Appreciate the feedback from my first attempt. Please feel free to share more. Have a few ideas on how the series can continue but welcome to suggestions.
Sisters’ Birthday Bash 2
In the weeks that followed their epic first boxing match against each other, the two oldest Palmer sisters, Ariel and Amber spent the majority of their time together. They had both given their all and the aftermath of their best efforts had left behind plenty of bumps and bruises that needed time to mend. But the aches and pains weren’t the only thing to come from their fight. The rest of the family seemed to now have even more of a spark when it came to their boxing and training. While Amber and Ariel took it easy for a couple weeks, the two younger sisters, Avery and Alia, stepped up their efforts. Their older sisters enjoyed getting to focus on and help their younger siblings with their training. And they also noticed that their parents began to take a more active role themselves, hitting pads and bags more than they held them, and even joining in on some sparring while the older girls did more of the coaching/refereeing during their recovery period. Soon the two oldest rejoined training and the parents went back to their primary roles as their kids’ coaches.
It was about a month later when Allen and Cassie started to involve themselves more in training again. It had been two or three weeks straight with the whole family actively training hard, even all six members fully mixing in when sparring. It became pretty obvious that something was up and soon it was Avery, always the most blunt and honest of the family, who brought this up. “Mom, dad. Why are you two training more? It’s almost like you’re starting to prepare for something….”
The rest of the girls all giggled at the dinner table at Avery’s inability to resist mentioning what had become apparent to the whole family.
Allen looked over to his wife and muttered before taking another bite, “Yet again we’re so lucky to have raised such observant and insightful children.”
“Ugh, yes yes. Fine. The Kellers are hosting another friendly boxing day with a bunch of us and your father and I are both going to have a match. It’s still about a month away so we figured that we’d get in some extra workouts to get ourselves better prepared. We hope that’s alright.” Cassie looked around at her daughters almost timidly at having mentioned their upcoming plans.
The girls all smile as everything is finally out in the open when Amber chimes in. “Of course it’s alright. Um, can we come watch and cheer this time?”
The question threw their parents for a loop. They’d never actually considered the possibility of their kids coming to their neighborhood tournaments and watching them box, let alone ask to do so.
“I’m not sure honey,” said Cassie. “Some of the others have brought their kids, though it’s usually whoever is hosting the get together but I don’t know how I feel about boxing for real in front of you girls.”
“Oh c’mon. We just want to see what these “get togethers” of yours are like and also support you two.” Ariel added.
The girls all had the same doe-eyed looks that they gave when this whole family boxing thing was first revealed and they wanted to join in themselves.
Allen spoke up, trying to be the voice of reason. “How about this? What if we watch a video together after dinner of one of our old boxing weekends from back in the day to show you a little of what they’re like? But fair warning, like we’ve explained before, this is proper boxing and pretty much everyone who takes part knows what they’re doing. It isn’t patty cake stuff. Every one of us who’s participated has gotten whooped at least a couple of times. After the video, we can talk more.”
“We already know all of that. Everyone was there when Ariel and Amber boxed for real and none of us were scared off.” Alia replied, ever the logical one.
And so it was that Allen hooked up an ancient DVD player to the TV and Cassie went up to their bedroom, coming down a few minutes later holding a case labeled “August 12th, 2004.” The date was two years before Ariel, the oldest, had been born.
As the video begins, the camera appears to be on an elevated tripod looking down at the ring at an angle. Soon a man walks into the ring and gives a quick speech thanking everyone for coming and reminding everyone to give their best and enjoy the matches. Allen and Cassie come into view shortly after. Allen is in the first fight of the day and ducks through the ropes then goes to a corner. He’s got black gloves on and green shorts with a white stripe on the sides. Cassie stands outside his corner and she is also wearing similar green shorts and a white tank top.
The girls giggle and point out the matching outfits their parents have on. “Oh stop it, most of the couples thought it a fun idea to wear the same “family” colors and so the both of us have worn matching green every time for luck.” Cassie playfully scolded her daughters.
Allen looked much younger and fitter than he does now, though no one could truly say he seemed out of shape in any way despite now being over 20 years older. His opponent, Frank, entered the ring next in red shorts, red gloves, and looked a bit chubby in comparison to the fit, young Allen.
