Breanna again


I found it difficult to believe that it had been ten years since I had graduated from 
high school, but here it was, my 10 year reunion invitation.  During the ten years, I 
had gone on to college and graduate school and now living on the East coast.  
California was still home though and this reunion gave me another excuse to visit 
family, catch some rays and enjoy a visit to some of my old haunts.

Attending the reunion was not going to be the highlight of my trip, but it seemed 
like a good reason to set the time aside to travel back to California.

Walking into the hotel, I tried to imagine what my old friends and acquaintances 
were up to.  As I sat in an old desk and chair that the organizers had brought over 
from the school, I remaniced about my days as a student.

Suddenly, I felt two hands wrapping around my eyes from behind.  It was one of 
those annoying tricks played at reunions, "guess who I am."  The hands were large 
but fairly soft.  They were strong but felt feminine too.  I announced that I gave 
up...at that moment, the desk chair began to rock.

It took me back, not to my high school days but my junior high nightmare where a 
girl, then 13 named Breanna sat behind me and constantly kicked or shaking my 
seat with her feet.

She rebuffed each attempt when I asked her to stop and even challenged me to a 
fight which we eventually had in the garage of a coach we both knew. 

I turned to see if my fears had merit and sure enough, and unmistakably, there was 
Breanna.  Much bigger and more solid than she was 15 years before when we 
fought last, but still the same glare and presence.

She laughed and said, "surprised to see me huh?"  Indeed I was, because Breanna 
had never attended this high school, she had in fact moved away the year after our 
first fight.

She went on to explain that she had returned several years after graduating from 
high school in Northern California and met and married one of my classmates.  
When she told me his name, it didn't ring any bells.  When she chided me about 
whether I've continued to work on my boxing skills, all sorts of bells were set off.

She went on to explain to me that she had continued to fight and was in fact 
considering a stab at the heavyweight amateurs in the female division for the 
Olympics team.  She told me that she had just missed the cut as a shot putter several 
years after high school and saw the potential of female Olympic boxing as her way 
of getting her gold medal.

I smiled and acknowledged her probability of winning.

"So...she replied, you ready for our rematch?"  She was referring to a standing 
challenge she made toward me after knocking me out in Jr. High.  Just then her 
husband came over and she began telling him that I was the guy she fought in Jr. 
High.  He smiled and extended his hand knowingly.  "We were just talking about a 
rematch," she continued.  "Oh?" he replied, "Great!"  

Before I knew it, I was given directions to their home not far from the high school.  
He told me that he had set up a boxing ring in a spare game room where we could 
go a few rounds. 

By this time, it seemed like a forgone conclusion that we would indeed have our 
rematch.

Two days later, I unexplicably found myself on the porch of their house at the 
appointed time.  Kevin opened the door and greeted me warmly.  He said, " 
Breanna is getting ready, everything you need is in the bedroom down the hall on 
the left."

As I walked down the hall, I felt like I was back in Jr. High about to face Breanna 
for the first time.  My stomach was in knots and my knees were a bit weak. 

As I entered the bedroom, I found everything laid out on the dresser.  Three pairs of 
boxing trunks to select from, hand wraps, a pair of black 12oz gloves and a new 
mouthpiece. 

After putting on my trunks and wrapping up in a boxing robe I discovered laid out 
on the bed, I heard a knock at the door.  "Are you decent?" came the question from 
a female voice.  "Yeah!" I replied.

The door opened and in walked Beth, a girl I had an incredible crush on in Jr. High 
and who was Breanna's second in our first fight.  I recognized her immediately, but 
asked what she was doing here.

"Oh, Breanna called me and told me that the rematch was on.  She asked me since 
you were from out of town, if I minded coming over and being your cornerperson!"

"Great," I replied although inside I felt pretty small. Beth had seen me totally 
dominated in the first bout and now she would be in my corner, I wasn't quite sure 
how to respond to that.

She asked me if I wanted her to carry my gloves and the tape to the ring for me.  
"Sure," I replied and we headed out of the room.  Down the hall and down a flight 
of stairs into a spacious basement game room.  

