In some ways this short story was one of the hardest for me to write. In other ways it was a blessed relief. Read on and you’ll see why…
October 2019, somewhere in southern England. The last match of the qualifying rounds of the sixth senior boxing tournament pitches reigning champion Ellen against her nemesis, Miss Tee.
Ellen’s questionable victory over Tee in their title rematch 11 months ago has led to changes in the low blow rules. Had the new rules been in effect for their previous encounters Tee would have won both of them.
Following the successful change to the scoring system for the 7th senior wrestling tournament a similar system has also been introduced for the 6th senior boxing tournament, a change that has also worked in Tee’s favour.
Going into the final qualifying round Ildiko and Tee are leading the field on 8 points each, although Tee has the edge on match points. Emma is on 6 points, Ellen on 5, Lorraine on 4 and Lucy on 3.
Lorraine’s 2nd round demolition of Lucy gives her a final score of 8 points and Emma’s 5th round knockout of Ildiko moves her up to first place ahead of both Tee and the Hungarian.
As she enters the ring for the final match of the evening Tee seems to be almost home and dry. Even a draw will see her face Emma in the final. For her opponent there is only one option to guarantee that final place, knock her opponent out in the first three rounds.
As it turns out this match will only last two rounds.
Followers of Miss Tee are familiar with the ‘Tee look’, an expression combining indignation and determination, which often appears when she feels she’d been wronged in a match and usually means trouble for her opponent. That she is wearing the ‘look’ when she enters the ring should be a warning to Ellen.
Referee Gabi announces the contenders:
“Ladies and gentlemen, this is our final match of the evening and our final qualifying match of the tournament. Introducing in the red corner, 51 years of age, weighing 155lbs, measuring 38B-29-43 and standing 5 feet 9 inches tall – Miss Tee!”
The crowd applauds as Tee quickly slips off her robe to reveal that she is wearing a pair of pale blue cotton midi briefs with penguin motifs on them. Her greying chestnut hair is tied back in a single long plait that reaches to the waistband of her knickers
Gabi continues: “And in the blue corner, at 57 years of age, also weighing in at 155lbs, measuring 38C-28-42 and standing 5 feet 7 inches tall – Ellen Shaw!”
Ellen slips off her kimono to reveal her usual uniform of black knickers with large white polka dots, her frizzy blond hair is pulled back and tied a bun behind her head.
After a brief discussion with both fighters Gabi sends them to their respective corners and a few seconds later the bell rings for the start of round one.
At the sound of the bell Tee comes flying out of her corner and attacks Ellen like woman possessed. The brunette overwhelms the blonde with a hail of, mostly uncontrolled, punches. Ellen does her best to cover up but after thirty seconds a right hook sends her to the mat for the first time.
Ellen gets quickly to her feet and takes a count of six but is on the deck again just a few seconds later when Tee catches her with a left-right combination to the tits followed by an uppercut to the jaw. This time the blonde is much slower to rise, taking the full nine count.
Tee shows no sign of slowing down but Ellen is wary now. She covers up and retreats around the ring as the brunette continues her relentless assault. Most of Tee’s punches are hitting Ellen’s arms and shoulders but they are solid punches and they’re taking their toll on the older woman.
After a minute or so of one-sided action a left hook connects with the side of Ellen’s head. She’s stunned and her guard drops for a moment. A right hook from Tee connects with her jaw and she goes down hard on her back.
Ellen lays on her back as Gabi starts counting, her left hand over her face and her right arm limp at her side. For a moment it looks like the fight may be over but at four Ellen rolls to her right and pushes herself up to her hands and knees, pausing for a moment before getting shakily to her feet for a third time as the count reaches nine.
Gabi checks Ellen over and asks her if she’s able to continue. She’s obviously considering stopping this one-sided battle before the blonde suffers too much damage. Although she has yet to land a solid punch, Ellen insists she wants to keep fighting and resumes her guard as Gabi waves Tee back in.
The match continues in the same way, Ellen covering up and Tee raining blows on her arms and shoulders, until once again the battered blonde’s guard weakens. A straight left connects with her right breast and Ellen’s instinctively lowers her arms.
Another right hook connects with her face and spins her into the ropes where she holds on to stop herself going down. Gabi steps in to administer the standing count and at eight Ellen turns back to face her foe, a trickle of blood flowing from her left nostril.
The action resumes and another barrage of blows forces Ellen into a clinch, blood from her nose smearing on Tee’s shoulder and dripping on her breasts as Gabi separates them and gives Ellen another nine count.
As the clock ticks towards the end of round one Tee gives up all pretence of defence and simply pummels the punch-drunk blonde who hunkers down as she is knocked left and right by Tee’s punches. If Ellen is hoping Tee will punch herself out, she’s sadly mistaken. The brunette is still showing no signs of tiring.