Their match started and it was clear the gulf in boxing skill and ability. Allen proceeded in workman-like fashion to put Frank on his heels throughout the entire first round. Tagging him with punches to the head and body while easily avoiding or blocking just about every punch thrown his way. The second round was more of the same and Frank was knocked down once early and also took one standing eight count towards the end of the round. The third round lasted all of 30 seconds as Allen backed his opponent up with quick 1-2’s and then unleashed a flurry of punches that kept Frank on the ropes. After absorbing what must have been 20 or more unanswered shots, the referee stepped in and waved off the fight. Dad had won by third round TKO.
The girls had all been hunched forward while watching their dad win his fight easily.
“As I’m sure you can tell, Frank never took boxing too seriously and this was maybe only his second or third fight with our boxing group.” Allen mentioned.
“If he was new, why’d you beat him up like that? Why not take it a little easy on him then?” Avery asked.
Allen then explained that this has been one of their group’s foundational principles. “We all agreed when we started this thing that we wanted to both have fun and be competitive with our boxing. Everyone that steps into the ring tries their hardest and no matter the results, everyone stays friends and gets along.”
Cassie adds in “There were a few people early on who weren’t in it for the right reasons. They only wanted to box for the chance to beat up people rather than for the sport and enjoyment of it. Those people didn’t get invited back.”
“Don’t get me wrong, Frank and I had known each other for years and were pretty good friends over that time but we weren’t anywhere near as close as you two (pointing at Amber and Ariel). Neither of you two took it easy on each other in your fight, did you?”
The family all starts to nod their heads in agreement, getting a better understanding of what this “friendly” boxing group of their parents has really been about all these years. Ariel and Amber understood this best as they had talked countless times with each other before their fight about wanting to experience a real match, no holding back, no matter how it turned out.
They fast forward through the next few fights until it’s Cassie’s turn. She enters with her green shorts, a white sports bra, and black boxing gloves. No one can deny that she was, and still is, a stunner. Lovely blonde hair up in a ponytail, smooth, tan skin, and hardly an ounce of fat on her. She’s bouncing excitedly in her corner. Her opponent, Gretchen, enters the ring and looks to be a few inches taller and a few pounds heavier than Cassie.
Their fight starts slow but as the rounds progress, it’s clear to all that the size and strength advantage is a big factor. But Cassie never stops and for the final two rounds, both boxers resort to a slugfest and throw everything they can at the other. Gretchen’s advantage wins out as she drops Cassie once each in the last two rounds. Their mom refuses to quit though, despite the knockdowns, a bloody nose, and what will eventually become quite the shiner. After Gretchen’s hand is raised, her and Cassie smile and hug in the ring. This was actually how just about every fight that day ended, with two tired and sometimes beat up boxers that were all hugs and smiles once the fights had ended.
“Wow, you sure are tough, mom” said Ariel as she leaned over to hug Cassie.
“Yeah, that was awesome” Avery, Alia, and Amber all agree.
Cassie perked up a little at the praise from her daughters and then added, “I’m sure it also helped that there was always tequila waiting for us after our fights back then. No one had kids yet so a nice margarita certainly helped ease the post-fight pains.”
“So I take it that you all have no problem with seeing your parents getting punched in the face?” Allen asked the girls who all shook their heads with little grins appearing slowly. “Well, then I’ll check with the Kellers and if it’s alright with them then you four can come to our next boxing day.”
With just over three more weeks until the boxing weekend, training ramps up for everyone in the family. The girls have a vested interest in helping their parents to be as prepared as possible for their upcoming fights.
Soon the day finally arrives and just before noon the Palmers all pile into the big, family SUV. There isn’t much talk on the drive but the Keller’s house is only a few neighborhoods over. There are a number of other cars already parked when the Palmers arrive and as they get out of the car, the girls see a large party tent has been set up. It takes up the majority of the backyard and is filled with a few tables, chairs, and in the middle is the boxing ring. The family all heads over to the gathered crowd and mingles for the first half hour or so as more guests arrive.
The Keller family consists of mom - Molly, dad - James, and their daughter - Lily, who is the same age as Amber and played on the school soccer team with her. It’s typical for the hosts of these events to emcee and act as referees/judges/time keepers for the fights. Very rarely do they participate themselves when hosting. There is a good crowd assembled for the day and while hanging out in the shade of the tent the girls learn that about a third of the people in attendance are scheduled to have a fight that day. There are only a few other kids there today but all are very young so Lily naturally gravitates towards the sisters and they form a group talking about all manner of things before the fights get going. In what is a similar story to their own, Lily tells the sisters that she found out about her parents involvement in this boxing club, both back in the day and now, when after a weekend at her grandparents just over a year ago she returned home to find her dad with a nasty split lip and mom moving gingerly due to a couple of bruised but not broken ribs. Molly and James owned up to the fact and like the Palmer girls, Lily was interested and began to train boxing with her parents after that. The girls tell their story as well until Lily’s dad enters the ring and gets everyone’s attention.