The boxing ring was first rate, not like the coaches' garage ring 15 years ago.  
Kevin was setting up a tape which contained timed rounds and, I found out later, 
crowd cheering in the back-ground.

As I stood in my corner, Beth began lacing up and then taping my gloves.  She told 
me that I should stay away from Breanna's left hook, it was now her strongest 
punch.

Just then, the theme from Rocky began to play and Breanna came into the room 
from an adjecent door.  She was wearing a short silk robe and red 12 oz gloves.  As 
she slide between the ropes she danced around the ring like a champion ready to 
defend her title.

Kevin, on cue from the taped ring bell, motioned to the two of us to come to the 
center of the ring for instructions.

I removed my robe but Breanna kept her's on.  He told us that we would be fighting 
eight 3 minute rounds.  (Last fight was 6 two minute rounds, which didn't get past 
the 2nd) "is that ok?" he asked me.... "sure," I replied.  Breanna was staring directly 
into my eyes, though a bit shorter than my 6'1" frame, she was solidly built and 
about 5'10" tall.

"Ok, then when you hear the next bell, come out fighting and may the best fighter 
win."  

I went back to the corner with Beth at my side.  As I turned toward the center of the 
ring, I saw Kevin standing behind Breanna loosening the robe cord and slowly 
removing the robe from her shoulders.

The first thing I noticed were her deltoids.  They were massive!  It seemed that her 
shot putting career had produced a solid foundation and boxing had honed them to 
near perfection.

Moving my eyes down her frame, I saw her ripped abs that had clearly been 
developed over many years and finally her huge legs.  I had not really noticed them 
even though they were fully exposed under the short robe when she entered the 
ring.  Now, they flexed each time she bounded up and down in her corner.

Breanna, had worked up a light sweat prior to entering the ring and this made her 
whole body shine and seem even more intimidating

She work a pair of short red boxing trunks and a black sports bra, which shook 
moderately as she bounced up and down in the corner.  She began pounding her 
gloves together and this snapped me back into the reality that I was going to be 
fighting her again.

Beth stepped back in front of me and asked, "are you ready? Don't disappoint me!"

With this comment she slipped back through the ropes and off the side of the apron.  

Kevin would referee for us and at the end of each round provide corner-man 
support for Breanna.

Then the Bell rang DING DING DING!  "Round One!" Shouted Kevin.

I came out slowly, half feeling foolish for stepping back into the ring with Breanna 
and half wanting to make up for my previous demolition.

Breanna came out calmly and raised her gloves in a perfect defensive posture.  She 
had received a good bit of training and was not the awkward 13 year old 
powerhouse I fought previously.  I too had been sparring regularly since my 
nightmare 15 years ago and I felt ready to take on this challenge.

I began circling around to the left recalling Beth's statement about Breanna's 
powerhouse left hook.  She immediately stepped in front of me and cut off my path 
around the ring.  Smiling at me she didn't throw a punch but made it clear that she 
could have.

I stepped back and around to the right and she feined a right hand lead that stopped 
me in my tracks.  I felt trapped already as she moved in toward me and flicked a 
quick left jab.  Bobbing back, her first volley came up short.

I backpeddled around to the left and gained some manuvering room.  This freedom 
didn't last long.

Breanna spun around and pursued me with more focused intensity.  I danced away 
toward the center of the ring where she caught up with me and caught me with a 
right lead as I stepped back.  
Although the punch was not solid, it was powerful and increased my backpeddling 
toa full scale retreat.  I felt that uncomfortable presence of the ropes against my 
back.  Sliding to the left, I avoided her next right that seemingly was meant to take 
my head clean off.

I continued to dance around the ring flicking my left jab (which had no chance of 
landing since I was keeping a good bit of distance between us).  

Breanna gathered herself and set about the pursuit.  It was then that I caught my 
first site of Beth, now up on the apron, cheering.

I determined to stand my ground and try to reverse the posture of power that 
Breanna had established in the early going.  

