Before: Women on the verge of greatness? Well, that can certainly be argued in the affirmative! Both at, or near, their prime in fighting years at 28 and 30. Both with solid management teams behind them. Both with a string of current success. Yustman's suffered just 2 losses in over 2 years, both in title fights. First, to Yvonne Strahovski (defending Straho's lightweight title) and then to Miranda Kerr (who won Odette's “Queen of the Ice Hotel” belt)! Otherwise, Odette's record is spotless: 11-0 in non-title fights going back to April of 2013. Lively has her work cut out for her tonight against a top notch brunette! 

Lively's record is almost as good at 7-2. Her 2 losses were to Rachel Nichols (defending Nichols' “Queen of the Ice Hotel” title) and to Missy Peregrym (a KO8 this February). Interesting sidelight: after Nichols successfully defended her “Ice Hotel” title against Lively she lost it in her next defense. Who beat her? Odette Yustman took it from Nichols before losing it to Kerr! Both beat Jennifer Carpenter earlier this year (Lively KO8; Yustman TKO10). 

Yustman wearing the same white bikini she wore when she ripped the “Ice Hotel” tiara from Rachel Nichols's cold, frozen, fingers. This time she's accessorized with red gloves and bare feet; dark hair pulled back into a severe ponytail with a red scrunchie. Lively in a black velvet bikini with ring connections at hip and jugs that we've seen on her before; white gloves, feet bare and her long blonde hair is worn loose in a tangled, messy, riot of wild blonde curls that give her a kind of 'crazed' look - probably appropriate for the occasion. 

Guest referee for this bout, is Team Canada's Kari Matchett! She calls the women together to review the rules they already know well - including no throwing or kicking sand in your opponents face! (Seeing them standing face to face, it's obvious Lively is the taller woman by an inch or two!) After hand shakes all 'round, its back to their corners to nervously await the bell. A lot riding on this bout. In addition to their winning streaks; a better placement in the rankings and possible fight for the FCBA World Lightweight Championship; which neither has had yet. 

During R1: Lively taking Theron's advice to heart, gets off to a fast start, standing before the bell then charging Odette at the first sound; catching the brunette by surprise as she's getting her mouthpiece put in and looks up to see Lively sprinting toward her, wild blond hair flying and legs pumping! First thirty seconds are a blur for fans as well as the girls spin, whirl, and gallop around the ring throwing punches with both fists as fast as they can reload! Early advantage to Lively as she lands several solid lefts to the body and a sweeping right just misses connecting with Odette's chin. Yustman equally frenetic, landing few punches, but stringing together a couple of combinations that get Blake's attention! Nobody badly damaged, but each has felt the sting of the other and the final thirty seconds see both of them backing off the throttle a bit, realizing it's a long fight and it would be a lot easier to lose it in the first round than win it! At the bell, the excange a slap of gloves as the crowd are on their feet screaming their approval. The score is as close as can be, for Lively. 

R2: Both corners advising safety and sanity over “what were you thinking” after seeing the undisciplined chaos of the first three minutes. Fans on the other hand couldn't be happier. “Looks like I may get my money's worth in a non-JMD fight...for once,” she said. Lively taking Ragozina's advice literally, throwing less than a dozen punches in the first half of the round; Yustman only slightly better with punchstat showing her at fifteen. Second half they pick up the pace and a left hook from Lively rings up Yustman late in the second minute, buckling her knees and forcing a clinch! The same weapon that did in both Canalis and Carpenter, puts Odette's back on the ropes and from there, a heavy dose of savage body punching for almost a minute sends Odette mincing back to her stool and earns Lively the round (wide). 

