I have put some photos into the story… They are for illustrative purpose only and don’t really correspond that well to it. Sorry in advance for huge difference in size of some of them – apparently there aren’t that many photos of Sasha Cohen in good quality.
Hope you’ll enjoy the story.
International Skating Union together with International Boxing Association decided to organize female boxing matches for charity between most famous current and past figure skaters.
Those events brought immediate attention from general public, as well as from many boxing and figure skating fans. Many figure skaters also enthusiastically responded to the call, as many of them were competitive enough and wanted to try something new.
The rules were a mix between amateur and professional boxing: 4 x 2 minute rounds with an interval of 1 minute between rounds. However, there was no head protection in order to make fights more difficult. Of course, the fighters had mouthguards and groin protectors, but no breast protection. Finally, they used standard 10 oz boxing gloves for competitive boxing.
To make fights more exciting, the figure skaters had to wear only a small sports bra above their boxing shorts. The belt line was 3-4 centimeters below the bellybutton, so overall their bodies were almost as exposed as if they were wearing a bikini. And, of course, there was also an obligatory weigh in event before the fight.
The first event was settled to be between two of the American figure skating legends – Sasha Cohen and Michelle Kwan.
They had a couple of months to prepare themselves for the fight… Sasha Cohen, 34 years old, during her days as a figure skater, was famous for her flexibility and body lines. But to be effective in boxing, she trained to increase her strength and resistance. Her weight was listed to be 43 kg, but she managed to get to 47 kg during the training period.
Michelle Kwan, 38 years old, was weighing 49 kg and had an extensive training as well. She was a clear favorite according to bookmakers, however, as this was their first fight, anything could happen.
During the weigh in both skaters showed to be confident and enthusiastic, also showcasing their great bodies.
Just before going to the ring, they were both asked how they were going to fight. The answer was showed live on TV, but they couldn’t hear each other. They both were planning to be offensive and throw a lot of punches to exhaust and hurt their respective opponent.
Commentator 1: “Figure skaters have weak upper body, however they have very strong legs, which is very important for boxing. My prediction is that they will be able to throw strong and fast punches, but they won’t be able to receive many of those. This will make fights like this unusual and, perhaps, more interesting than your average boxing match.”
Commentator 2: “Both Michelle Kwan and Sasha Cohen still have a lot of fans. I’m sure that for many of them this event will be exciting, but possibly heartbreaking at the same time.”
Round 1
Michelle Kwan was the first one to attack. Her punches were lighting-fast and surely unexpected for Sasha, as she got them right in her face and stomach. However she didn’t back up and followed with a series of fast attacks to Michelle’s head. Michelle blocked some of those punches, but after getting hit a couple of times, she had to retreat.
Sasha was getting excited and continued her attack for the most of the round, but Michelle managed to block or evade the majority of punches, while also being able to successfully counter many times.
It wasn’t clear who was winning, as Michelle was retreating for the most part, but it was Sasha who was getting hit again and again.
At the end, the result was the following (punches thrown/punches landed/to the head/to the body):
Sasha
64/12/7/5
Michelle
35/17/10/7
Both ladies were still OK at the end of the round, as their punches weren’t too strong, however they were feeling them and started to realize the reality of fighting.
Commentator 1: “This is quite an interesting match! They showed pretty good boxing skills for the small amount of time that they trained. And their fighting spirit is really remarkable. As I predicted, this is a fast-paced fight and they are showing a lot of speed and even grace in their movement.”
Commentator 2: “I’m sure their fans have never seen that side of them before. It must be difficult to watch the lady you admire getting hit in her face and her body, but at the same time they are doing really well. So hopefully everyone will be proud in the end.”
Round 2
This time, once again, it was Michelle Kwan who started the assault. Sasha tried to throw lots and lots of punches towards Michelle, but this time she wasn’t able to make Michelle retreat.
Instead they were circling each other, throwing punches and getting hit time from time. And it was clear that in spite of Sasha’s attempts to turn the table, Michelle’s attacks were clearly faster and stronger. The result was that Sasha was getting hit more and more, both in her body and in her head.
The result of 2nd round:
Sasha
46/10/7/3
Michelle
37/18/10/8
Sasha was clearly upset by the result of this round. Her face was also starting to get visible reddish from some punches.
