Mandy Capristo vs Zara Holland
(Lioness Club vs Kear's Kats)
(13-9, 13 KO vs 14-2, 14 KO)
Results: BBU; Story: VassagoBEFORE: Former flyweight champion Zara Holland awaits the rubber match against Ewelina Lisowska and this should happen on the upcoming Lioness Club Anniversary card even if the Polish singer actually loses the straps to Leah Perkins next week. However Zara doesn't intend to simply sit on the bench and watch Lisowska gain valuable match fitness so she's booked a high-upside match-up versus another Lioness fighter, Mandy Capristo.
The German singer might have moved herself into classic sidekick position ahead of Heidi Range on the Lioness roster and she's determined to upset the former Miss Great Britain who seems to be focused on Ewelina Lisowska a little too much these days. Mandy enjoys a four-fight win streak dating back to last November and BBU TV's Denise van Outen believes she's emerged as a dangerous floater in the division so Zara needs to watch out or else she might be calling that Lisowska Best of Three off after all!
Mandy Capristo wears a red bikini set with black trim & golden gloves. Long dark blonde hair tied in a half-up ponytail. Zara Holland wears a pink bikini set & blue gloves. Long blonde hair tied in a custom ponytail. The fight is scheduled for ten rounds in the flyweight division.
Round 1:
Zara's jabbing confidence meets a slugging test of attrition as Mandy jumps into a hectic assault that forces the Brit into quick cover when she gets blasted across the mouth and loses her balance upon impact. Mandy shows her no respect whatsoever and plugs more leather straight up the middle while Zara tries to recover from the initial burst in mid-distance but still gets pounded around the area until she simply runs out of real estate and ends up hugging the ropes while Capristo slams another left/right combo over the top. Ugh! Zara swings from behind the guard but fails to match the German's intensity and gets outworked by the numbers and begins to gurgle in discomfort when Mandy adds a late body assault to really silence the Cardiff audience. Another quick hook on the jaw snaps Holland's head back at the bell and she can only give the gleeful opponent a lenghty death stare thereafter.
Round 2:
Mandy keeps the slugging procedure going and overwhelms the former Miss GB through shear aggression. Zara is no stranger to such tactics but she bounces off the singer's forearms too often and eats more pesky shots upstairs that make her look very comfortable at the one-minute mark. Mandy barks in her efforts and maintains the high-octane pressure before clocking the fellow blonde in the boobs and delivering a rare uppercut blast that catches more cleavage. Ugh! Zara wobbles onto her heels and has to seek respite in mid-distance while Capristo instantly hassles her back to the corner. Holland manages to clinch the older blonde but still soaks up a belting harpoon on the navel that cripples her into quiet spasms at the bell.
Round 3:
Mandy lands a big shot on the mouth and survives a similar response from the Brit before she smacks her from the inside and drops an uppercut double on the chin that wobbles Holland off balance. The former champion still tries to swing from her heels and it's a bad idea as she cuts thin air while Capristo NAILS her with a wicked bomb on the brow ridge that SENDS ZARA DOWN ON HER BACKSIDE!! Uh-oh!! Is the upset on the cards now? Coach Gail Kim is furious in the Kats' corner and Zara might have rushed her recovery as she gets back up at five and indicates there's nothing wrong. Oh, really? Here comes Mandy trying to knock the pageant's head off and she aims her leather high while backing Zara onto the ropes wholesale. The British contender gets desperate and almost drives a headbutt into the singer's chin but still gets stunned by another double on each temple and Mandy cleans out shop from there as she just misses the put away piledriver but still leaves Holland slumped in visible disarray at the bell.
Round 4:
Zara's in serious trouble now and Mandy just goes after her without any respect whatsoever! She tries to knock the younger blonde's head off but becomes too predictable in her approach and allows the Brit to weather the storm during the first minute before action evens out as Zara showcases her elite talents and bumps the German in the jugs herself. She escapes the spooked demeanour and piles back into Capristo's face before blasting her downstairs to halt the charge. Mandy refuses to let her off the hook though and leans into the Brit but a clash of heads eventually slows the action down and Holland barges the older girl in the chest again before they both end up wrestling on the ropes in the final minute.
Round 5:
Mandy recovers to connect with more promising jabs early in the fifth but Zara lands the biggest punch of the exchange when she smacks the singer on the chin and jumps into a hectic body assault trying to finally turn the tables on the hitherto dominant opponent. Mandy accepts the heads up dispute and keeps sending the air raid but she loses her precision during the second minute and gets outnumbered by Zara's overhand response. Both women keep punishing each other in the center of the ring and display elite endurance as their heads snap backwards repeatedly but neither yields an inch in the process. Zara shakes her head in frustration as Mandy has really settled in as the elite hopeful and leads this contest on points at half-distance.
Round 6:
Zara gets the early jump and stacks up effective jabbing rally into the singer's face but it's only a wild harpoon on the navel that makes Mandy feel it as she gets duly pummelled onto the ropes in quick order. She blasts Zara across the mouth but gets outworked in the proverbial phone booth and begins to scowl in pain once the Brit nails her on each temple for a good measure. Coach Gail Kim gets more excited as Zara's furious head-hunting rally forces Mandy into a clinching break along the ropes but she still fails to shake the younger blonde off and eats more body thumps down the stretch. She tries to wrestle Zara to the canvas but almost gets shoved through the ropes herself as the ref has to separate the two girls before things go fully sideways.
Round 7:
Mandy doesn't follow through with enough venom anymore and skims off Zara's forearms while soaking up a steady overhand drive from point blank range instead. Zara takes off from the inside and clips the singer's jaw while the older blonde suddenly looks gassed after a high-tempo fight up to this point. She clearly needs a breather but Zara makes sure she loses more energy as she pounds away in physical fashion and eventually clobbers the ailing Capristo onto the ropes half-way through minute two. Mandy tries to clinch herself out of danger but Zara thumps her in the rack and finds extra success on the jaw - this furious rally bellows the German on top of the ropes and leaves her vulnerable when Holland scythes her across the mouth again. Ugh! Hard pounding breaks Mandy's resilience and she slumps on jelly knees with her eyes closed while the Brit SMOKES her with a brutal right hook on the nose... and DOWN GOES CAPRISTO!!! Just too much punishment there for the Mannheim woman who takes the full eight count before getting back up! But she still looks rattled as Zara powers ahead with another monster drive and hoofs the high guard to the side before dropping another cross hook on the nose! Uh-oh!!! DOWN GOES MANDY AGAIN!!! Knees gave way and send the singer into a dead meat demise!!! Ref gives the fallen woman a quick look and then calls it off as Mandy has been knocked out senseless!!! KO7 Zara Holland in come-from-behind fashion!!!
AFTER: The buxom Brit takes another scalp but she was behind on points when she knocked Mandy out! This isn't a performance that will scare Ewelina Lisowska off before the highly-anticipated rubber match! There are hard-earned wins but also moral victories and BBU TV's Denise van Outen admits this clash actually confirmed Mandy Capristo belongs to the contenders group as she almost pulled off the Upset of the Month and gave her more positives compared to the winner. Lioness Club's head trainer Mel B. shouts back at Gail Kim and indicates Zara will have to do "a lot better than that if she wants to become flyweight champion again!". The championship plot thickens and actually Leah Perkins might spoil this master plan IF she shocks Lisowska at the upcoming BBU PPV next week!
Official Result: Zara Holland def. Mandy Capristo KO7.