“Welcome everyone. We’re excited to be hosting another get together of our little group. It looks like we’ve got eight matches set for today with the order posted on some of the tables. We’ll get started here in about 5-10 minutes and to those of us fighting today, as always, give it your best and have fun. Thanks.”
Allen is scheduled for the third fight out of eight for the day, while Cassie is listed as the seventh fight. There looks to be an intermission set for after the fourth fight.
After James’ speech, Amber and Ariel sneak off to go and grab water from one of the coolers around the tent. But they also want to have a quick conversation away from everyone else. Ever since their parents had told the girls about the upcoming fight day at the Keller's, the two oldest sisters had come up with a plan. They have been itching for the chance to box again, to have their rematch, and they were hoping to be able to do that today rather than waiting for some kind of family event like last time. Each sister had secretly packed a bag with all of their gear: an outfit to change into, gloves, mouthguards, hand wraps, and robes, and then proceeded to stash it in the SUV early this morning. The idea was that they would bring up their proposed rematch and hope that peer pressure from the crowd might help convince their parents to let the fight happen. And just maybe the girls might even be welcomed into this little boxing group for future matches. As the girls secretly conferred, the plan was set to mention this a couple of fights into today and see what happens then.
Soon the fights get under way. The girls were thoroughly enjoying the event. While there weren’t any walkout songs and flashy ring entrances, each fighter’s stats got announced before they entered the ring and everything really was quite professional for the fact that this is a collection of families from a relatively small town. And the quality of the boxing was quite good too though they couldn't help themselves from wondering what the matches must have looked like back in the day before the majority of the contestants had started families and raised children.
During the break between the second and third fights of the day, conversations all came to a halt when a shriek was heard coming from the direction of the house. Several people rushed over to find that Josie was walking barefoot in the yard to throw away some trash and stepped on a piece of broken glass on the ground near the bin. Allen’s fight gets put on hold for 10 minutes or so as Josie’s foot is tended to. She’s got a nice sized cut on the bottom of her foot but they are able to clean it and bandage it before sending her off to the hospital for likely stitches. Josie will be fine but the problem is that she was set to face Cassie in the seventh match today.
As everyone gathers back under the tent to resume the fight card, Allen enters the ring with a clearly disappointed Cassie joining him in his corner. She was looking forward to today after all of the hard work she had put into preparing for it. And truth be told, she was also looking forward to the chance to show off a little for her daughters.
Allen’s fight is against someone the girls don’t know named Joel. They are very similar in size and stature, with the biggest difference being Joel’s blonde hair and pale complexion vs Allen’s dark brown hair and tan.
Their boxing match was also very closely contested. Each looked to be quite skilled and even. It’s the most technical of the matches that the girls have seen so far. Both Allen and Joel keep their hands up and guards tight while moving gracefully throughout the ring. The two boxers keep a steady pace up throughout all five rounds but no one is able to assert control. It’s only in the final round that they look to really go for it and each try to land their heaviest punches of the fight. When both fighters’ hands are raised in a draw, no one in the crowd can contest the decision as they offer up their applause for the great display of discipline and skill. Allen and Joel are all smiles and hug it out before exiting the ring.
The fourth fight happens and then the 30 minute intermission begins. The girls are all still together at a table as they watch their parents mingle throughout the crowd. Cassie and Allen are moving amongst their friends and seeing if anyone would be willing to step in and replace Josie so that Cassie is able to have a match today. It appears as if they are striking out in finding a willing replacement on such short notice. The girls get wind of this and start up a discussion amongst themselves.
“What if one of us fills in for Josie and fights mom? We do have all of our gear with us.” Amber mentions.
After getting looks from their sisters and Lily, Amber and Ariel open up about their “secret plan” to have their big rematch today.
Alia then asks, “Ok, so if you both have your boxing stuff with you, then who gets to do it?”
Both Ariel and Amber admit to being up for it as they each want to fight another real match again, plus the added bonus of helping out so their mom doesn’t miss out on her chance today. Avery mentions the irony of wanting to do a favor for their mom by punching her in the face.