Bobbing, I moved forward toward my onrushing opponent and leveled a solid left 
right combination to her body.  Both punches found their mark and I felt had an 
effect.  When I backed out of this encounter, I stood up to see Breanna smiling at 
me through her mouthpiece.

She had stepped back but now was even more committed to bring the fight to me.  
She threw a straight right lead that caught me on the right shoulder as I feined away 
from the punch.  The impact almost spun me around and made me shoulder burn.

Gathering myself, I found a barrage of left jabs waiting for me.  Three of the four 
found their mark and I found my eyes watering from the impact.

Stepping back, I felt the ropes and knew that I had to slide off of them or I'd be in 
big trouble.  Anticipating my move to the left, Breanna quickly moved to cut me off 
and hammered a right hook to my rib cage.  I felt the leather connect with my flesh 
and then my ribs.  I felt the wind go out of me.  

Ding ding, end of round one!

I limped back to my corner where I found Beth with the stool ready for my sore and 
tired body to rest.  She asked me when I was going to get started on fighting back?  
I just looked at her and then past her at Breanna standing in her corner leaning on 
the ropes as Kevin affirmed her first round effort.

The seconds passed all too quickly, and the horn sounded for the seconds to leave.  
Then the bell,  DING DING DING....Round two!  Shouted Kevin

I came out cautiously hoping to last the round, something I didn't do last time we 
mixed it up 15 years ago.  Breanna also remembered the end result and winked at 
me as we met in the center of the ring.  

Initially she played peek a boo defense as I attempted to penetrate her gloves with 
left jabs.  She stood solidly on those bulging legs shifting her weight to counter my 
frustrated assault.

As I became more frustrated with my inability to connect, she clearly began 
noticing openings in my style and started taking advantage of them.

Timing my left jab she began to counter with an overhand right that caught me first 
on the shoulder and then on the left temple.

The second punch landed squarely and caused me to back-peddle a few steps.  
Seeing this opening, Breanna threw a straight left, driving it between my gloves and 
into my nose. 

Once again I was reeling to the ropes.

She was on me instantly with a barrage of lefts and rights to the body.  She closed 
in with this body assault and feeling the sweat fly, I knew I was in trouble.

Suddenly she came up with a right uppercut through my sagging defenses and I felt 
my head snap back.  The left hook that followed sent me tumbling to the canvas.  

Kevin began the count, as I watched Breanna saunter to the neutral corner.  She 
seemed proud of her demolition work on me.  She turned as she reached the corner 
and propped her arms over the top ropes.

I was pulling myself up off the canvas one rope at a time as Kevin reached the 
count of 6.  He looked at my eyes and asked me if I wanted to continue.  Of course!  
I replied...although I don't know why.

He waved Breanna in as I retreated to the ropes for cover.  She came straight at me 
with guns a blazin!  She nailed me with straight lefts and rights to the body and 
then worked her way up top again. Breanna was very disciplined not to leave any 
openings for me to counter but willing to exact maximum damage with each punch 
she threw.

As my body was giving way to her assault, I tried to counter only to leave myself 
open to further punishment.

Finally, she drove me to the corner, propped me up against the turnbuckle and 
snapped four left jabs at my face.  My head snapped back repeatedly and my hands 
drooped at my sides.

I didn't see the left hook to my chin, but even if I did I had nothing left to avoid it's 
knock out power.  I fell face first like a sack of potatoes to the canvas.  Kevin 
counted me out. 

The next thing I remember Beth was splashing me with water from the sponge and 
Kevin was asking me if I was alright.

I glanced up from the floor and saw Breanna standing in her corner with those 
massive arms draped over the top ropes smiling.

After getting to my stool, Kevin walked over and raised her still gloved hand and 
announced, "THE WINNER, BY KNOCKOUT at 2 minutes and 30 seconds into 
the second round ....... And STILL UNDISPUTED CHAMPION!!!!

BREANNA!!!!!!

Drooping on the stool, I knew he was right!