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(JAN 15) Tonight on the undercard of the Regina Halmich vs. Marylin
Hernandez card in Germany, Alesia Graf’s opponent, Dayan(n)a
Santana, was a willowy girl from the Dominican Republic with plenty of
sass but an unorthodox style and no idea how to cope with a fighter like
Graf, who let her burn herself out throwing haymakers into her guard and
flailing the air. Santana was quick on her feet and shuffled and moved well
enough in the earlier rounds, but she had nothing in offence. Throughout the
first two three rounds, Graf weakened her with body shots and hurt her with
powerful lefts. By the fourth, Santana was clearly demoralized and tried for
the first minute just to stay out of range. Graf gestured as if to say: “Are
we here to fight or dance?” That shamed her into a confrontation she would
regret: in the second half of the round, Graf coolly beat her up, trapping
her repeatedly on the ropes and hitting her with everything in her arsenal,
including a wicked right hook to the liver when she tried to turn away.
Half way through the round break, Santana plucked up the courage to tell her
corner men she wanted to quit. They tried to talk her out of it, but you
could hear her wailing voice pleading with them over the German commentary.
When she couldn’t convince them, she put her foot down: “No voy a pelear!”
(“I’m not going to fight!”) “Then I suppose we’ll have to throw the towel
in,” came the reply.
But they didn’t. Graf came out for the fifth and Santana stood her ground.
Or rather sat it. Then her trainer began unfastening her gloves. and finally
– with unconcealed reluctance -- the other guy in the corner produced a
towel, rather the way you produce your driving licence when you get stopped
for speeding.
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