In the end, they decide to settle it like they always do. Whether it’s to determine who gets to drive or what to watch on Netflix, rock/paper/scissors best two out of three will determine which sister will be boxing against their mother. Ariel wins the first round with paper. Amber wins the second round with rock. And after three straight draws, Ariel’s rock beats Amber’s scissors to win the match. All of the girls are excited at the prospect of the Cassie vs Ariel, mother vs daughter match. But they first need to see if their parents will even go for their proposal.
By now, the fifth match of the day has begun when the girls pull their parents over to the side of the tent and announce their offer. Their parents are both quite surprised and can’t help but bring up a few questions.
“But what about all of you boxing gear? There isn’t enough time to run home and get everything you would need and get back here.” Allen mentions.
The girls then have to own up to their original plan as that is the reason why this won’t be an issue. They already have everything they’ll need to fight with them in the car.
Cassie chimes in, “alright, so if you both brought your gear hoping to have a match today, why Ariel and not Amber?”
“Well…” Amber mutters. “We both wanted to fight today and we both were also up for it when we came up with the idea to fill in for Josie against you mom. So we figured it was best to just do our usual rock/paper/scissors and Ariel won this time.” There’s a hint of disappointment in Amber’s voice as she says this.
A pause that is probably only 10 seconds or so but feels like minutes happens before Cassie finally speaks up. “Are you sure you want to do this honey?”
Ariel somewhat sheepishly replies, “Yeah, I’m up for it if you are.” Not sure if she should feel embarrassed or not for offering to get into a punch up with her own mother.
“Ok, let’s do this.” Cassie says followed immediately by a hug for Ariel.
The fifth fight is still going on as Cassie approaches Molly Keller, acting as timekeeper, and lets her know of the new matchup. They agree that it can be placed in the eighth spot on the fight card to give them all enough time to get ready.
Ariel asks Amber to help her get ready and despite her disappointment at missing out on a fight of her own, she agrees and they race off to their car to get Ariels’ bag. When they get to the house to go in and change, Lily meets them at the door, looking nervous.
“Amber, I know you had said that you and Ariel were hoping to have a match today but I guess that’s now not going to happen. What do you think about having one against me?”
There’s a shocked look on everyone’s faces at this new development.
“Really? Are you sure?” Amber asks while not being able to hide her excitement.
Lily cheerily replies, “Yeah, I mean I haven’t been training as long as you have but my parents say I’m getting pretty good and I’ve been thinking about something like this for a while now. No better time than right now I figure.”
Amber quickly hugs Lily as they both run to tell their parents the plan. A 9th fight is now on the cards. It’s agreed that Amber vs Lily will go before the big mother-daughter match, the main event.
The remaining fights take place while Cassie, Ariel, Amber and Lily all prepare. There’s a brief pause before the seventh fight begins so that the scale can be brought back out to weigh in the three newest additions to today’s fights. Amber steps on the scale first. She’s chosen to be a little superstitious and wear the same white sports bra and red spandex shorts that she wore in her victory over Ariel. She comes in at 5’ 7” and 122 lbs. Lily then comes forward next and she has on a lavender colored sports bra and short, white running shorts with little purple flowers imprinted throughout. She weighs in at 112 lbs. and is 5’ 3” tall. Ariel is the last to step on the scale. She has changed things up and is sporting a neon yellow sports bra with black spandex shorts. The scale reads 124 lbs. and Ariel stands at 5’ 5” tall. Cassie had previously weighed in shortly after they arrived and is 5’ 4” and 130 lbs. She’s now in her white sports bra with green Nike swoosh and green shorts with white stripes on the side.
When the seventh fight has finished and the ring cleared, Amber is announced and enters the ring first. She has Avery to help corner her for the match. Next, Lily is announced and enters the ring. Her mom is in her corner and her dad will be the referee for the match. Lily is a clear mix of excitement and nerves, both bubbling over. She can’t stop bouncing back and forth on her toes. As a soccer player, Lily was a little spitfire. She was the faster girl on the team and also one of the fittest. Her dark brown hair is tied back in a tight ponytail and she sports a deep, dark tan as well. With strong nicely defined legs, flat stomach, and small but perky boobs, she looks a small but formidable opponent for Amber. No one can deny that her best feature is being displayed superbly in her short, white shorts. Her butt was the envy of every girl in school, perfectly round and muscular, without an ounce of fat on it.
