HARD TIMES

Rita Bagshaw was a rough bitch, at 42 she had seen her fair share of scraps and now this one would be no different. She had only lost twice on 25 years of fighting. Up and down England she had punched and battered her way into fame and not so much fortune. Her young opponent was Sandy Tobin from Leeds in the North. A young and keen fighter, she had already had some wins and had punched one girl into a coma a few months ago. This didn't impress Rita, who had retired more fighters than she could count.

Both women stood in their respective corners. Albert, an old hand and referee for this fight, climbed through the ropes. He looked a little like anyone's grand-father but he was still handy with his fists and stood for no trouble in his boxing booth.

"Alright, you lot, shaddup, and let's get these girls goin'" He recieved a few hoots and a round of applause.

Rita couldn't wait to get started and she stared right at Sandy.

"Both women come into the center." Albert said and motioned to the middle of the makeshift ring. Basically four barrels and rope tied twice around. People didn't come to the fair for posh frills, they came to see women break and batter each other senseless.

Rita walked to the middle, followed by Sandy.

Sandy smiled at Rita and Rita just shook her head.

"I am gonna smash the fuck out of you, cunt." Rita said and lifted up her right hand to show her iron cast hard knuckles.

Sandy didn't look so confident now.

The buzz in the crowd was growing. They knew they were in for a treat. Each punter paid a fiver to get in. Not a bad price for an illegal bare fist fight between two hot, bare breasted women.

"Right, let's get this on, you two, give it your best and don't let me down." Albert said and then moved quickly out of the way and through the ropes.

"Look i..." Sandy didn't get to finish what she was going to say because Rita smashed a brutal fist into her mouth. The young woman stumbled back and the crowd went mad, cheering and shouting. Rita moved in and cracked the young fighter in the face again. Sandy brought her hands up to defend herself. Two of Rita's follow up punches glanced off Sandy's fists.

"Think that will save you, little slag, then you are fuckin' dumber than you look." Rita taunted the young northener.

Sandy ducked under and punched up at Rita's face, one and then two. The second punch caught Rita on the jaw and this made her step back and bring her gaurd up. It seemed that the young scrapper had some skills after all.

Sandy stepped forward, blood on her mouth and a bruise showing on her right cheek.

"You want to make this rough then i got no issue with that. No quit, no runnin', just me and you, yer old whore. Come on." Sandy wanted this now, she was no coward.

Rita moved to the side. Albert shouted at them to get on with it and a few of the assembled crowd echoed him.

That was it and it was all Rita needed. She loved to please a crowd. She moved in and with stunning speed she crashed an elbow hard into Sandy's left eye.

"Arggghhhhh...you...bitch." Sandy moved back and put her hand up to her eye, it was cut open, deeply and blood poured out of the three inch gash. Rita wasn't finished but Sandy was ready for her this time and as the older woman came in she moved in and slammed a one two combination into Rita's jaw. She felt that and it seemed as if she had been hit with a truck. Her knees went weak for a brief moment and it seemed for a second that she would be on her back. The crowd was loving this. So far the fight had gone back and forth and both women were unwilling to give ground to the other.

Sandy came in and she unleashed an uppercut which rang right on the money and connected like a dream. Rita's head swam as the fist sent her into the barrel at her back. Some of the crowd started to cheer Sandy on.

"Finish the old slag." Shouted one man

"Break her wrinkly old face." Said another, right behind where Rita was now standing, dazed.

Rita couldn't handle this. She was the boxing booth champ and now this young slag was coming here and punching her around her own ring. No fucking way, she thought.

Albert shouted at Rita. "Get with it, Rita, batter this young cunt."

Sandy turned around and smiled at Albert.

"I am gonna wreck this old.." Sandy felt her jaw slam to the side before she could finish the sentence and another vicious punch sent her jaw back to the left side. Sandy's knees went like a baby giraffe's and she felt sick. Albert shouted at Sandy.

"Hah, see how hard you feel now, bitch." He was jumping up and down and so were most of the crowd. The booth hadn't seen a fight like this in years.

Rita grabbed Sandy's hair and pulled her head down. Rita then punched the young woman's face as she was unable to see and was still dazed and confused after the double jaw breaker, a speciality of Rita's. She had to hand it to the young woman. That double tap usually finished off any woman. Rita slammed three more punches into the young girl's face and then let go. Sandy came up fighting and punched out at Rita. Blood coated the young, broken face. She had lost three to four teeth as least. Rita blocked the three punches thrown by Sandy and laughed at her. This sent Sandy into a rage and she threw wild haymakers in the hope of connecting and putting her down. Rita moved out of the way of the windmill style punches and then moved in with another elbow, this time it busted open her other eye and Sandy cried out in frustration and panic. She was getting torn apart.

"Come on, love, where's yer fight gone?" Rita said, smiling.

Sandy came forward and was met with a dynamic and cruel one two, both punches tore open the existing cuts above both eyes and blood splashed onto the floor and Albert shouted again at Rita to finish it.

The crowd got their money's worth.

One man in the crowd shouted something. "Give her the bouncer."

Rita looked over to where the voice came from. Somebody knew her fights then. Rita smiled and then looked at Sandy. Yeah, The Bouncer was the right way to finish this.

Rita stepped in and unleashed four punches on the hapless young woman. She drove her into the ropes and they took the strain well. Sandy was pressed against the ropes and Rita jumped up and smashed the most vicious and brutal haymaker punch into the nose of her opponent. Blood sprayed upwards and some of the crowd behind Sandy got a real faceful. Sandy cried out and with the force of the punch she came forward and right into the hard, scarred fist again. This one nearly took her head off and mercifully Sandy was out before she hit the floor.

That was The Bouncer and no woman had ever been able to come back from that. Sandy was out, she was a wreck and Rita hoped that she had punched the fight out of the girl, forever. Another retirement and Albert would give her a bonus for her efforts. Rita held her hands up and the appreciative crowd threw coins in the ring and cheered. She was the champion here and that was how it would stay. Albert arranged for a couple of strong lads to carry Sandy's knocked out form round the back of the booth and dump her there. Albert had no time for losers.

Rita went back to her caravan and went to sleep. Fighting was her life and that was all she knew. She enjoyed punching and knocking other women out. She loved it and she was looking forward to the next idiot bitch who fancied her chances.