Commentator 1: “It looks like Michelle Kwan, aside from being stronger and faster, is also a better tactician. When Sasha tries hard to protect her head, Michelle is attacking her body. When she tries to protect the body, Michelle goes for her head.”
Commentator 2: “There is a lot more of mental processing in boxing than it seems. Maybe Sasha Cohen will find a solution to this problem in the next round.”
Round 3
But, unfortunately for Sasha, her new attempts to change the course of the battle failed and this round continued more or less like the previous one. What was different is that Sasha wasn’t even able to hold her ground and she was forced to retreat most of time under the continuous attacks from Michelle Kwan. She started to lose control and that only meant getting more hits either in her face or her belly.
Michelle, however, wasn’t very furious in her attacks, preferring slower and more methodical approach.
She was clearly a better boxer – executing her plan perfectly and evading most of her opponent’s attacks.
The result of the round:
Sasha
44/10/6/4
Michelle
36/19/9/10
Sasha Cohen was quite exhausted at the end while Michelle Kwan was tired, but generally in a good shape and very confident.
Commentator 1: “Michelle is fighting with a grace that only a figure skater could bring into boxing. Sasha, while getting hit a lot, just makes me admire her, because she doesn’t give up and tries her best.”
Round 4
Sasha Cohen knew that if she wanted to win, now it was her last chance to do it. She decided that she will use all her remaining strength and take any risks necessary to turn the table and overcome her rival.
So she started the round by viciously attacking Michelle, throwing her fastest and strongest punches. Michelle was forced to back up, however she was smarter and she was able to successfully block or evade all of Sasha’s attacks.
Later, Michelle started to counter, once again hitting Sasha’s stomach and head.
Losing her breath and getting desperate from increasing pain, Sasha made her last vicious attempt… She managed to get close enough to Michelle and then she delivered an unexpected liver punch which perfectly hit her target! Michelle gasped from pain, losing for a second her boxing stance…
Sasha saw this as her last opportunity and, without thinking it much, she performed two additional punches to Michelle’s body – one to the stomach and another one, surprisingly, to Michelle’s right breast.
Michelle grunted from pain, but she quickly regained her defensive position, now protecting her body from additional attacks. Sasha however, quickly delivered two more punches – this time to Michelle’s head.
Michelle was forced to quickly retreat. She was shocked by that last attack, but she was able to overcome the pain and to concentrate. Sasha enthusiastically tried to follow with another attack, but this time Michelle easily evaded it. Sasha’s stomach, before she could do anything about it, was pounded two times by Michelle’s gloves.
Michelle heard Sasha’s cry of pain and, before she could recover, delivered her strongest punch yet – a hook that managed to snap Sasha’s head.
Sasha Cohen fell to the ground. She wasn’t unconscious, but as evidenced by her open mouth and dazed expression on her face, she couldn’t bring herself to even attempt to stand. It was a KO.
Michelle Kwan, finally able to relax after not an easy fight, smiled and assumed a victory pose. The public rewarded her with a round of applause.
The result of the round:
Sasha
29/5/2/3
Michelle
33/19/6/13
Commentator 1: “It was a great fight! While Michelle Kwan was obviously winning for the most part, Sasha was trying until the very end and gave everything she had… The ending was spectacular, even though I don’t appreciate some of Sasha’s actions. Michelle, however, acted like a real lady and ended the bout gracefully.”
Commentator 2: “I think most people have enjoyed a lot this fight. Well, maybe except Sasha Cohen’s fans. Regardless, I hope that we’ll see some more of those in the future.”
Post-fight reactions from fighters:
Michelle Kwan: “I’m really satisfied with my performance. I didn’t want to KO Sasha, but after she hit me so hard and then attacked me in a way I… didn’t expect, I was just forced to go full-force on her. Hopefully, she will be OK soon.”
Sasha Cohen (with her speech still a bit slurred): “I… I apologize for hitting Michelle in her breast. I was very desperate and I did it instinctively, without thinking really. It was my mistake and I paid for it.”
After that, both ladies hugged each other in the rind. And thus the first boxing match between figure skaters was over.
So that’s it… I’ll be happy to hear your feedback and suggestions!
