Paula and Joanna a Return by NRG Paula wrestles with Joanna again When we got home on the evening of Paula's wrestling match with Joanna, she was very subdued and a little disheartened by losing, until I pointed out to her that not only was Joanna much more experienced than she was, she was also a very fit gym teacher and that she had done well even scoring a fall against her, this seemed to cheer her up a bit. "Perhaps I should join her class to get fitter and maybe she could teach me a few tricks," she said smiling. "Why don't you try boxing with her?" I replied, half jokingly. "Why not? After all she hasn't boxed before has she?" I shook my head. "At least," she continued we'd be starting on a more even footing." "All right I'll have a word with Peter when I play golf with him tomorrow. For now let's go to bed and you can practice your scissors on me." The next day I sounded out Peter about the girls having a boxing match. He was quite enthusiastic. "I can borrow some gloves from the school, but we'd have to buy the their own gumshield. I'll have a word with Jo and give you a ring when I know the answer." Later that day the phone rang. "Hi Nigel it's Peter I've got some good news and some bad news," he said. "Get on with it then." "Well," he continued, "the good news is Jo's agreed to box with Paula the bad news is that she wants you to fight me first." I thought about it for a moment and said, "I'm game if you are, we can spar a couple of rounds and then they can have a go. The next question is where and when?" "How about the weekend after next it's half term at school and if you and Paula book a couple of days off work we won't have to worry about explaining black eyes. I'll set up a ring in the garden, then we can fight outside if the weather's good, nobody can see because the garden isn't overlooked by anyone." "Okay then it's a date," I said , hanging up. I told Paula the plan. She said that she knew Joanna was going to make that condition, after all it's what they had planned when they went upstairs after their wrestling match. "After all why should you have all the fun watching us fight, now it's our turn." I grinned, "I suppose a black eye from Peter is better than doing more decorating." The Saturday of the fight dawned, a fine warm May day, we drove round to Peter and Joanna's both feeling nervous and excited, believe it or not this would be the first time I had fought with anyone, even at school I managed to avoid getting into fights by using my brain instead of my fists, Peter on the other hand did judo and had boxed when he was in the army, but I thought that if Paula could do it so could I, after all if I was getting hurt I could always throw in the towel. When we arrived Peter couldn't wait to show us the ring that he'd put up. The ring was fifteen feet square erected around the wrestling mats, some borrowed scaffold tubes made the corner posts and were joined with three thick nylon ropes, so that there was no risk of tripping over the joints in the mats Peter had covered the whole lot with a blue plastic tarpaulin. "I'm impressed ," I said. "Thought you would be, let's go inside and discuss the rules and how we are going to do things." Once inside we agreed that Peter and I would box first, six two minute rounds with Joanna as referee and Paula as time keeper. Peter produced two pairs of ten ounce gloves, one pair blue and the other red. "Right," said Peter, "you go and get ready and I'll meet you outside." When I went outside Paula and Joanna were already putting on Peter's gloves. He had chosen the blue pair to match his brand new boxing trunks. I felt really tense and nervous as I climbed through the ropes. Joanna brought over the red gloves and tied them on, unlike Peter I hadn't spent money on new shorts, as I intended for this to be my first and last ring appearance so I was wearing on old pair of old rugby shorts. Joanna called us both to the middle of the ring. I smiled nervously at Peter who scowled back, "Shit!" I thought he's taking this really seriously. We touched gloves and went to our corners. Paula put in my gum shield and wished me luck. I turned to face the middle of the ring and Paula rang the bell, this was it round one. Peter came straight at me flicking out his left hand I parried it with my gloves, and Peter hit me twice in the guts with his right hand. I dropped to the floor gasping for breath. "Over quicker than I expected," I thought as Jo's count reached three, but at seven I was back on my feet. Jo asked me if I wanted to go on. I nodded and Jo motioned her husband in to finish the job. He came in fast and threw a left hook at my head, I blocked it and threw my own right to try and keep him off, it caught him full on the nose. He took a step backwards blinking more from surprise that I actually hit him rather than from pain. I moved off the ropes and tried out my own left jab, I caught him on the nose again, and he grabbed me in a clinch. I tried to force him away but he wanted to stay close where he hit me in the ribs with a hard left-right combination. Jo made us break, I was already breathing heavily. I needed