As the girls meet in the center to touch gloves, both try to hold back nervous smiles as Lily’s dad goes over the rules again for the first time fighters and issues one more reminder to try their hardest throughout the fight. Then it’s back to their corners to await the bell.
DING!
Just like on the soccer field, Lily is all action and starts off aggressively throwing lots of punches. Amber defends well but is driven back by the constant pressure. Most of Lily’s swings are heavy and almost wild but a few are able to pierce Amber’s guard.
Amber starts to settle in and respond with some well-timed jabs followed by quick shots to the body. She still takes a couple shots from Lily but is able to land more consistently throughout the rest of the first round.
The second round is more of the same with Lily keeping a high tempo but only finding success with a few punches. One does get through and snaps Amber’s head to the side for a quick second. Amber isn’t hurt and starts to answer back with more focus being on shots to Lily’s body when she opens up to throw her wider punches. By the time the second round ends, Lily’s pace has slowed down due to the combination of those body punches and the high tempo effort she’s put forth.
As the bell rings to start the third round, neither girl is sporting any marks of damage but Amber clearly looks to be the fresher of the two boxers. She begins to take control this round, keeping Lily on the back foot and driving her around the ring. Towards the end of the round, Amber is able to trap Lily in the corner and rain down punches until a standing 8 count is called. The round finishes with Amber connecting with two solid hooks to the ribs, causing Lily to grimace before making it back to the stool in her corner.
Lily slowly makes it up to her feet to start the fourth round and Amber is on her right away. A quick 1-2 to the head followed by a nasty hook to the body drops Lily to her knees. Amber is ushered to a neutral corner and Lily’s dad begins the count. She’s back on her feet by 6 and wants to continue. Amber delays a second as she looks at the ref wondering if the fight should be stopped but is told to box on. She moves in and uses lightning fast double jabs to pepper Lily’s face and keep her gloves high, to open up a couple of heavy straight right hands to the belly. Lily staggers back until she’s trapped in her own corner. The heavy body shots have caused her hands to slowly drop lower and lower. Spotting this her father looks like he is about to step in and wave off the fight but through the ropes he can see his wife shake her head no. Their instinct as parents is to protect their daughter but they also understand that this is something Lily has to experience if she wants to continue with her boxing journey and join their fighting group.
With no intervention incoming, Amber proceeds to end the fight. She wades in with a right uppercut that lands cleanly on the chin. It is followed by a left hook that sinks in deep just to the side of Lily’s belly button. A vicious straight right hand lands right on the kisser and sends Lily’s back into the corner where she slowly slumps down until her butt hits the ground. Her dad rolls off the count and Lily has hardly moved a muscle as he reaches 10. Her parents both move to quickly get the stool in and lift their daughter up onto it to lean back into the corner. Amber circles the ring with a glove raised as she makes it back to her corner where Avery has jumped up and in to give her a big, sweaty hug.
After a minute or two to allow Lily to recover a bit, her dad brings both boxers to the center and raises Amber’s hand, declaring her the winner by 4th round KO. Amber is all smiles but it fades as she turns and gives Lily a big hug.
“Thank you so much Lils. And I’m sorry.” Ambers whispers into her friend’s ear.
Their hug continues as Lily tells her, “No. Don’t apologize. This is what a real boxing match is supposed to be like right? And I’d like to think that I’d have done the same to you if I was able to. Maybe we’ll have to do this again so that I can.”
Amber gives Lily a quick kiss on the cheek as they separate and make their way out of the ring to go and get cleaned up. They’ll have to hurry so they don’t miss any of the main event up next.
It was now time for the mother - daughter match: Cassie vs Ariel. While the audience has been attentive and respectful for all of the matches today, the atmosphere in the crowd now seems a little different. Up until now the only match ups in the history of this group to involve family members has been between a pair of brothers way back in the day. Everyone looks to be on the edge of their seats waiting to see how this fight goes.
As they walk up towards the ring, ready to be announced, Allen can’t help himself and asks his wife, “So, fancy your chances against Ariel?”
“Yeah, I’ve got quite a bit more experience so I think I can win.” Cassie replies.
“Not going to take it easy on her cause she’s your first-born?” Allen smirks
“No, why should I? She’s an adult now and knows what she’s in for. It’ll be a fair fight, youth vs experience. Plus as her mom I can always tend to any wounds and nurse her back to health.” Both parents chuckle a nervous laugh.
