Rosie Knuckles vs. Betsy Lincoln - Knockout Queens

[BlackAkuma]

”You’ll be impressed when I drop you like Ali dropped Liston, you skinny fucking little…”

Betsy muttered under her breath as she tried to shake off the damage she’d taken. It wasn’t the worst beating she’d had in her career - hell, it wasn’t as bad as the hell she went through on her first match in LAW. But her bell had been pretty thoroughly rung, leaving her loopy. But not so loopy that she didn't see the urgent need for a change in approach. Taking Rosie head-on wasn’t working, especially if she was willing to go low. Betsy had to switch this up a little bit.

Or maybe not.

Betsy bounced on her heels for a second, working herself back up, before she rushed forward again and darted into Rosie’s range, getting ready to attack. This time the attack came from below, as she swung her leg out, going for a roundhouse kick aimed at her opponent’s outer thigh…

…or, at least, that was what it looked like at first. Betsy stopped the kick half way, turning it into a feint, trying to divert her opponent’s attention. She pulled the leg back, used the momentum to jerk forward, and unloaded with a heavy right hook to Rosie’s face, throwing her body weight into the hellacious blow.

[Dubski]

Shaking her head at the reference Betsy made, Rosie maintained her readied pose, groaning low. She was going to do what she had to in order to take Betsy down, and it seemed like Lincoln was coming around to that same kind of thought. The blonde would then rush forward and Rosie was ready. A roundhouse kick looked like it was coming--an annoying low one. One that would give her one hell of a charlie horse had it hit. She would raise her leg, stiffening her leg in order to blunt the blow.

But then the hit never came. Rosie Knuckles, instead, was smashed in the side of the head with a right hook, slamming into her head. The Pink-Haired Pugilist staggered off to the side, her legs barely following until they tripped up and she fell onto the mat. She immediately pushed herself up, shaking her head as she blinked multiple times, just trying to back up towards the ropes behind her. Once her back hit them, she put a hand to the side of her head, rattled by the blow and trying to shake the cobwebs out. Betsy at the very least could pack a cannon behind her fists, and Rosie would note that.

It seemed like Betsy wasn't just a complete pushover, and certainly not one that Rosie could do anything about quite yet after being rocked by that hit.

[BlackAkuma]

Bam!

Oh, that was a good one. There was nothing quite like the sensation of a good, solid punch when it landed. The way the feedback traveled up your arm, the feel of flesh against your mitts, the crisp sound of a solid impact. It was even more satisfying when you go that result from someone who had it coming, and boy, was Rosie a good target. She didn’t stay on the mat long, wouldn’t have even gotten a one-count if they’d been in a boxing match, but even that was good progress.

Now, she just had to do something with it. But she had a few good ideas on that front.

Betsy moved in as her foe had a small retreat, bobbing and weaving as she closed the distance, keeping her movements fluid, staying a moving target, and making her hard to read. That feint had done wonders, and she was curious to see how much mileage she could get out of stuff like that with Rosie. The woman was an excellent fistfighter, sure, but brawlers tended to be straightforward, didn’t do that well when you started throwing in the tricks that more refined fighters were used to. So…

Betsy dashed in and threw out a jab. A simple punch. Nothing much behind it, barely a tap, aimed at Rosie’s face. It was nowhere near as fast or as hard as she could go, and that was the point as she tried to make Rosie block high. The actual attack would come in the next instant when Betsy dropped low and threw a right hook at the side of her opponent’s stomach, trying to stir up her innards with the stiff shot.

[Dubski]

Rosie Knuckles was smarting after that last hit, putting a hand to her head where she was hit as she tried to focus. Focus on Betsy--that was ideal now. Make sure she didn't sneak another hit on her. The Pink-Haired Pugilist growled softly in annoyance. She was going to like returning that favor, and she was certain she would. She had a spiteful look on her face as Lincoln followed up, coming closer. Readying herself, she would then weave to the side, avoiding that jab. A simple strike.

She had a feeling that wasn't the end of it. Betsy had already shown she was willing to feint and hit a bigger hit. But still roughed up from that hit, Rosie wasn't with it enough to know exactly what that may be. A right hook went to her midsection, and Knuckles was hit hard. A jolt going through her as she coughed and groaned out loud. She grit her teeth, both in pain and anger, defiantly glaring at Betsy.

The pinkette was starting to go towards a boiling point here, absolutely wanting to tear into Betsy Lincoln. That hit nailed her hard though and she put an arm around her midsection as she got herself a bit more distance, walking along the ropes. Knuckles needed a second to recover from that hit, which made her guts ache with each movement after. She'd have to push down that pain to get back into it--and she was sure she wasn't about to allow Lincoln to get one over on her again.

[BlackAkuma]

Betsy didn’t fail to notice the angry look in Rosie’s eyes, but if the pink pugilist thought that would scare off the Star-Spangled Striker, she was about to learn just how wrong she was. If anything, it had the opposite effect, telling her that she was getting under the woman’s skin, a place she enjoyed more as this match went on. She hadn't come into this match with the desire to piss off Rosie, but that was a priority now, second only to winning.

Speaking of which…

The smart move might’ve been to hang back, and play it safe while she was in a comfortable position, but Betsy didn’t like the idea of giving this woman time to breathe. She’d already shown what she could do if given an inch, the last thing she needed was a repeat of the strong start she’d come out with. Risk or not, she had to run her down.

