Before: "This is a great chance for Eva to see how the upper echelons do it," Claire smiles, smug. "She's never really been top flight at 110 - really more of a dependable, spicy-brunette type - and HMK lacks the kind of in-house quality that we at HISC have a surplus of...so Eva's been slow to improve. A classy touch-up beat-down is just the thing for her - it's still not too late for her to make some noise in this division, if she's willing to soak up punishment from real ring-masters!"

Longoria knows she's being baited...but she's flushed with hot-blooded anger none the less. "Claire knows damn well I'm every bit her equal," Eva steams. "I guarantee the punishment will flow both ways, as will the learning opportunities. I freely give her my respect: looks like I'm going to have to take respect from her by force!"

Eva in the raciest aerobics two piece ever: snug navy boy cut trunks; bandeau navy top of the same stretchy cotton/spandex blend; neon baby blue "armings" (like leggings, only for the arm - a stand alone sleeve); small navy gloves; white aerobics shoes with socks rolled down. Clair in crimson bandeau bikini with ring connection between jugs; white boxing boots to mid calf; small white gloves.

During R1: Claire working a jab and pivot-left routine early: Eva snarling, aggressively jabbing-with, and rifling stiff, straight hands in under Claire's jab to smite ribs. Midway through, Longoria's piercing pressure pays off: she alters trajectory of the right hand, catches Claire to chin instead, unhinging Danes' knees. Claire reeling to ropes, eyes wide: Eva pouncing-to, swinging freely at the body limber-limbed lefts and rights. Danes covers up face-in-gloves, elbows in: she's rolling torso, being slick in the pocket, trying to block-and-roll. Eva's slender limbs shivering as she bats away tic-toc to flanks - then reaches in to gouge left uppercuts to sternum underneath, or tilts left to sweep the gancha left hook in behind Claire's right elbow. Danes grimacing, hard-pressed here: during one escape attempt, she's violently restrained as Eva's left arm ropes around Claire's throat, yanking her awkwardly back and twisting her into ropes. Ref all over that, breaking the girls up - but Eva's just seething: Longoria being very rough with Claire early, demanding to be acknowledged boss.

R2: Claire's eyes narrowed: she assumes forward aspect midring - back (right) heel up off canvas, weight on left (front) leg as she sets herself to punch. Eva reading the signs, assumes similar aspect - both girls poised at jab-length, dukes up, elbows in. Taut, classy, straight punching proceeds - both women penetrating to score heavily upon one another's faces. From there, hard right hands flow short n' sharp off shoulders, followed by opportunistic hooks or left uppercuts. Glorious text-book stuff - both girls stitching into the opponent with cruel professionalism. Claire's defense separates her by a slight margin: Eva matching Danes' class offensively, but brunette's a bit more available for blonde punching. Claire punishing Eva's beautiful face, tapping steadily upon it with both hands, with a variety of blows. Longoria's jab scoring, but rarely her right hand; her best bet for power is that sleek, low-slung gancha hook in behind Claire's right elbow. Bell: seething looks from both beauties so worrisome, ref intervenes as a precaution.

R3: Eva pressing forward again, jabbing-with Claire, then lancing that straight right hand into Danes' left armpit/ribs/breasts underneath Claire's poke. Longoria's swinging gancha hook a thing of lissome beauty: Eva parking it - often pivoting left around it: Claire wincing upon receipt as Latina scores heavily. Danes so slick with her left shoulder-rolling defence - Eva just can't land the right to Claire's chin as Danes slips and pivots around every attempt. All Eva for two minutes as Claire plays defense: Danes suddenly, and viciously, over to offence down the stretch. Right uppercut jagged to Eva's sternum takes her breath away - she's stooped forward in pain as Claire capitalizes with a quick-tapping three punch combo on the face. Wheel-pivot left moves Claire 90 degrees to Eva's right: blonde dips left shoulder, fits left uppercut to Longoria's aching sternum; dips right shoulder to tuck home the right uppercut, same patch of Latina. Eva sobs aloud - falls forward to clinch: Claire already backpedalling in anticipation, grabs bandeau top, tugs-and-spins Eva forward and around, catapulting her awkwardly to ropes. Eva stunned and bewildered as Claire roars in, punching the hardest right hand of the fight through to Eva's jaw, turning her head aside. Queasy knee-bend Longoria - powerful glutes strain to keep her up upright, but she's a desperate housewife - just drooping forward behind her mitts, taking punishment to the waist as Claire lathers out the round.

