BEFORE: Maria Grazia Cucinotta featured as referee on the recent BBU International card held in Cannes but her main goal was always to actually punch herself back into active competition at the tender age of 47. Jeri Ryan and Catherine Bell remain very much in the thick of the boxing scene over in America and they were born in the same year as the Italian hot rod so even Georgie Thompson doesn't think it's a crazy idea to see Maria make her official BBU debut in Rome tonight.

That wasn't exactly the case with Carla Bruni who backed out of the cougar contest and while Ilary Blasi was scratched from the entry list after suffering a broken jaw in a sparring bout against Belen Rodriguez, there was Berenice Marlohe ready to step in and pound Cucinotta silly! Of course the former Bond girl channels her own agenda tonight, she's known to be in line for the "Skyfall Reloaded" contest versus Naomie Harris sometime this summer but got utterly wrecked by Tabrett Bethell last month and needs to find her winning ways again before Harris potentially beats her to a pulp. Marlohe hasn't won since November 2013 and if she struggles to put the 47 year old rookie down tonight, she should seriously consider her future endeavours. With the lightweight division getting stacked with new Mediterranean talent lately, Berenice's prospects don't look so impressive anymore.

Maria Grazia Cucinotta wears a black basque top, red knickers and red gloves. Long black hair tied in a curly ponytail. Berenice Marlohe wears a navy blue bikini set and white gloves. Long dark brown hair in loose waves. The fight is scheduled for ten rounds in the lightweight division.

Round 1:

Berenice deploys immediate head hunting attack and roots the Italian to the spot in the center of the ring but fails to split the tight earmuff and eats a belting hook on the stomach as Maria weathers the early storm and reverts into single punching to let her rival know she's not here to lay down without a proper fight. Both women dish out further jabbing efforts in close range but Berenice feels a little uncomfortable in execution until she switches into pounding the Italian's midriff come the final minute which reels the older woman back and halts her own offensive progress. A couple of looping shots miss the target completely and Marlohe signs off the cagey opener with a counter hook on the temple that wobbles Cucinotta onto the ropes.

Round 2:

Marlohe really needs to explore the age difference between the two women but gets trappd in an early clinch instead as Georgie Thompson thinks that last hook in the opening round really shook Cucinotta a little too much for comfort. Berenice can't shake off the blatant clinching whatsoever and doesn't display superior strenght to even wrestle the Italian onto the ropes so the ref comes to the rescue but immediately after the command she bets nailed with a vicious uppercut on the jaw and sags on her knees as Maria picks her off from point-blank range instead and pummels back to the turnbuckle herself. She switches into a steady harpoon series thereafter and peppers the French gal's midriff which only sinks her on soft knees in the corner and indicates why the former Bond starlet has struggled so much over the past three years. Naomie Harris must be licking her chops upon seeing how Cucinotta cleans out the fellow brunette's midsection in the dying seconds and has to be dragged away by the ref at the bell with the Stadio Olimpico crowd chanting her name wholesale.

Round 3:

Maria smiles back to the crowd and approaches the visibly annoyed French woman with a teasing duck & weave step however Marlohe finally engages some proper speed into her tactics and wipes the grin off the Italian's face with a clubbing left hook on the eye that tears the skin underneath it before a right hand just beats the guard and gallops into Cucinotta's lips. Oh!!! The older woman sinks wobbly butt on the spot and Berenice whacks her across the boobs before another uppercut finds the jaw AND SENDS MARIA GRAZIA DOWN ON HER BACKSIDE!!! So much for that teasing plan!!! Berenice barks in anger and shakes her glove at the jeering audience but she's forced into quick action as Cucinotta gets up very quickly on her feet - probably even too quickly for Thompson's liking - and wades in on the body trying to force the younger brunette backwards. Both women lack precision in a ferocious Mediterranean tilt but Marlohe keeps jabbing at the wounded eye of her opponent and stacks her up with a drilling piledriver on the navel. Maria bends forward with a loud yelp and eats a crunching uppercut on the jaw right at the bell; she wobbles back to the ropes and almost goes down alltogether and quite frankly she's very fortunate the clock rescued her from a looming French follow up that had another knockdown written all over it!

Round 4:

Berenice finds her agility and striking rhythm with ease now that she's rattled Maria Grazia's cage so nicely in the previous round; the Italian cougar delivers a single punch assault from the back foot but lacks the tempo and outright power so when Marlohe unloads a head hunting rush on her own, the high guard collapses in spooky character and has the Bond gal rocking the nightshade black ponytail all over town. Cucinotta gets fed with a monster jabbing drive that splits her mitts and sends her tripping onto the ropes but Marlohe isn't quite done here yet; she whacks the older woman around the elbows and punishes the ribcage so effectively that Maria screams out in pain and sinks on her knees on the spot. Berenice targets another uppercut hammer punch to send her down however bounces off the forearms and can't find that sweet spot before the clock expires which makes her even more upset at the bell. Whistles all around the Olimpico as Maria Grazia examines that cut under her right eye which doesn't look good at all.

Round 5:

Marlohe powers ahead in the center of the ring and buries the older brunette under heavy artillery, Maria swings a couple of hooks wide of the mark and eats a quick shot on the lips before a belting follow up whacks her on the boobs. She bends forward with another squeal and meets a left cross on the nose THAT SENDS HER DOWN ON HER KNEES!!! Georgie Thompson thinks there's no stopping the former Bond girl anymore and Cucinotta takes her time before getting up at eight. She doesn't look all that ready at the command and sags on her knees while wiping sweat off her face but Berenice rips into her with more jabbing menace and dismantles the guard on the spot. Her brutally effective punches open the cut under the right eye again and Maria cries out her struggles whereas Berenice simply wants to take her head off and rocks the black ponytail so frequently even the Rome crowd gasps for air... Maria wilts under all the French heat and turns her back to her tormentor but Marlohe still nails her on the back of the head with one last punch that didn't have the full strenght behind it... unfortunately for the Italian, it doesn't really matter anymore as the she slumps on her knees and collapses on all fours breathing very heavily... ref gets a little confused and refuses to start the count a first but when he asks whether the fallen cougar wants to continue, Maria admits her defeat and wants to stop it... TKO5 Berenice Marlohe!!!

AFTER: That was simply too much for the 47 year old who just couldn't match Marlohe's intensity ever since the first knockdown. She's done really well to hold the opening round even and looked really sharp in the second but Georgie Thompson believes Maria doesn't have the stamina in her to last the usual ten round distance anymore. Perhaps women in their 40s who still seek an active BBU career should only fight six or eight rounds tops?

However Cucinotta's physical struggles are totally brushed aside by the victorious French woman who claims her first scalp in 30 months and vows to give Naomie Harris a real gruesome battle next month. Well, the manner of tonight's success probably won't make the Londoner lose her sleep though and Georgie Thompson thinks that Harris is the designated favorite to beat Marlohe up in the "Skyfall Reloaded" match-up.

Final result: Berenice Marlohe def. Maria Grazia Cucinotta TKO5.