to try and fight Peter at long range. I snapped my jab into Peter's face but had to take a hard right counter to my left eye. "Ding," the bell rang ending the round. I flopped onto my stool. I could feel my eye beginning to swell already and there were red blotches all over my body from Peter had got to work. As Paula massaged my belly I had the pleasure of seeing Jo move a blood stained towel away from Peter's nose. "Keep jabbing love, you'll get him this round," encouraged Paula, " seconds out, round two." She rang the bell again. We both circled cautiously looking for an opening, I darted forward and jabbed at Peter's face, he countered with another solid right into my ribs and I was forced to clinch. Jo pushed us apart, Peter's nose was bleeding again, this made me feel a bit more confident despite the fact that Peter was hitting me much harder to my body than I was hitting him. I tried a one two to Peter's head, he blocked and countered with a vicious left hook to the body, followed by a right to the side of the head making me stumble against the ropes, but before Peter could move in to finish the job, Joanna stepped in and gave me a standing eight count. As Jo counted I glanced at Paula half hoping that she would throw in the towel for me as she knew I was too stubborn to give up on my own. "Box on," instructed Jo. Peter was across the ring quickly, I covered up as Peter unloaded but he was too eager and I was able to block most of his punches with my arms. The bell rang with me trapped on the ropes but somehow still standing. With unsteady legs I dropped onto my stool. "Why don't you give in before you get hurt?" Paula asked as she massaged my battered body. "Would you?" I answered still struggling to get my breath. Paula smiled and shook her head. The minutes rest was far too short for me, I stood up and she rang the bell for round three. Peter moved forward, out, stabbed his left, I parried and countered with a right, Peter just shrugged it off, there was no power or snap in my punches any more, he jabbed again this time snapping my head right back. I retreated, Peter fired a right at my body, he was picking his punches now. I tried another counter, it was the opening he'd been waiting for, right-left to the body, my gloves dropped, a right uppercut slammed into the middle of my face and then a left hook to my head knocked me length ways along the ropes. "One ....... Two ...... Three," tolled Joanna. I tried to focus on Jo's face. "Four ....... Five ....." I rolled onto my belly. "Six ....... Seven ......" I grabbed the bottom rope. "Eight ..... Nine ....." The rope slipped from my gloved hand and I flopped back onto the canvas. "TEN. You're out." Paula climbed through the ropes and after making sure I wasn't badly hurt walked over to Peter and lifted his right hand in victory. We went indoors to clean up and for the girls to get ready for their fight. After I had showered I went outside again with Peter to get things ready for the girls. I gasped as the girls came out. They'd been out together to buy shorts for the fight. Joanna looked magnificent, her shorts were gold with a black stripe and waistband, Paula looked just as stunning despite being shorter and fatter than jo, she was wearing red shorts with white trim. Because the weather was warm and nobody else was there they had decided to fight topless. They climbed into the ring, this time I was going to referee and Peter would be timekeeper. I called the girls to the middle of the ring to give them their final instructions. "Now go to your corners and at the bell come out fighting. May the best girl win." "I will," said Joanna as she turned away. "Seconds out round one," called Peter as he rang the bell. Joanna moved forwards up on her toes with her gloves held high, Paula was more flatfooted and she held both gloves in front of her face. Jo flicked out her jab, Paula parried with her gloves and threw a roundhouse right at Jo's head, Jo slipped the punch easily and punished Paula with a sharp left-right to her face. They circled each other now poking out their left hands to try and make an opening. Jo darted forwards left-right-left all found their way through to Paula's face, she backed to the ropes, Jo jabbed again, Paula slipped the punch this time and scored with a solid right to Jo's left breast. Jo danced back away from Paula and the bell sounded for the end or the round. Paula sat on her stool, her face already reddened by Jo's accurate jabbing. "You need to get in closer, she's jabbing your head off," I told her. Paula nodded and sat breathing deeply as wiped her down with a towel. Round two began and Joanna was full of confidence now, her left hand flickering through Paula's guard into her face making her back away again. Jo pressed forward, throwing her right, Paula ducked and hit Jo flush on her right breast. Jo grunted in pain and was forced to hold on. Paula pushed her away, now it was Joanna's turn to back up. Seizing the initiative Paula stabbed her left into Joanna's face, followed with another hook to her breast which was beginning to look red. Jo was in trouble her right glove