Jackpot PPV: Wild Card Match: Carmen Rodriguez vs Sachiko Kanda

Sachiko's uppercut flew upwards, connecting with the bottom of Carmen's jaw with a semi audible smack that she was able to hear over the crowd cheering. The moment it did though Sachiko knew that Carmen was going to be a tough opponent, most opponent's who had received one of her's uppercuts would be left reeling down on the mat but Carmen was still standing and instinctually put her guard up. A veteran boxer's first instinct was to put up there guard after taking a particularly hard hit for fear that their opponent would take the chance to press the advantage which was exactly what Sachiko would do.

Sachiko pushed forward throwing blow after blow attempting to break through Carmen's guard. Another hallmark of being a good boxer was how well one could withstand their opponent's blows when in a pinch.

aw numb. Eyes watering. That fuzzy, detached feeling that could only come from a blow well struck, one that had thoroughly rocked her world. It had been a good while since she’d felt a hit like this, not since her last bout with Lorenza Saldano, and she had to admit, the shock wasn’t an unwelcome one. A good jolt to bring back the old instincts.

Her arms knew where to be even if her brain had taken a quick break, rising up with a decent guard. But decent wasn’t enough to hold off a woman like Sachiko for very long.

In came the blows, one after the other. Some hit her arms and didn’t do too much, but some got through, hitting her hard on the shoulder and tagging her cheek. It was an unenviable position to be in, made all the worse by it happening so early in the match. This was something she needed to change, fast.

Instead of just trading shots, Carmen decided it was time to mix things up. She took a big step back, enough to move out of both their punching ranges - but not her kicking range.

Carmen reeled back, brought her leg up, and shot it out hard, trying to boot Sachiko straight in the chest and force them to part ways.

Sachiko threw blow after blow at Carmen trying to break down her guard. Most of her punches collided with Carmen's arms with only a few managing to get through, two of which managing to make contact against her shoulder and cheek. Carmen was already proving how tough she was with how long she had managed to withstand the onslaught, lesser boxers and wrestlers that Sachiko had gone against would already be staring at the ceiling by now which was a pleasant surprise in all honesty.

It was then that Carmen decided to give Sachiko an un pleasant surprise as she quickly took a large step back, getting out of Sachiko's range and then counterattacking with a kick to Sachiko's chest. The surprise kick would knock some of the air out of Sachiko while knocking her back, actually forcing Sachiko to kneel on one knee. The surprise kick nearly made Sachiko callout to the referee about the illegal kick......only is wasn't illegal. That kick reminded Sachiko that this wasn't a boxing match, this was a wrestling match. One that encouraged doing whatever one had to do to keep their opponent down.

Sachiko smiled as she got back up to a standing base. "Thanks for reminding me what kind of match this is. Can't believe I got carried away like that." Sachiko said, putting her guard back up and waiting to see what Carmen did next.

Carmen couldn’t keep herself from a short, hearty laugh at that, knowing exactly what Sachiko meant. The boxer-to-wrestler transition had been a weird one, right from the start, with her body often forgetting that she was in a ring with three ropes, not four. Expanding her repertoire had been a challenging process, as she stopped being a boxer who wrestled and become a bonafide wrestler. Even now, some remnants remained, and striking would always be the core that all her tactics burst from.

It was a lesson that you never 100% learned. But now she was curious just how far Sachiko was down the path, and she knew how to test it.

Without another word, Carmen stepped forward and switched stances, spreading her guard and opening her arms to move into a classic grappling position. And it wasn’t as simple as that, either - she also beckoned Sachiko on, daring her into a Test of Strength. She had some ideas on where she could go if it was accepted, but she wanted to see how game her foe was at the base level.

Sachiko watched in anticipation, waiting to see what Carmen would do next in this match. She watched as Carmen brought her arms up and braced herself for whatever might come when Carmen then made a simple "come here" motion with her hands, apparently the Puerto Rican slugger wanted Sachiko to lock up with her and have a Test of Strength. Sachiko knew she was strong but given the opportunity in front of her, she wanted to know just how much she was.

Sachiko approached carefully, keeping her guard up in the event that this was some kind of trap but once she was with in arms reach and saw Carmen remaining still, waiting for her to lock up, Sachiko gladly raised her own arms and locked them up with Carmen's, beginning the Test. The two women began to try and push and overpower the other but neither of them were giving an inch, Carmen may have had a few inches on her but that didn't necessarily mean she'd be able to push Sachiko around so easily. "You're pretty good." Sachiko said, complementing Carmen "You must have really pushed yourself in training to match up with me. But much like this crowd has, I've also noticed you're still getting started. Show me what you can do!" Sachiko then took a solid step forward, planting it down as she began to try and push Carmen back towards the ropes.

