Before: "I'm disappointed that I couldn't get Cat in the ring...again," Tapping tells press in prefight, "but I'm delighted that Jeri's stepping up. Either woman is a terrific opponent and I'm just glad to be getting the opportunity to show what I can do against top-drawer competition." Ryan's last fight a whitewashing effort against outgunned Mischa Barton - is rust a factor? "You know, it (rust) probably could be a factor," Ryan admits at the dais, "but I don't think Amanda will be able to really exploit it. I know a lot of people think of Tapping as an unheralded Cat Bell or Jeri Ryan 'type' - but there's actually a huge gap between her and us. Amanda's sparring partner material - period. Don't blink early: I'm thinking this could be one of my patented KO1s in the making!" Jeri in red bikini bottoms, hulking halter style top featuring red and white horizontal bars, with ring connection - Amanda in navy push up, shades-of-blue tie-side bikini bottoms.

During R1: Ryan wastes no time, shows no rust in smashing away righty at Tapping bell to bell. Amanda hurt and woozy from an early chin-check - she backs away shaky-legged to set up shop at the ropes, assuming earmuff as Ryan steps-to STROKING! Jeri in her element - prodding 'Manda the jab, leaning in to belt hard right hands upside the head, but not ignoring that body. Ryan going to town on tummy, putting ruff right/lefts bang-bang on paunch - Tapping groaning, tilting forward and exposing herself to jaunty Ryan uppercuts. Jug mugging from Jeri? You bet - Jer nice and snug, just turning her shoulder into beefy hooks, banging away on Tapping's cleavage as Amanda grimaces from behind her guard. Thick swabbing back-beating laid down whenever Tapping droops too far forward - Jeri's eyes lighting up as she sees kidney, treating herself to clanging lefts and rights scrubbed hard against hips, lower back. Hamhanded romp - Jeri just easing from one foot to the other to paint her fists back and forth onto Amanda - Tapping nothing short of heroic in keeping her feet.

R2: Tapping proves rugged, shaking off Jeri's first round blitz and outboxing Ryan this round. Stepping, methodical pace - Tapping dukes up, circling deliberately to her left, jabbing at Jeri's chest and mouth. Ryan right hand chin-high, left lower - she's getting knocked the jab, pre-empted by it - Jeri not getting off nearly as effectively this round. Amanda working behind the stick, leaning into a few choice right hands and clinching to smother the receipt - good veteran tactics from a blonde who's fighting hurt, but doing well.

R3: Fight settling into a slow, stalking pace - Jeri stepping in behind a long, strong jab, looking for right crosses, but not shy about laying in with Tapping and working lanky on the inside. Girls fighting a good deal shoulder to shoulder: lashing hooks amidships; swapping clanging uppercuts against guards; muscling and pushing each other around. Amanda working to Ryan's rack with tidy little rights and lefts just clubbing and bumping in close - Jeri responding with cuffing, buffetting work to Tapping's jugs as girls wander around, heads in close.

R4: Amanda's jab a nasty shock to Jeri: that's not a second-tier type poke Tapping's sporty. Ryan leaning back from stick, blinking, lips pursed - she's out over her right foot when Amanda leans in a hard right cross bingo on the chin. RYAN'S SHOOK! Jeri stepping in fence post holes, then stooping forward behind her mitts: Tapping steps-to and LAVISHES the Ryan waistline a strapping right/left, drawing a breathy gasp from the former champ. Amanda right in there close, picking Jeri up a robust left uppercut, then banging her back to the body right/left: Ryan just sighing, eyes wincing in pain as she soaks it up. Tapping eyes bright, back straight as she stands up into Jeri's breasts: shrug-chugging lefts and rights buffett Ryan's hulking sacks, loosening up her guard and getting her baby-stepping backward. All Amanda down the stretch - she rakes Jeri crisp uppercuts, hooks and crosses - Tapping setting her hips, turning into her shots with juicy leverage. Amanda showing veteran poise, ingenue hunger as she cleans up on a moping Jeri Ryan in the fourth.

R5: Amanda attacking on a straight line, hangs a jab and Jeri makes her pay. Crisp, short right hand counter blunt on the chin - Tapping's back legs snaps up off the canvas in knee-jerk reflex as she nearly hops to all fours, but stays upright. Ryan methodical, palming Tapping's shoulders while sidestepping right, then painting Amanda's midsection left/right, stooping 'Manda forward. Jerking left uppercut skids off the top of Tapping's head as she leans forward: tucking right hand parks flat and thick in behind Tapping's left elbow. Jeri just stroking, mopping shots onto Amanda - poor Tapping stumbling in a little counterclockwise reel around Jeri as she soaks up Ryan's wallop. Jeri releasing heavily up into Amanda's rack - rising lefts and rights banging in there lusty, shaking Tapping's frame and leaving her open-mouthed at the bell.

R6: Amanda Tapping just won't give! She boxes Jeri to a standstill midring behind a robust jab - Ryan gnashing her teeth as her face bears the brunt of Tapping's poke. Amanda winning initiative with her educated left hand - she's dropping right hands down the middle, routinely checking Jeri's chin over Ryan's low left. Amanda mopping up hooks in Jeri's jugs or mouth, frequently buffetting Ryan off balance. Straight-shoving right hands to gut cramp Ryan up and move her backward - Jeri being busted hard to the body by this girl tonight. Round finishes up with Ryan earmuffing at the ropes - she's very stationary, groggy, not moving her head. Amanda able to bat away to flanks, pick up uppercuts with muscular, stroking rhythm to the bell. Flashing eyes, heaving chest, Amanda to Jeri: Tapping serving notice she belongs tonight.

R7: Amanda stepping Jeri around, jabbing her face: Ryan's left eye closing, lower lip split, cheeks ruddy with punishment. Jeri resentful, but she's just turning, looking at Amanda, stalking her but not doing much: Tapping controlling the long and middle distances tonight. Amanda getting off - slanting that right hand down into Jeri's proud body; carving left uppercuts as Jeri leans forward; sloshing punches into Jeri's breasts and ribs to back her up. All Amanda, walking Jeri down and punishing her when Jeri steps right, stops, waits on Tapping's jab, then leans into a shattering right crisp n' clean off her shoulder. AMANDA GOES DOWN! Tapping jolted to chin before she can bring her left mitt back - right knee snaps up on reflex, head swivels - she sprawls to her back, jugs gooshing up and down as she lies flat, arms out wide, and it's OVER! KO7 in electrifying fashion, Jeri Ryan.

After: Ryan snarling down, drinking in the sight - former champ put through her paces by a determined and classy Amanda T, but power prevails as Jeri's Jinx returns with a vengeance. "I'm sure, to the untrained eye, it looked like Amanda was doing very well against me," Jeri says in postfight, dabbing a towel filled with ice against her left eye, "but I was just sussing her out, getting her comfortable, easing her into the fight. I knew very early on that I could get right hands over her jab, but I needed her to loosen up and start throwing more - those one punch knockouts don't just happen by accident you know. Nothing happened in that fight that wasn't building to the penultimate moment when I laid her out cold on her back. Amanda's always wondered how she stacks up against me and Cat: now she knows."