Somehow Ellen manages to remain on her feet until the bell rings and she staggers back to her corner before collapsing onto her stool. She has been totally dominated by Tee in this round. In the last three minutes she’s been knocked down three times and taken two standing counts without landing a solid punch of her own. It’s a complete reversal of their encounter two years ago when Tee was on the receiving end and shows how much stronger the brunette has become in that time.
In the red corner Tee remains on her feet throughout the break, clearly wired, tapping her gloves together and bouncing from one foot to the other, that determined look still fixed on her face. Emily wipes the blood from her neck and breasts as the judges’ scores appear on the display. It is no surprise to see all six points go to Tee and she goes into the second round leading 14-0.
Frantic work by Erica stems the bleeding from Ellen’s nose and gets her fighter ready for round two. At the sound of the bell Ellen is on her feet with her guard raised looking composed and confident, as if the first round hadn’t happened.
The pair come together in the centre of the ring and for a moment Ellen tries to keep the match open, deflecting Tee’s wilder shots and pushing out a few jabs of her own. A couple of Ellen’s punches connect but they have no power behind them and Tee doesn’t seem to notice. Tee’s first round assault has tenderised Ellen’s arms and her muscles have already been robbed of much of their strength.
It also quickly becomes obvious that the blonde’s reactions are much slower that her opponent’s and Tee soon overwhelms her again. A hail of largely uncontrolled blows put the blonde down on one knee and, when she regains her feet, her nose is bleeding again.
This is Tee at her wildest. She throws out punches with little thought of defending herself. One good solid blow from Ellen could put her in serious trouble but it seems the champion is already too weak to pose much of a threat.
At the one-minute mark a left to the solar plexus and a right to the breast dump the blonde on her backside in a neutral corner.
Ellen gamely hauls herself up on the ropes at nine only to walk straight into a barrage of blows from Tee that drop her face first to the canvas.
Again, she pushes herself up, first to her hands and knees and then to standing as the count reaches nine. This time it is clear she is spent, her half-hearted guard offering no defence against the dominant brunette.
More punches rain down on the blonde, who continues to cover up and stagger backwards around the ring. With less than two minutes of the round gone Tee connects with another blistering right hook to Ellen’s temple and she goes down for the fourth time in the round.
Tee retreats to a neutral corner and Gabi starts slowly counting over the fallen blonde.
The count reaches five and Ellen still hasn’t moved – it looks like she is finished.
Whether Ellen would have beaten the count will never be known because at this moment Erica throws in the towel to save her fighter from any more punishment.
The bell rings and Erica is quickly in the ring and at the fallen blonde’s side. Ellen remains on her back on the canvas for the best part of a minute before, aided by Erica, she gets slowly to her feet and staggers back to her corner.
Gabi gives her another minute to recover before she calls the fighters to the centre of the ring and announces:
“Ladies and gentlemen. After one minute and fifty seconds of round two. Ellen’s corner having thrown in the towel. Your winner, by a technical knockout – Miss Tee!”
Tee raises her hands in victory and drinks in the applause as Gabi continues:
“After five rounds of qualifying, I can confirm that our final line up is as follows: Ellen will face Lucy for fifth place; Ildiko will face Lorraine for third place and Emma will face Miss Tee for the title!”
It is an impressive victory for the brunette, who takes four points from the match and moves three points clear of her nearest rival at the end of qualifying
It’s also devastating defeat for the reigning champion, who, with tears in her eyes, decides to make a shock announcement:
“Ladies and gentlemen. I wish you all to know that my fight with Lucy will be my last ever tournament fight and I will not be contesting next year’s senior wresting title. I’ve had a good run but I think it’s time for me to call it a day. Thank you for your support over the years, I love you all.”
Her voice breaks up and the tears streams down her face.
Tee cannot help herself; she takes hold of the weeping blonde and hugs her tightly, tears streaming down her own face, before raising Ellen’s hand and calling out:
“Ladies and gentlemen – please show your appreciation for the finest senior fighter this club has ever seen!”
The audience rise to their feet and give the tearful blonde a standing ovation as Tee releases her arm. With the crowd still applauding Ellen returns to her corner, collects her belongings and, accompanied by Erica, makes her way to the blue corner dressing room for what might be the last time.
And that was that. Tee completely destroyed me and, after 11 years on the senior circuit, I decided to call it a day.
It wasn’t a spur of the moment decision, it had been on my mind for a while. That I was the oldest fighter in the tournament by more than 5 years wasn’t lost on me, nor was the fact that all the girls from my early tournaments had already retired.
A brutal defeat at the hands of the woman who has become my nemesis just served to help me make the decision. Her reaction totally surprised me, I had no idea that the reason she was so determined to beat me was that she admired me so much.
My final fight was against Lucy and I’m pleased to say I went out in a blaze of glory. But I miss it - so who knows what I’ll do next?
In the meantime I have plenty more stories to tell.
