Feints and fades

Two close rounds as each fighter has their moments

Before the bell of Round 7 both fighters get to their feet. Kasandra is now sporting a little blemish under her left eye, while Kayleigh has swelling around her left eye as well.

This could be a major round for Kayleigh if she can continue the momentum from the last round, where she was able to get Kasandra on the canvas with a clever punch to the liver.

Kayleigh thinks: I have to go for this. No excuses.

Kasandra thinks: This is the round I have to prove myself. She dropped me, but that was last round.

Amanda: “18 minutes of action would be nearly the full distance for a 10-round fight if the rounds were two minutes each, but with the rounds today being three minutes, this fight still has four to go in a completely different direction.”

Kayleigh starts Round 7 with a spring in her step and the knowledge that she must try to attack Kasandra when she isn’t feeling 100%.

The Polish fighter does well to evade, avoid and otherwise deny Kayleigh the big moment that she needs to continue her momentum. But in the boxing ring, escaping and avoiding is only good for so much, so when Kayleigh oversteps and tries to force the tempo too much, Kasandra plants her back foot and throws a left hook underneath of the right hand that Kayleigh is throwing. Kayleigh doesn’t see the punch coming and it crashes onto Kayleigh’s chin.

PAFF!

Amanda: “That was a clever, clever punch from Sobieski. It was off the back foot but she caught every bit of it. Unbelievable that Kayleigh is standing after that punch. If her chin was maybe in question after the Michaela Sommer fight, she has answered all of them tonight.”

enlarge

Kayleigh may not have gone down after that punch, but she’s on weak legs. A combination of Kayleigh’s good poker face and Kasandra’s lack of killer instinct means that Kayleigh escapes being in too much trouble. Which is unfortunate for the bloodthirsty fans that would like to see the ‘Blonde Bull’ hit the canvas.

What it does do is completely halt any momentum Kayleigh may have been building. Given time to impose herself again, Kasandra doesn’t miss the chance, working again behind a clever jab and slick footwork.

‘Bombel’ may keep the heavy cannons at base for now, but she saps some of Kayleigh’s strength with a diet of jabs and a focus on going to the body, to take the energy Kayleigh may have left.

Amanda: “Those who favour knockouts won’t appreciate it, but Kasandra Sobieski is fighting a smart fight here, doing enough to win rounds and keep Kayleigh Parsons from going wild.”

The former Featherweight champion of the world won’t go away silently, though. As the fog clears, Kayleigh knows the score. She has to attack to have any hope of getting back into this fight. With her legs not quite 100%, she has trouble landing any effective offence, having to resort to efforts like this long jab get a reaction from the crowd. Kasandra is barely jolted by the punch.

Kasandra thinks: That jab had nothing on it. Someone’s getting tired!

The round concludes without much further action, but the big moments belonged to the underdog, who gets off the canvas to win the very next round.

Amanda: “Kayleigh Parsons is going to have to produce something very special in the next three rounds. We have to wonder if perhaps Thomas Nagy has deciphered the key to beating ‘The Fluke.’

Round 8

Extolled by Jim, Kayleigh is reminded to go to the body because head hunting simply will not work.

The Englishwoman is visibly at the end of her rope as the round begins, as she moves with none of the fluidity she normally does. Kasandra’s not moving the same either, but there’s one important difference – she’s winning.

Kayleigh seems to finally be making progress on figuring out Kasandra’s rhythm, right when she almost gets her head knocked off by a haymaker of a right hand that came unexpectedly from the Polish fighter. There’s a clear moment of almost fear written upon Kayleigh’s face as Englishwoman just manages to dodge the blow.

Amanda: “Kayleigh Parsons might have seen her life flash before her eyes there, as she just missed taking that one full in the face. Sobieski has Kayleigh’s number here, clearly.”

Kayleigh might have lost her nerve for a moment, but you don’t dedicate your career to boxing without bravery. She wades into Kasandra’s field of fire and lures her into exchanging. Though it’s not the Polish fighter’s first choice, she’s not without tools of her own.