R3: Yustman's corner making adjustments on the fly and they work. Noting Lively's frequent use of the left hook, Yustman begins to counter over it, and she scores frequently in the first half of the round. Blake backing off the hook only marginally, still tucking it into Yustman's ribs and midsection with more authority than Odette would prefer. Once too often, however, Lively goes to the well, and as she leans into her hook, Yustman drills her in the face with a straight right and suddenly, Blake Lively is hanging on. Odette works Blake's blond body up and down both flanks, tucking the odd uppie inside to jerk her head up. Lively doing what she can in the wrap, thumping in above Odette's hips with either hand. But it was the right hand (early) that set Yustman up to pretty much dominate the second half of a round which she won (wide). 

R4: Blake battles back! Lively regains control coming off the break using her long legs as much as her fists to dictate to Odette. Lively's lively left clearly continues to bother Yustman who is getting walloped upside the head at a distance where she can't quite reach Blake without either leaning in or simply accepting that she's going to suffer to close the range. And close she does! Odette smacked around but once she's inside, she can bludgeon Blake's body with those short, snappy, rights up under Blake's 'bazooms' and get her own left hook in on the action! Girls lighting each other up at close range, the shorter brunette doing a lot of ducking and bobbing, staying under Lively's longer arms while pounding the body. Blake pushing Yustman off, drilling her with a straight right, then BANG! Left hook rocks Odette who has to clinch, but uses her time effectively putting some mileage on Blake's slender torso - so it's not a totally wasted visit. Late both women let the dog off the leash and rip it up toe-to-toe (to the delight of the high rollers ringside! (Someone claimed to have seen simguy in the third row, but it's not been confirmed.) At the bell, both women's hair windblown, both torsos pink from abuse but the bigger smile is on Blake Lively's face as she wins it (close). Lively sprints to a 3-1 lead at the four furlong pole! 

R5: Yustman arguing with her handlers, telling them she's the one fighting and she knows how to deal with it. “Nothing's broke, I just need to tinker with the timing,” she says. Across the ring, NASCAR references are bandied about as well; “Left side rubber,” among them. Blake again first to the fight, beating Yustman to center ring by a couple of strides; staking out her piece of turf; defending stubbornly. Odette again forced to fight her way inside where here shorter arms turn what had been a handicap at distance, into an advantage with her nose firmly in Lively's perky puppies! Yustman CHUP, CHUP, CHUPPING away at Lively's belly and the willowy blond doesn't like it a bit! Every third punch picks up one or the other of Blake's bra cups, rattling the youngster who's not used to the JMD treatment. With Lively breaking down, Odette stepping out, letting her right hand go with malicious intent! Right hand a difference maker for Yustman, landing it often in the latter stages of the round, never allowing Lively to set her feet or get comfortable. Lively has no antidote for Yustman's right hand at the moment and Odette's romping home behind it! Odette walks away with the points (wide). 

R6: Yustman made the adjustment last round, this time it's Blake forced to turn to another page in her playbook. Lively's left hook is deadly, but her jab's not able to keep Yustman at bay. So Blake welcomes her into her parlor, then proceeds to use the hook to weave a web around the brunette. Blake using her right behind Odette's neck to hug her close while she rams that left into those right side ribs, not only taking away Odette's right by forcing her to use it to defend her body, but tenderizing the right half of her body to remind her every time she lifts her right arm. It's not pretty and it's not showy, but Lively's tall and supple and she can bent into those body shots when she's of a mind. Lively's left hook unsettles Yustman this round and Blake pounds it in under that right elbow over and over to pick up a close-run, but satisfying round. Score extends to 4-2 favor of Lively after six, scintillating, sexy, rounds of athletic girls boxing! 

R7: Lively feeling her oats now, dictating the pace and in control of the fight. For the first two minutes she's moving smoothly and putting together combinations, appearing at times to confuse Yustman who stubbornly keeps fighting her way in close to hammer away at Lively's lovely, lithe, torso with seemingly little effect. At the two minute mark, a left uppercut-overhand right by Yustman buckles Blake's knees. Lively hurt, and hanging on desperately. Lively's left hook forgotten as she struggles to stay on her feet. Without that annoyance, Odette sets up shop in Blake's kitchen and helps herself to fistfuls of slender Lively torso! Blake buffeted from left foot to right foot, then back again, as Odette is leaning into every shot; head bowed, forehead on Lively's chest, just scrubbin' an' rubbin' away with both hands. Lively battered back onto the ropes, butt-stuffed between the strands with her arms wrapped around Odette's shoulders with her eyes closed. At the bell, Yustman starts to turn away, then spins back and as Blake is crankily getting upright, Odette leans forward and props her bosom on Blake's forcing eye contact as she bellies into her blond and chests her back up against the ropes! Yustman wins the round (wide) as Lively's corner looks worried - with good cause. 

