Julie Christie vs Raquel Welch by Simguy 21-May-2000

Before: Welch made her name in Europe before she caught on in the States, and after stampeding through the competition at the 1966 Cannes Film Festival, she had successfully made Julie Christie's hitlist. The lean and lanky Welch looked forward to dismantling the classy blonde, and Julie recognized in Raquel a reckless force of nature that would provide an exquisite ring challenge. So anxious was Christie to make this fight, that she allowed Raquel's Hammer Studios contacts, as well as Raquel's considerable entourage attend the bout, making it the most widely attended fight of Julie's career. Christie in black push up, yellow bikini bottoms, Raquel in purple push up and panties.

R1: Christie with her coiled stance, left low, right at her lips, swayed and moved her upperbody while Raquel launched wave after wave of running, bewildering attacks. Bewildering to most at the time - but Julie never panicked, making the brunette lead and slapping her jab against Raquel's sensual mouth, often blunting Welch's attacks with preemptive strikes. Stepping back in good order, Christie ran Welch into accurate right hand potshots, banging the brunette's teeth and jugs, ducking low on the follow through and pivoting around as Raquel blundered past. The wild whip action punching that had subdued many a French Starlet looked amateurish and out of place against Julie's great timing and slick style.

R2: Julie began to set down on her punches, allowing Raquel into the fight, but Welch still couldn't find a rhythm. Welch had yet to develop a meaningful body attack, and fighting at medium distance, trying to match wits with Julie proved frustrating to the instinctive brunette. Both girls crouched and worked with left and right uppercuts - Christie with the knack of feinting Raquel into punching too early got the better of these exchanges. Right hands went to Julie as she found Raquel's mouth time and again, punching with the brunette and beating her to the blow with straighter, better timed licks. Although Raquel landed this round, she never got great leverage on her shots, dropping a second consecutive round and looking confused at the bell.

R3: Raquel had her moments, landing harder shots than Julie, but the Brit was clearly dictating the pace and tenor of this bout. Christie would answer Raquel with bashing one-two's to the waist, folding Welch over and allowing Christie to step around, maintaining the pressure. Despite Welch's athleticism and springy legs, Julie was able to turn the brunette at will and keep Welch from mounting any sustained attack. Welch returned to her corner once again unhurt, but getting beaten, and knowing it.

R4: Raquel always fought to win and would pay the price this round, opening up and going wild, chasing a calm, cool and collected Julie Christie all around the ring. Midway through the round, Christie slipped low as Raquel missed a looping right hand, her momentum carrying her into the ropes, and Julie pivoted, nailing Welch a hard straight right as the brunette foundered off balance. With Raquel hurt, Julie poured it on, bouncing the brunette's head with short, accurate left and right uppercuts, rolling her shoulders as Welch slipped into shock. Gut check time for the brunette as she suffered a lengthy beating in the corner, surviving to hear the bell as her slender legs quivered on the verge of giving out.

R5: Julie poured it on, now stepping brazenly around a battered Raquel, stabbing an uncontested Jab into Welch's mouth and easily stepping away as Welch pushed drunkenly back. Welch was groggy, having been nailed repeatedly throughout the match, but Julie was icy-cruel in patiently taking her foe apart. Raquel on her shaking legs would reach with her punches and catch heartless leather on her head or jugs, often reeling back a step or two as Christie stayed composed. With the points from the round secure, Christie exploded in the dying seconds, surprising Raquel with sudden ferocity. Working into and out of an advancing crouch, Christie backed Raquel up with lefts and rights on either side of the stricken brunette's jaw. Welch would get bulldozed to her back as Christie stepped over her at the bell, nearly stumbling over the shocked brunette in the process.

R6: A bedraggled Raquel Welch, eyes swelling, lower lip busted open staggered out with fists at her chest to begin the sixth, and immediately began to get her head knocked back as Julie worked with that pulverizing jab to the forehead. Julie saw Raquel's legs quake and the glazed look in the brunette's eyes - she poured it on, landing hard right crosses to the face as Welch began to fall apart. Pounding Welch to the ropes, Christie worked out of a wide stance, hammering a left hook well low to the brunette's trunks, pushing Welch back with a forearm at the chest and driving in short right hands to the mouth. It was a brutal end to a one-sided bout as Raquel Welch slipped into unconsciousness while standing to take several flush right hands on her sleepy face before sprawling stomach first at Christie's feet. Julie Christie brushed an errant strand of hair out of her eyes as she looked over the beaten brunette, then walked calmly to her corner as though the outcome had never been in doubt. KO6 Julie Christie.

After: It would go down as the first, and probably the worst beating Raquel would suffer for years thereafter as Julie Christie simply took her brunette apart round by agonizing round. Still, Welch was far from discouraged, remaining upbeat in the aftermath and realizing she had learned more in one night against Julie Christie than she had in 20 bouts against unknown beach bunnies. It would be the loss that turned Raquel from a potential great into a real fighter, while Julie Christie would squander her vast talent, fighting only occasionally until hanging it up for good in the early 70s.