CHRISTIE BRINKLEY VS BROOKE SHIELDS
Brinkley in cobalt cotton tank top and panties, white gloves
Shields in red cotton tank top and panties, white gloves
KO8 Brinkley

True big-woman action featured underneath Campbell/Procter and for fans of sheer muscle and mass, these hardworking veterans would not disappoint. Stalking each other with pulverizing jabs; reaching in to body-up; smashing away at each other's biceps up against the ropes - this one was a slobberknocker from the opening bell.

It was stop and go slopping for the most part as the girls prowled on flat feet, probing stick, then falling in behind right hands to wrestle and struggle in the brawniest clinching seen this year. Both women made use of a forearm-press against the other's upperback - each forcing the other to take weight throughout the fight. Through four, the rounds were virtually indistinguishable and unscorable, with neither girl able to impose her will on an opponent just as big, just as strong, and just as willful as herself.

The final four rounds saw Christie B separate herself, and it was apparent to all as Brooke began to be walked repeatedly into the ropes and methodically beaten down. With all the holding and hitting, the scoring wasn't dramatic, but it was Christie clearly taking the fight to Brooke and burdening the brunette over the last half. During the breaks, Shields looked harried, complained bitterly and seemed dishevelled and concerned; Brinkley was upbeat and feisty, high-spirited and anxious to continue. Though relatively close in the ring, the fight was being decisively won in the minds and hearts of the two combatants, and Christie was the one coming out on top.

Brooke's psychological collapse was sudden, complete and obvious in the 8th as she became weak in the knees and spilled along the ropes under a brawny barrage of blonde lefts and rights. No one punch did it - Brooke simply wilted under a concussive bludgeoning that chased her from her own corner to two others along the perimeter before laying her face-down at Brinkley's feet. Christey yelped with pleasure and looked 20 years old again as she earned the hard-working stoppage.

It's true what they say: Victory keeps you young. So does walking a defeated opponent around the ring after putting her on her face, which a beaming Christie did to a wobbling and snivelling Brooke in this one. Seeing Brooke out of the ring with a resounding clap of right hand against red cotton clad buttock, Brinkley was probably as vibrant and vivacious as we've ever seen her - a testament to the blonde's ageless appeal in the squared circle.