There is one thought drawing at the back of Cassie’s mind though, “What if my daughter beats me?”
On the other side of the ring, Ariel awaits the announcements alongside Alia.
“I can’t believe you’re actually about to fight mom in a boxing match. Dunno why but it just seems strange.” Alia shares.
Ariel responds, “Yeah, it definitely feels a bit different than last time with Amber. Maybe that was because we had been planning it for so long.”
“I suppose that makes sense. Got any strategy in mind for taking mom down?”
Ariel ponders that for a second before saying, “Haven’t really had time to think of one. I’ll probably just try to pace myself more this time and not push too much too early.”
Soon enough, Cassie is introduced and ducks through the ropes. It’s taking more effort than she’d like to admit to look calm and ready as she bounces in her corner. Ariel’s announcement follows and she gives a little wave in acknowledgement of the crowd’s clapping.
They’re called to the center, touch gloves and exchange a brief hug before heading back to await the bell.
DING!
Both mother and daughter meet again in the middle but the pace is slow. Shuffling and circling a bit while flicking out a few jabs each to test the distance. This seems to be Ariel’s new strategy to pace herself but it wasn’t what Cassie expected. Based on her fight with Amber, the thought was to settle in and weather the early onslaught of Ariel. But if she’s not going to push the action, then maybe Cassie can.
As the round wears on, Cassie has upped the tempo. She’s moving a lot, changing directions to force Ariel to do the same. She’s also throwing punches more often and in more combinations. Ariel has to respond and starts to throw more shots herself. No strong punches have landed for either fighter but Cassie has definitely controlled the ring and landed more as the bell ends the first round.
The second round begins and it’s more of the same. A bit of a slow start and then action starts to pick up. Both mother and daughter are matching the tempo but Cassie seems to be having more success. She’s able to keep her guard tighter to block the majority of Ariel’s punches and she is throwing a bigger variety of shots her daughter’s way and finding the target more often now. A good three punch combo, right-left-right, all to different areas on Ariel that she is unable to defend fast enough, ends the round. Overall it looks to be another round in favor of Cassie.
Allen’s advice in the corner is to continue mixing it up and keep their daughter guessing. Round 3 begins and Ariel tries to start strong, knowing that she is likely down two rounds already. She’s pressuring Cassie early and a couple of punches have been able to land on her mother’s head but nothing too cleanly. Cassie responds by catching Ariel a few times just as she’s winding up for her bigger punches. These start to slow Ariel down and Cassie presses the issue by throwing combinations all over the place. Landing on Ariel’s ribs, then temple, then belly, then jaw.
A straight right to the left boob and follow up left hook to the body make Ariel’s knees buckle and almost go down. Cassie doesn’t throw a finishing punch to her daughter’s unprotected head but Ariel still goes down to one knee a second later. Ariel is hurt but not that bad and she takes advantage of the rest. She’s up at the count of 6 and turtles up for the rest of the round before throwing and landing a big overhand right in the last few seconds. Despite having scored the knockdown, Cassie didn’t go all out to try for the finish and paid for it by taking her hardest hit of the fight so far.
As she sits down on her stool, Allen calls Cassie out for hesitating and not taking advantage of her hurt opponent. “You should have been able to end the fight that round. I understand but you did say that before that this was a fair fight and it was Ariel’s choice too.” Cassie reluctantly nods in agreement and vows to not make the same mistake again if given the chance. “I know dear. If I get another chance, I won’t hold back again.”
“Good, cause I think Ariel’s going to have to try to knock you out if she wants to win. So be ready to take advantage if she gives you an opening” Allen advised his wife as both fighters rose to begin the fourth round.
They meet in the center of the ring and get right back into the action. Ariel has taken more punishment than she’s been able to dish out but she still tries to give as good as she’s getting. A few punches land from each fighter but none with much effect.
Cassie is able to duck under a right and answer with a straight right that lands directly on Ariel’s belly button. Her mom’s fist sinks in as Ariel wasn’t fast enough to brace before the impact. A quick, follow up left lands squarely on the temple and Ariel stumbles back a couple steps.
Her mother jumps on this opening and proceeds to pepper Ariel with punches that force her to stay on the back foot and only defend. Cassie’s constant pressure means that Ariel hasn’t been able to throw a punch of her own for over 20 seconds. Out of frustration, Ariel gives up trying to block the flurry of punches from her mom and lets fly to wide-looping haymakers. The heavy punches are slower than they would have been earlier in the fight and Cassie ducks under to avoid while also landing a hard left hook squarely onto the ribs. A straight right then splits Ariel’s gloves and smashes her nose, starting a steady flow of blood but Cassie does not relent.
