia grab points for a 10-9.

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Clifford tells Sky that there is no time to waste. She has to hit back soon enough so that Nadia can’t establish physical and mental dominance. He knows what he’s talking about. The former world champion had a strong performance in the first match. Taking control early tonight could make this one a mountain to climb for his protégée.

The Limit pulls out all the stops in the second round. She drops back and lets the red leather fly from a distance. Although she prefers working downstairs, Sky has enviable range and Nadia’s chin is at the end of her gloves more often than she wished.

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Black bombs

Nadia Monteil was not a world champion without reasons. She applies intense pressure in Round 3 to score with big black bombs that unsettle Sky. The best and cleanest blow of them all is a left hook that splits the guard and crunches Sky’s cheek.

Esther: “Monteil walks the walk as a Top 5 boxer. After three rounds, we have her leading by a point thanks to effective aggression that would make almost any boxing judge smile. Can she keep that up, or will Houghton wreak havoc?”

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Stay low

The English blonde does some of that in Round 4 by switching mainly to the counter. She does it with a twist: standing in the middle of the ring and waiting for Nadia to attack. She lets her come in, leans to the sides and throws her red paws at the body. Punishing punches target the ribs, the abdomen, the belt and more to make Nadia groan in pain.

Anna: “Missing with a head shot and getting hit downstairs is one of the worst experiences you can have in the competitive boxing ring. It takes air out of your lungs and strength away from your legs. The perfect ingredient to turn you into a snail.”

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The edge

Nadia knows that the fight is pretty even at that point. Defiant, she keeps her distance to fight with generalship and long punches for most of Round 5. Sky tries to come forward and take the body again, but black leather stops her at the gate.

Anna: “Monteil is landing stiff, accurate punches. She may be playing the long game after all.”

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Late in the round, Sky is out of sorts. Her head has gotten banged by the Frenchwoman’s fists for nearly three minutes and she has lost momentum.

This allows Nadia to step in and put gunpowder in her punches to take the round decisively. She cracks the blonde’s cheek and jaw with a precise left hook under an incoming right hand. Pish!

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Anna: “I have this fight as a 48-47 in favour of Monteil as the ‘first half’ draws to a close. While Houghton came into it with the momentum created by two straight wins, she is facing a stiff challenge provided by the former champion, who says that she is not done yet. Will the Englishwoman shift gears to find a way to win?”