The two come together in a number of clashes, with both fighters have moments. The two even connect at the same time, with Kasandra throwing a straight left, but getting caught at the same time with an overhand right from Kayleigh.

Amanda: “This is the kind of fight that Kayleigh wanted and it seems like Kasandra is finally comfortable with. I don’t think her coach will be loving this, especially as she probably came off slightly worse in that exchange.”

enlarge

Kayleigh pushes through pain and tiredness to continue to force the issue. And although she almost got caught earlier in the round, it seems like Kayleigh may have finally decoded the tall redhead a bit.

Kayleigh uses feints and fakes to make Kasandra second and third guess herself. Given this new look from the girl in gold, she gets put on the back foot. The Polish fighter does well to protect her head, keeping her guard up, but Kayleigh dives low and gets a short, left hand to land directly in the midsection of ‘Bombel’

Kasandra: “Ugh!”

Amanda: “For the first time in the history of their marriage, Kayleigh Parsons appears to be listening to her husband and is working the body of Sobieski, and with some success.”

Kasandra is under pressure here again from a fighter that is willing to risk a lot to claw this fight back. She’s not quite throwing everything but the kitchen sink, but it’s close. Kasandra knows that she is probably losing the round and simply wants to mitigate the damage. A round where she doesn’t touch the canvas is probably enough for her at this stage.

This leads to a scrappier ending of the round. Kayleigh is trying nearly anything to lure Kasandra into a firefight, and Kasandra simply doesn’t want to partake.

A clever Kayleigh manages to snooker Kasandra late in the round. The redhead makes a rare footwork mistake, leaving her at an odd angle. ‘Bombel’ realizes it and brings her hands up to protect herself, but Kayleigh is disciplined enough to take the punch that she has available – slamming in a cruel left hook to the midsection that was deeply unpleasant for Kasandra to take.

Amanda: “Parsons is doing good work to the body here. She’s finally found at least something when it comes to figuring out Sobieski. It’s not a lot, but she’s been able to give Kasandra a lot more trouble in this round than she did in the last several.”

Kayleigh presses, but Kasandra is calm enough to keep her at bay and hear the bell for the end of Round 8.

Corners

We retreat to the corners for words of wisdom and a deserved break from the violence for the fighters.

Kasandra’s Corner

Thomas: “How do you feel?”

Kasandra: “Three-minute rounds are long, man. I think she’s figuring me out.”

Thomas: “Kayleigh looks tired out there. You’ve got the stamina. I say – Kayleigh wants to trade? Don’t avoid it. You don’t have to incite it, but don’t be afraid to stand with her.”

Kasandra: “Isn’t that her gameplan?”

Thomas: “You’re fresher. And we’ll make sure the judges give you what you deserve. You up for it?”

Kasandra: “Can’t imagine a more punchable face.”

Kayleigh’s Corner

Jim: “Better, better. That might have been your best round.”

Kayleigh: “A bit late, but yeah. I might have got something on her.”

Jim: “We need the next two rounds. I can’t be blunter than that. It still might not be enough.”

Kayleigh: “I’ll see what I can do.”

Jim: “All those rematches you want? Virani? Michaela? They go away if you don’t get it done.”

Kayleigh: “I owe both of those bitches a beating.”

Jim: “Well, start with this one first.”

Amanda: “Going into the last two rounds of this fight, I have it 77-74 for Kasandra Sobieski, which means if the judges are as unbiased as I am, Kayleigh Parsons needs at least one knockdown to not lose this fight. Tough ask against the durable Sobieski, but Parsons has pulled a rabbit out of a hat before.”

Previous post

Next post

Kasandra Sobieski
Kasandra Sobieski
A lanky Polish fighter known for classy and fluid technical boxing. Featherweight contender.
Kayleigh Parsons
Kayleigh Parsons
A confident Englishwoman with skills to match. Technically skilled with underrated power. Former Featherweight champion.