Chloe Bennet (23 y/o, 5’6”, 121 lbs) vs Krysten Ritter (33 y/o, 5’9”, 126 lbs)
In her career, age hasn’t been something that ever held her back, but tonight as she sits exhausted, sore, and close to a full-body shut down on her stool, Krysten Ritter can’t help but think that’s what’s working against her here. What was supposed to be a cutesy Marvel-universe “Who Would Win in a Fight” marketing stunt has turned into a multi-extra round affair with both starlets absolutely incensed with one another. Discarded are the cushy oversized gloves they started with, now looking to assert their dominance over the other with wrapped “bare” knuckles, not that anybody in the audience is complaining.
Krysten is slumped forwards in her stool, breathing heavily, trying not to think about the immense ache and pain her older body has sustained. She’s completely given up listening to her corner, shoving away one of the trainers who sticks a water bottle in her face. Krysten is already the quintessential image of hurt and suffering, the last she wants to do – in her mind anyway – is add to it by gulping down any refreshments.
The other corner tells a different story – the young, athletic Chinese-American starlet from Agents of Shield is up on her feet, arms resting on the ropes beside her, eager and restless for the sixth round to begin. It’s been nearly all Bennet all match long, save for a flash knockdown in the third (and what inspired the continuation for both parties). Although Krysten attests to be in the best shape of her life after training for Jessica Jones, Chloe is clearly outshining her MCU co-star with her speed, technique, and surprising power punching. A trainer in the young fighter’s corner gives her a last bit of advice and she nods in agreement.
DING! DING!
Krysten pries herself off her stool and stomps out towards ring center, arms heavy and barely up by her waist. Chloe still has her legs under her and is quick to show that off, prancing and strafing, staying mobile and practically running circles around the raven-haired actress. Chloe dashes in, rattling off a couple alternating jabs before dashing back out, leaving Krysten blinking and with a red-marked chest. Chloe comes in again – bap bap – and hops out, then in again – bap bap – and out from a different angle, scoring at ease and painting the pale girl’s body crimson. Krysten is mouth breathing, clumsily stepping around flatfooted while her spry opponent continues to zip in and sting her, disappearing before she can get her hands on the speedster.
Unquestionably confident at her ability to pick apart her rival at will, Chloe sarcastically blows a kiss towards the reeling Ritter, which stings the mock-super hero’s ego even further. Krysten frowns and lumbers forwards, trying to trap Chloe along the ropes or herd her into the nearby corner, but Chloe proves to be too slippery for the exhausted fighter. Krysten continues to lumber towards Chloe, this time swinging a wild, sweeping forearm, trying to clobber the younger vixen. Chloe ducks just in the nick of time, but comes up and smashes heads with an off-balance Ritter whose nose is done in by the younger brunette’s crown.
“NYUHHHH!” Krysten whines, her hands shooting up to her face which has gone numb and tingly. A wide-eyed Krysten Ritter turns to see a determined, pissed-off Chloe Bennet who’s squared up and ready to let fists fly: In a compact little package, the tanned beauty starts tattooing Krysten’s sides with reefing alternating hooks, then a cross up top to swivel the head, more body punishment, a rising uppercut to one breast, then the other… Krysten is just absorbing and gasping, taking and moaning, hurting and shaking. Enough’s enough and the Jessica Jones star collapses forwards into a clinch, hanging onto the smaller girl for dear life.
“I fucking own you, super girl,” Chloe whispers dryly into one ear. Krysten frowns, chin and jaw firmly nuzzled into her opponent’s shoulder, feeling a woozy sensation that makes her want to hurl. Chloe finally pushes Krysten off and towards the ropes where the pale actress bounces off and into a brutal night-ending straight right that dumps the older actress on her back, mouth wide open, eyes slammed shut.
“Count ‘er, ref,” Chloe says as she saunters back to her corner with a walking-away-from-an-explosion swagger.