R4: EVA WON'T HAVE IT! Both fighters in their forward aspects midring - Claire trying to pinpoint Eva's face for destruction, but Longoria's outhitting her! Danes smote a hard right hand to cheek as Eva feints first, then delivers; follow up hooks dig at Claire's flank, worrying her liver, nagging up into her sternum. Claire's legs give a shimmy - she stumbles about momentarily awestruck: Eva walking her down, dark eyes blazing as Latina paints on the hurt. Lashing beatdown applied - Eva patiently pursuing a frazzled blonde around the ring: Claire routinely hounded to ropes and worked over until she can spin-out/stagger away. Bell to bell Longoria: she's all challenging eye contact and brazen body language - punching Claire into astonishment through 4.

R5: Midring, classy exchanges - both girls SO professional, yet so vicious as intensity escalates. Claire bouncing crisp two and three punch combos straight off Eva's face. Longoria a little rangier - employing more hooks and slinging right hands, but scoring with the same frequency to Claire's face as Eva finally solves the Danes shoulder-roll. Difference is Eva's evil left gancha hook - taking Claire in behind her right elbow over and over again. Eva able to dictate the exchanges with it, pivot around it to renegotiate angle - she's dictating terms because of her ability to hurt Claire to the body. Danes turning, fighting hard: punishment she's dishing out isn't negligible - Eva lumping up nicely, cut inside her lip by the bell. Furious stuff - knowledgeable fans roar in approval at the almost constant work, and technically correct punching.

R6: Midring, Claire pumping her jab to Eva's punch-weary face; dropping in the right hand; picking up Eva's solar plexus via left uppercut; pivoting-left around Eva's right flank. Longoria turning, wincing, labouring: she's gutted, visibly weakened by Claire's withering body blows in the opening minute. Danes licks parched lips, stays with the program: facial strikes lead to digging body shots - then she pivots round and looks to repeat. Claire in her forward aspect, showing some of the crispest, most heartless punching of her career: she's pulling out all the stops, turning puncher to answer a surprisingly aggressive Eva L here. Longoria spellbound - facing into blows, growing sleepy as her face is pasted; bunching up in pain as her body gets taxed. Claire sustaining pace - small gloves sounding out with moist PIKS and PAKS off Eva's face and quivering little body. It's all too much - vigorous, pinpoint punishment breaks Longoria down, reducing her to a staring, wobbling parody of the beautiful, springy woman who had begun the fight. Rhythmic series of lefts and rights bounce off her face, and Eva stumbles forward in confusion - bouncing off her knees and skidding to a stop upon her face. Longoria mumbling in shock - buttocks high/head down as she tries to rally off the deck, but it's no go. KO6 Claire Danes in surprisingly raucous fashion.

After: Cards confirm: Longoria ahead by a point when Claire stopped her...accumulative effect of murderous punching from both women throughout the fight enables the rare come-from-behind whack for the Sorceress. Danes a mess - damp blonde tousle in her eyes, legs a little uncertain - but she's fiercely exultant after turning back a VERY determined Eva Longoria tonight.

"That was some hard fighting tonight," Claire admits in-ring. "Eva came to fight, and about midway through, I knew I'd have to stop her to win it. Doesn't happen often that a woman will answer my boxing, but Eva was successful in that, so I had to turn up the heat on her. It's fights like this that make me realize just how good I really am. I think maybe it's time people started acknowledging me not just as the best fighter at 110, but maybe the best pound for pound fighter in the game. You may not like it, but the truth has a way of blazing bright on nights like this."