R8: Lively recovers well on her stool, on her feet before the bell and gets off quickly once more, landing three left hooks as Yustman tries to get inside, but her punches lack any real power and there's little consequence for Yustman who begins to dictate space and tempo as the round goes on. Lively fighting in spurts; both women landing combinations, taking return fire, then landing again. After each has had her turn a late trade goes Odette's way: right high on Lively's temple, then another right on the cheek. Lively badly hurt by them and Yustman closes in to clean up in workmanlike fashion, going to all right hands to put the blonde to sleep on her back at 2:21 of the 8th round! Odette wins a come-from-behind KO8 in what can easily be seen as having the potential to be another great blonde-brunette rivalry for years to come! 

After: “What a fight!” Yustman sighs as she gets to the microphone in the media center. “I knew going in that Blake wasn't going to be an easy out and she wasn't! She really had me worried with her left, but I kept trying different things until I found the key.” She held up her right fist to demonstrate what she meant. “She was dropping her left and I kept going back to it time and again. Unfortunately, she was doing some damage with the left when it wasn't getting out of the way of my right, so all-in-all, she gave me a rough time out there. She's a tough cookie, and believe me, she and I are going to be doing this dance several times in the coming years. I see Blake as the next great blonde... after Strahovski, who has already replaced Charlize...in my opinion.” 

When one scribe asked Odette why Blake was, “always getting to the middle of the ring ahead of you” Yustman rolled her eyes. “It's not a race to center ring, it's a boxing match. Truth is, I'd have preferred to fight her on, or off, the ropes rather than out in the middle. She's got those long arms and legs...makes it tough to circle around her. It's like a one hour hike,” she joked. “Seriously, a high energy fighter like that, you gotta bang her body and as long as she's got plenty of room to maneuver, that's a tough job.” 

Lively understandably down about the result after seeing her big lead fall apart in the seventh, and eighth rounds. “I thought midway thru the seventh I was in good shape, even though she'd hurt me earlier with the right. Then she caught me with it again and I was never right afterward. I hoped if I came out aggressive in the eighth, maybe I could bluff my way through the first few minutes until I fully recovered, but I wasn't getting much on my punches. When she got me with her right again, it was all over. I want to congratulate Odette for a great fight, there's no doubt she was the better fighter in the ring tonight. Next time, it'll be a different story, however.” 

Asked future plans, both women deferred discussion of their next bouts to their management, but with her win tonight, Yustman has clearly established herself as the #1 contender and sent a signal to the rest of the lightweight division that she's ready, willing and able to challenge Strahovski. Yustman has several advantages; one being she's the only lightweight in her stable (see below), and they've hired a new head trainer (Claudia Schiffer) who knows something about competing against other gorgeous women from a long career as a world famous fashion model. 

Lively, on the other hand, is almost surely going to have trouble simply to overtake her stablemate, Jennifer Lawrence, in the lightweight ranks. Blake is older, and more established, but Lawrence is the “hot young thing” and rankings - like title opportunities - often reflect the newest “bright, shiny, object” rather than those most deserving. It will be interesting to see how things play out at 'Miss Ginny's' Academy where she has the reigning “Golden Goddess” (Theron); the “next great blonde” (Lively); and the “next Golden Goddess” (Lawrence). That's a lot of blond ambition in one gym - and that's not counting JMDD Tournament participant (and Lively's trainer) Jeri Ryan who is packing plenty of blond ambition of her own!