So, she came again, with a little bit of a surprise. As much as she wanted to finish off Rosie with her fists - and she would do that - she wanted to pay her back, too. Her foot and skull were still smarting from that earlier trick, and this was as good a time as any to pay her back. She moved in with her guard, bullying her way into her foes personal space while she reeled from the gut shot and brought her foot down on Rosie’s instep, stomping her foot. She jerked forward an instant later, trying to nail her with a headbutt of her own, one powered by no small amount of spite.

[Dubski]

Rosie Knuckles needed her space, but it didn't seem like Betsy was about to give it to her. The blonde was showing some aggression she needed to in order to hang with Rosie--normally it was a lack of aggression that led to her opponent's downfall. But Knuckles felt her foot being stomped. A less effective stomp than the one that Rosie had used on Lincoln earlier in the match--but Betsy's exposed toes made that difference. Regardless, that stomp still hurting, making Rosie jerk her foot up in pain.

But then a headbutt came after, smashing into Rosie's skull. As it turned out, Betsy knew how to throw more than a decent one of her own. It hit Knuckles' head hard as she staggered back, nearly collapsing over as she went back into the corner, nearly falling down into it had she not managed to get a hold onto the top rope, practically dangling from it as she was crouched down. Gritting her teeth, she used her free hand to check her forehead for any bleeding or other marks. She was certainly reeling with Betsy having the current advantage now!

[BlackAkuma]

Oh, right, headbutts sucked for you, too.

Betsy was reminded of this painful fact after she landed hers on Rosie, and the impact left her dizzy as well, forcing her to stagger back a couple of steps after delivering the hellish blow. She didn’t regret smashing their noggins together, but she wouldn’t be doing that again anytime soon.

”Oy. Sheesh.”

She shook it off, cleared her vision, and saw that Rosie was in a bad spot, stuck in the corner while she recovered, looking stunned. More importantly, she was about as open as ever, and there wasn’t anywhere good to dodge. This was it if there was ever a time to unload the heavy artillery.

Betsy moved in, ducked low, then rose up and came at Rosie with a left hook as she sprang, attempting to her with her finishing blow - the Gazelle Punch.

[Dubski]

Rosie Knuckles was reeling in the corner, shaking her head and growing more and more angry as she was in more and more pain. She longed to get her fists on Betsy sooner than later. She knew she was in a bad place and needed to get out of there immediately, but Lincoln had managed to back her into the corner, which was the last place the Pink-Haired Pugilist wanted to be. While her head smarted, she was bracing herself for what may come next.

Betsy was already coming in, going low. And Rosie went to block as best she could, thinking she was able to. However, Lincoln's fist had traveled through her arms and then went soaring up and to her chin! Rosie felt the weight of that punch lay into her jaw as she went flat against the corner, her body going limp against the turnbuckles as she looked glossy eyed, slowly slipping down against the corner, looking out of it from the vicious blow!

In short, it looked like Rosie had been waylaid by the punch entirely, and that she didn't seem to even be reactive to it now. Betsy had caught her and completely rocked her, much to Rosie's surprise.

[BlackAkuma]

As Betsy came in low, she could see that Rosie was about to block her punch, and in most cases, that would’ve been a cause for concern. Her opponent had already shown that she could dish out some devastating damage if given half of a chance, and if an attack like this faltered, she would be left wide open for whatever follow-up was coming her way.

But this was not a regular punch. It had the full power of Betsy’s legs behind it, and exploded upwards simultaneously, a tremendous burst of power. With a punch like this, there was no blocking - if it hit the guard, it was coming through.

Rosie found this out, as the punch crashed into her chin, sending her reeling, and…it didn’t end the match.

Betsy stepped back after landing it, surprised that Rosie was still standing after a hit like that. Barely, mind you, but she’d landed that punch on plenty of women, bigger women, and most times it was a guaranteed KO. At the least, it was enough to put someone down to their knees, but no, Rosie was up and hanging in there. Still awake.

Easy fix, though. ”Fine!” Betsy stepped away, drew her fist back, and launched herself forward with a powerful haymaker aimed at Rosie’s head, attempting to take her down with one hellacious blow.

[Dubski]

Rosie Knuckles remained in the corner, head lulled as she watched Betsy out of the corner of her eye. That blow devastated her and kept her unable to do much. She struggled, getting caught out. Her hurt shoulder didn't help matters either. Her mind was swirling in her head, trying to find a focus. Trying to find something to do to keep in this match. Betsy Lincoln didn't seem as though she was ready to give Rosie that time--which was very smart of her.

Lincoln would wind up another punch, getting ready to send it right into Rosie's skull. A wicked haymaker that would surely finish off Knuckles and get what would be an enormous win for Betsy Lincoln now. Knuckles would wait until Betsy was swinging forward and she let herself drop even more to the mat. The hit missed, and then soon after, Rosie managed to duck between the middle and bottom rope. It was the most she could do. Practically the only thing she could do at this point. But she needed to be bought some time, and this would do it.

The referee, seeing Rosie between the ropes, would have no choice but to command Betsy to give her space. Any further attacks while she was between the ropes would be an illegal move, and Rosie knew just that, even if she was struggling yet to form too many other thoughts. So she lulled between the ropes, planting a hand on the apron to keep herself upright as she groaned, taking it one moment at a time.