“One… two… three…” the ref chants, Krysten laying underneath, chest heaving almost in rhythm to the count. “Four… five… six…” Krysten’s eyes flutter open, the bright arena lights nearly blinding her from above. “Seven… eight… ni…” Like a zombie, practically on auto-pilot, the resilient Krysten Ritter sits up, blood streaming down one nostril, eyes vacant with a dead stare. “Ni… nine…!” The ref counts, hesitating to get the final count out. Against all odds, Krysten returns to her feet where she wavers on unsteady legs. A small nod in the general direction of the ref signals she’s ready to keep going, and the stunned ref allows the crazy bout to continue.
In anger, Chloe stomps her foot down on the canvas and bites down on her mouthguard – she can’t believe what she just saw. It takes her a moment, but she eventually shakes the disbelief out of her head and it’s all back to business: dukes up, elbows in, chin down, and tip-toeing forward. Krysten puts her gloves up to her temples in earmuff and waits as Chloe wades into her, again going to the in-and-out strategy that worked so well before.
Krysten keeps absorbing, protecting her head but giving up her body, biding her time. Eventually Chloe gets lazy and drops tempo on the dash in, and that’s when Krysten comes forward with a crashing right hand of her own, finally catching the pestering little nuisance with a clean blow! Chloe immediately backs up in retreat, shaking her head and trying to blink back tears. Krysten follows, gloves still high at her temples, stalking her reeling prey. Chloe’s back touches ropes – another misstep on her part – and she hesitates before digging in; Krysten takes advantage, squaring up and just chucking slow, powerful, bruising shots. One manages to penetrate through Chloe’s guard, then another, and another… Chloe spins out to her left in panic, winding up in a corner and Krysten is happy to follow her there. Both girls muscle up and snarl through mouth guards, preparing to trade blow-for-blow.
Krysten with the set up jab – Chloe counters with a hook to jaw – Krysten with a wallop to the left cheek – Chloe doubling up her jabs – Krysten with an uppercut to paunch – Chloe unloads her own on her opponent’s left breast – Krysten with teeth bared with the left hook – Krysten with a right hook – Krysten slowly taking over and outmuscling her girl – Chloe drops to her haunches in the corner! The ref steps in to count, but Krysten barely moves away, crowding the corner and huffing and puffing as she watches the woozy Chloe paw at the ropes to get back to her feet.
“Five… six… seven…” Chloe’s certainly rattled, but not quite out. She clears the top rope and holds herself up while the ref finishes with a standing “eight.” He can barely get off the last count before Krysten is shoving him out of the way and trying to finish her girl in the corner.
Krysten lances forwards with a clobbering right cross that glances off Chloe’s cheek, allowing her to counter with a right of her own to push her aggressor back. Krysten’s nose flares and she sarcastically blows to return the one from before. Chloe’s stuck with a look of determination and isn’t perturbed by Krysten’s antics. The older fighter runs into the corner again, this time clobbering Chloe with alternating hooks to the body, the alternating hooks to the head. Chloe stares her opponent down as she returns the favor: left-left to the ribcage, right-left to swivel the head. Krysten punches through the pain, tattooing the smaller girl’s body shots from just outside her opponent’s reach. Chloe slips the last punch and weaves her way back to the inside where she pushes Krysten back with punches of her own.
Eventually Chloe battles her way out of the corner through brute force and determination, causing both girls to meet in the middle where they take turns punishing each other with an array of dizzying punches. Chloe, however, never drops her look of grim determination, possibly fueled by her newfound hatred of her boxing mate. No matter what Krysten throws at her, Chloe keeps on coming, unwavering and unblinking – Krysten on the other hand is looking more and more decrepit with each landing blow. The unsettling realization that her punches are no longer phasing her opponent begins to settle in, and Krysten’s offensive output slows to a complete stop. She can only look on in disappointment and utter defeat as the stronger, more resolute fighter breaks her down with hammering blows. Krysten is practically staring at Chloe who at this point is methodically pounding away as if she were a punching bag.
Finally, Krysten’s will breaks and her legs give out, dropping her to her knees. The exhausted fighter pitches forwards and face plants dead-center into Chloe’s shorts. The ref doesn’t have to count this one, Chloe’s walking away with the victory here.
The victorious Chloe places one hand on the back of the kneeling loser’s head, caressing it. With her other hand, she raises the lifeless right arm of Krysten and watches as it satisfyingly drops limply to the side. “That’s right,” Chloe whispers, “I’m the baddest bitch. I am.”