Carmen had a fair size advantage on Sachiko, despite the two of them having similar builds. There was no getting around it, no avoiding it, and if the two of them had fought outside the AFW, there was a fair chance that they would never be put in the same ring, weight classes being what they were. Her opponent had to know that, couldn’t avoid that disadvantage, and she pressed forward, anyway. Carmen had to respect that. It wasn’t going to make her hold back, but she could respect.

But, then, maybe she wouldn’t need to in the first place. Sachiko seemed eager to deliver.

The woman came at her with a solid surge, pushing hard and driving her back a few steps, close to the ropes, before Carmen slammed her foot down and stopped the surge, canceling all her momentum in one go. Far from an easy task, it left her standing there with trembling feet, struggling to keep stance.

”If you want it…”

Carmen hunkered down and began to put her focus into a forward push, throwing her weight behind her effort. She dedicated more and more to the effort, her body breaking out in sweat, gripping Sachiko’s hands tight as she began her own forward march.

Sachiko pushed Carmen back, driving her back as best as she could despite the difference in height and weight between them both. Sachiko managed to force Carmen to take a few steps back before the Puerto Rican slugger would put her foot down and halt the advance. Killing momentum so suddenly the way Carmen wasn't an easy task as it often lead to the person doing it to be left in a unsteady position, Carmen was no exception to this but Carmen quickly recovered from that momentary weakness.

Sachiko would quickly find herself being pushed back by Carmen. Sachiko could try to do what Carmen did but doing so would require more effort on her part and given the fact that this match was still in the early stages she was going to need every ounce of strength that she could save for later on. A good Boxer knew when to slow down the pace and save their strength and this was one of those moments. It was then that Sachiko got an idea; she would try to use Carmen's own momentum against her by crouching down in front of her and try to initiate a somewhat improvised Backdrop!

Sachiko wasn’t weak by any stretch of the imagination - in fact, she was willing to bet that, pound for pound, she was the stronger woman between them. A lot of dense, packed muscle in this frame, and forcing her away wasn’t a simple matter. She’d had an easier time doing it with women her own height and size.

But she was doing it. Slow. Steady. But it was happening. Just a little further, a little harder, and she could get her all the way to the corner. ”Having some trouble?”

Taunting wasn’t her style, but she made a rare exception for this case, having some fun with it. That was when she was in the driver’s seat, though - things changed up soon enough, as her foe dipped down in a sudden drop. Carmen wasn’t able to compensate in time, and the next thing she knew, it was too late - she was sent up and over with the backdrop, coming down right on her tailbone. Less than pleasant. Much less.

Hissing, she tried to sit up, griting her teeth as she rose. It wasn’t the end of the world, but that sudden shift threw her for more of a loop than she expected.

Sachiko dug deep as she rose back up, Carmen on her back, and delivered the backdrop. Granted, it probably wouldn't be as effective as a properly executed backdrop but the surprising shift in momentum would be enough to distract Carmen after she landed back down with a loud thud. Sachiko would take a second to breathe before turning around to the now downed Carmen who had landed down on her tailbone. This was good, now that she was down she'd be a bit easier to deal with.

Sachiko would stand over Carmen's head for a moment before kneeling down and reaching for her head. Sachiko would partially life Carmen back up before suddenly wrapping an arm around her neck and her legs around Carmen's body and then falling back so that Carmen was on top of her. Her goal this time was to wear Carmen out with a rear naked choke hold. Wear, because Sachiko knew that Carmen wouldn't be done in so easily, a boxer's spirit wasn't something so easily snuffed out after all.

There were a great many differences between boxing and wrestling, but some things stayed constant. A big one was the philosophy - taking advantage of openings, reading your opponents, making the most of every opportunity that came your way. You had to be vigilant, patient, ready to strike the instant you had a chance.

Sachiko was good at that. Carmen could tell right away.

She was working her way up, slow and steady, when her opponent came over and pulled her up, getting her erect before she reached around neck and pulled her into a tight choke. Carmen took in a deep breath, sucked in as much air as she could stand, then began the hard trek towards the ropes, dragging Sachiko along for the ride.