Saldano vs. Rodriguez - Queens of the Ring

Carmen almost wished Lorenza had hit her in the skull a few more times. The headache would've kept her from replaying the fight in her head so much. Little details stuck out to her, things she could have done better. She should have came more aggressively in the second round, focused more on the jabs. Spent more time working around her and started out on looser feet, that was for sure-

"Carmen." Army snapped her back to reality with a pat on the back, pointing across the ring - Lorenza was waving back at her. Either that or the Mexican flag was bundled up in the other corner. Her vision was so messed up that it really could have been either one, but she waved anyway as the microphone descended into the ring and the

"Ladies and gentleman, your attention! Attention, please!" The crowd simmered down to a low murmur as the announcer held up the card in the middle of the ring. Baited breath all around. "We have a split decision!"

Carmen's eyes widened, then immediately shut back when she was reminded how much it hurt to widen her eyes right now. "Army, ice, ice."

He nodded and pressed the pack to her face as she looked on through the fleshy lump that had been her face before the fight. A split decision. Again. History really was repeating itself, and that meant the odds weren't in her favor.

"Judge Alvarez scores it 96-94, favoring...Saldano!"

Acceptance. At least this wouldn't leave any doubts. Lorenza was an amazing woman, and Carmen had been privileged to face her. Most boxer - especially female boxers - went their whole lives without such a fulfilling fight. Carmen had been blessed enough to have it happen twice.

"Judge Makounochi scores it 94-96, favoring...Rodriguez!"

And it had been good to box again, too. She had forgotten how fun this could be. There wasn't anything wrong with wrestling, and she would stick with that for the foreseeable future, but maybe she could do a few matches on the side, every now and then. The AFW had some decent strikers lurking about, maybe she could seek a few of them out, post something on the message boards.

"Judge Winston scores it 96-97, favoring...Rodriguez!

"...what?" Her name. He called her name twice. She almost thought Saldano has messed up her hearing, as the crowd erupted into a deafening din. "I won?"

Lorenza heard the scores—and the names associated with the scores—as clearly as her opponent did. While her ears were still ringing from all the punches to the head Carmen had given her, she heard them, as clear as anything she had ever heard in her life. She had lost. For the first time ever, she had lost a boxing match.

It was a milestone for Lorenza. But she wasnâ€t angry. Not that she was happy to lose, of course, but…but…well, she was in a very unique state emotionally right now.

She turned to her coach and her cutwoman, smiled, and shrugged. The two of them nodded to her and said nothing. They had been with her for years. They had some sense of what she had gone through after the last match against Carmen which had pushed her to leave the sport, and they understood how she must have felt these last two years. Lorenza didnâ€t need to explain herself to them at all. They were good friends.

The crowd cheered, both for Carmenâ€s victory and for the competitive spirit shown by both fighters. Lorenza stepped forward, approaching Carmen, holding out her glove for the other woman to tap as a show of sportsmanship. She couldnâ€t say anything right now. She was choked up with raw emotion, sadness and relief and frustration and many more welling up inside of her, preventing her vocal cords from functioning properly. She would try to keep a smile on her face, though, as she held out her glove.

She won.

Carmen stared out, a blank look on her face. She'd done it. After all those years, all that waiting and wondering, she finally had the answers. She was strong enough to win against Lorenza. She had the power to come out on top. It hadn't been a fluke. Finally, finally. No more doubts. No more questions.

Right?

It felt so hollow. She could already feel the nagging thoughts. The questions, swelling up in her brain. She wanted to just accept it. She won. The judges said she won. What else was there? Just accept and move on. Be happy, damn it! What more could she want? What else was there to do?

The sudden burst of light startled her, as Army moved out of the way and let Lorenza approach. Her rival stuck out her fist for a tap, and Carmen obliged, tapping their gloves, then moving in for a hug, letting her head rest on Lorenza's shoulder."We have to talk. Come see me at the hospital." She backed off with the best smile she could manage and gave Lorenza a pat of the butt, as her father put the robe back on. "Good match, Única e Incomparable."

Questions burned in Lorenzaâ€s mind, too. Her emotions churned inside of her chest. She kept up a cool front. Letting her emotions show would ruin the image she had cultivated over so many years in the ring. But she would need to let them out at some point. She needed to figure things out, and talking to Carmen seemed to be the best way to do it. The issues she had had since their last fight were still not entirely resolved.

Carmen tapped her glove, and then pulled her in for a hug. Lorenza was a little surprised by that, but she wouldnâ€t resist the sportsmanlike embrace. When Carmen whispered in her ear, then pulled away, Lorenza would look at her rival for a second, then nod. “Okay,” she said quietly. Then, when Carmen patted her butt, Lorenza could not help but smirk and chuckle a little. She nodded again as she backed off from Carmen, back towards her own corner. “Good match,” she mouthed across the ring, before turning and slipping between the ropes.

When she hit the floor, all the pain that Carmen inflicted upon her finally overwhelmed her. Her legs shook, and she began to sink to the floor. Quickly, her coach encircled her with one arm, keeping her upright as they exited the arena, heading for the hospital.

Winner: Carmen Rodriguez