dropped to protect her battered bosom. Another left hook to the side of Jo's head sent her reeling into the ropesand the following right sent her tumbling to the floor. I ordered Paula to a neutral corner and started to count. "One .... Two ...." "Get up girl!" shouted Peter from the ringside. "Three .... Four ...." Joanna pushed herself up onto her knees. "Five .... Six .... Seven ......" She forced herself onto her feet. "Eight .... Want to quit?" I asked as I wiped her gloves on my shirt, she shook her head and I stepped aside, "Box on." Paula moved in for the kill. Joanna's legs were like jelly as she tried to evade Paula. She managed to slip Paula's left but was nailed with a right that dumped her back onto the canvas. Paula was slow going to a neutral corner and by the time I picked up the count Jo was already on one knee, she made it back to her feet but I made her take the ful eight count. Paula came at her again throwing a left right combination which forced Jo against a corner post. I thought Paula would finish her now but the bell rang and I had to pull her away. Joanna looked very distressed sitting on her stool during the break, Peter was telling her to stay up on her toes and jab as sponged her battered breasts with cold water. Joanna's left eye was also beginning to swell up and Peter was using an ice pack to try and reduce it. Paula was breathing quite heavily as she sat on her stool, she had a slight cut on the inside of her mouth and her top lip was a bit puffy as a result of Jo's persistent left jab. "Take your time love, she's had it," I advised. Paula nodded and smiled. I replaced her gumshield and she stood up ready to continue the battle. The bell rang for round three. Joanna looked to have recovered well during the break, a testimony to her basic fitness. Back up on her toes she flicked out her jab and danced backwards, trying to draw Paula into a rash attack. Paula knew she could punch harder than her opponent, but she had no intentions of wasting her energy chasing her younger, lighter, foe all round the ring. It was developing into a stalemate when Jo suddenly sprang forward with renewed confidence and threw a flurry of punches which all found the target, as Paula went backwards, Jo smashed a right bang on Paula's nose and she sat down hard on her ample backside. "What a turnabout," I thought as I pushed Jo away and started to count. I looked into my wife's eyes as she rose at the count of four, they showed her anger at having been knocked down, and her nose was now bleeding as well. I finished the eight count and allowed Jo to come at her again. Paula covered up well blocking another flurry and countering with some solid blows to Jo's belly and breasts. Jo switched her attack and had some success getting through to Paula's ribs, but realising she was getting the worst of this exchange moved away to the middle of the ring and resumed her jab and move strategy. At the end of the round both girls returned to their corners breathing heavily, their breasts and bellies marked with red blotches from the attention of each others gloves. I had a lot of work to do on Paula in the interval, the cut in her mouth was worse and her nose was bleeding heavily. "What happened? I though you had gone to sleep letting her catch you like that." "She didn't hurt me," she lied, "I was off balance and she got lucky." "If she gets any luckier she's going to knock your head right off, you must keep your gloves up and be more careful," I warned her as i replaced her gum shield ready for battle to continue. "Round four," called Peter. Just like the previous round Joanna started off up on her toes. I had to marvel at her stamina, she certainly looked to be a lot fresher than Paula. Jo danced in scoring with a quick left right to the head , renewing the flow of blood from Paula's damaged nose. Paula wiped the blood away with the back of her glove and Jo promptly snapped out another jab catching her full on the nose once again. Jo, with her confidence restored was beginning to dominate her slower footed opponent and she continued to jab and dance away, hoping to sting Paula into an attack that would leave her open to a knockout punch. Halfway through the round, unable to force an opening in Paula's guard she moved in and switched her attack to the body. This is what Paula had been waiting for, she suddenly stabbed out her own left catching Jo on her breast. Jo gasped dropping her guard slightly, Paula crashed a left hook into the side of her head. She staggered backwards, but Paula wasn't going to let her of the hook again. A right to the breast, left to the body, had Jo sagging back onto the ropes. Another right smashed into Jo's breast and her legs buckled, a left hook to the head followed by a right uppercut and Jo crashed down. She was out cold and I dropped to my knees to make sure that she was going to be all right. Peter stood there stunned by the defeat of his wife so I went across to Paula and raised her hand. "The winner by knockout PAULA!" I don't think I've ever felt more proud of her than at that moment, Paula had beaten another woman for the first time.