Ariel is driven back against the ropes as Cassie unleashes devastating combinations, mixing 2-3 body shots before attacking the head. Ariel has no choice but to turtle up and turn to lean her right side against the ropes. Cassie launches a left hook just below the belly button. Then a right hook to the ribs on Ariel’s left side. She repeats this combination three more times before the referee steps in, directing her to a neutral corner while Ariel receives a standing eight count. After 8, Ariel nods that she still wants to continue and Cassie moves right back in and punishes her daughter for the final 15 seconds until the bell rings.
Ariel wearily makes it back to her corner where Alia has her stool ready. Cassie can’t help but look back at the damage she has inflicted on her daughter as she makes her way to her own corner.
Alia works to stop her sister’s nosebleed during the break. She’s done a good job tending to her sister between the rounds but hasn’t been a great source of strategy or motivation. But with Ariel clearly struggling and only one round to go, she gives it a shot in her own bookish way.
“You know the ancient Spartans had a saying for when their soldiers went off to battle, ‘On your shield or with it.”
Ariel just looked up at her sister in confusion and fatigue.
“It means basically win or die trying. So may as well just say fuck it and go for broke this last round, right?” Alia clarified with a shrug of her shoulders and a goofy smile.
I guess I don’t really have anything to lose at this point thought Ariel before rising up on her stool for the final round.
As both boxers get back to their feet, Ariel certainly looks the worse for wear as she’s taken much more punishment. But Cassie has been on the receiving end of a few heavy shots and is also looking like the effort to go for the finish last round has drained her gas tank quite a bit. Nonetheless, they both meet in the center and exchange a quick, gentle hug before the bell sounds.
Ariel starts the more aggressive and bull rushing her way forward behind jabs that are mostly ineffective but do succeed in driving her mother back and keeping the distance close. She has to eat a few shots to get in but Ariel is able to force her mom back up against the ropes where she unloads hooks and uppercuts. Cassie takes several stinging shots to her abs, ribs, and breasts before she is able to land a solid left hook of her own to Ariel’s temple, giving her enough of a respite to circle off the ropes.
They meet in the center of the ring again with just over half of the round left. Ariel tries to charge in again but is stopped in her tracks by a crisp left jab to her already hurting nose. Cassie follows up her jab with a swift right uppercut that lands right on the top of her daughter’s shorts. The punch is about as low as one can land without technically being below the belt.
Ariel is stunned from the low body shot and Cassie doesn’t hesitate to take advantage with a jab/cross combo to Ariel’s nose and left eye that snaps her head back, spraying sweat and a little blood across the ring. Rather than cover up and retreat, Ariel heeds Alia’s advice and just says fuck it as she starts throwing bombs right back. Both mother and daughter stand their ground and unleash punches all over. Only a few are landing solidly but the exchange is at least even for both fighters.
Cassie connects with a sharp right to Ariel’s chest. Ariel responds with a straight right that lands square on her mom’s lips. Cassie starts to win out, landing more punches than her daughter and driving her back towards her own corner. It’s looking like Ariel might finally have taken enough punishment and could be on her way down to the canvas when the timekeeper slaps the mat to signal the final 10 seconds.
Almost down but not wanting to be out, Ariel musters the last of her strength and throws a final combination. A right to Cassie’s left boob, followed by a low left hook, returning the favor and landing right on the beltline, and finishing with an overhand right that connects squarely on her mother’s left cheek. Cassie is able to land a right of her own to her daughter’s nose but Ariel’s thunderous combo sends her stumbling back on wobbly legs until she goes down, landing right on her butt. Ariel stumbles back and bumps into the ropes from her mother’s last punch, looking both exhausted and shocked at the knockdown she has scored while the referee moves in to count.
Cassie is dazed but she’s been in this situation before. While their boxing group consists of friends, the majority of which they’ve been close with most of their lives, they all still take their boxing seriously and just about everyone has been on the receiving end of a good hiding over the years. Cassie knows not to try to rush back up to her feet, rolling over onto her hands and knees as the count hits 4, she then carefully puts one foot on the ground before pushing up onto both feet by the count of 7. As the count reaches 8, just before the ref can ask if Cassie is able to continue, the final bell rings to end this epic mother daughter match.
It takes a couple seconds for the end to register for both fighters but when they do, they race to embrace each other. Both are sweaty, exhausted and hurting but they don’t let go until finally Allen, Alia, Avery and Amber are all in the ring and waiting for their turns to hug and congratulate these two warriors.
It takes a couple of minutes for everyone in and out of the ring to settle down for the announcement. By this point, Ariel almost forgot that there were people here able to act as judges for these matches, unlike when she fought her sister. The verdict is delayed as they ask everyone to join in for a round of applause for the mother and daughter after such a great battle. Cassie’s hand is then lifted up as she is the unanimous winner but everyone there acknowledges how well Ariel did too. While she may not have won the fight, Ariel has won the respect of everyone in this little boxing group.
There is one more hug between the two fighters and the ring is eventually cleared. As Cassie and Ariel make their way up to the Keller house to get cleaned up, they exchange a few whispers while walking arm in arm.
“I’m so proud of you honey. And thank you so much for stepping up so I didn’t have to miss out today.”
“Thanks mom, it was the least I could do for you. And as weird as it is to say, it was fun.”
Cassie chuckles before agreeing, “Yeah, it was. A lot of people wouldn’t understand but why give a shit about what other people think.”
“And I guess this will now delay that rematch you and Amber were trying to sneak in today. I know I’m going to need a few weeks off to rest and recover.”
Ariel smirked for a brief second before adding, “I don’t know mom. If I know Amber at all, I may not be the person she wants to face next anymore.”
Cassie gave her daughter a slightly puzzled look, not sure what Ariel means.
“I’ll bet Amber is going to want to fight you next so you might need to be ready for her to drop that bombshell on you sometime soon.”
“Huh, I hadn’t thought of that but I guess it kind of makes sense” Cassie thought before adding, “Though I think that isn’t going to be our biggest concern. I’m more worried about Avery and Alia now. Lord only knows how those two will hold up having to wait until they each turn 18 for their chance to finally box for real.”
Ariel chuckled before wincing from the sore ribs her mother had gifted her. As the final two fighters for the day went inside to shower and change, the rest of the guests started to wrap things up for the latest meeting of what the Palmer sisters were now calling “The Not-so Friendly Family Fight Group.”
As the whole family piled into their SUV for the short drive home, conversation would have been non-existent had it not been for Avery who bounced from topic to topic. Only brief interruptions from Alia, Amber and Allen broke up Avery’s commentary. Once they made it home, Cassie and Ariel were moving the slowest back to the house as they’d gone through quite the fight. Allen and Amber had not taken as much punishment during their wins but were still looking forward to an early bed time tonight.
The four fighters on the day all stopped into the kitchen to get waters and Advil before heading to their respective bedrooms. Alia, like always, went straight to her PC to fire up her newest video game. Avery was restless and went to annoy Alia in her room. They stayed up for a few more hours, Alia having given up on being able to game, as they discussed all kinds of topics but always finding themselves circling back to their family and boxing.
Recapping the fights from today:
Marveling at dad’s technical bout that looked borderline like the pros. Not realizing just how good he really is.
Amber’s destruction of her friend and former teammate Lily. Her win streak continues but will she be able to beat Ariel in their rematch? Will she fight Lily again next or someone else?
And of course Ariel and mom’s epic battle. Do you think Ariel could have knocked mom out if she had more time? I can’t believe Ariel even made it to the end of the fight after how much mom was beating her up those last few rounds.
Were Ariel and Amber going to be a part of their parents’ boxing group from now on?
Soon though the topic shifted towards themselves. How desperate and eager both of them were to get their chance at a real boxing match. Who would they each want to fight? They know that a few of their cousins have taken up some boxing training after being there for Amber’s birthday bash with Ariel. Maybe it could be against one of them? Or maybe Ariel, Amber, or even mom?
Only as the clock hit 1:00am, with Avery in the middle of debating what colors she should choose for her fighting outfit did she realize that her sister had fallen asleep on her. Avery slowly got up and pulled a blanket over Alia and then went off to her own bed.
Today had seen four out of the six Palmers fight at their little get together, one having been between mother and daughter. It was becoming clear that this boxing thing was here to stay. This latest round of fights seemed to have only increased the interest levels for each family member. Even Ariel, who had now faced her sister and mother, losing both matches, was still eager for the chance to get back in the ring. Only a few questions were left unanswered: When would the next match be for this fighting family and who would be a part of it?
