Before: "I'm enjoying it," Claire says of the promotion with Sarah. "Finally, I get to fight somebody more hated than me! Seriously though, Sarah can fight - I can see that - I respect it. I came up on Packard - Carter wants to come up on me - I get it. Not gonna happen of course, but I get it. Everybody's really high on Sarah right now, but I see her as being a year away at least - I don't think she's nearly as polished a talent as she's being credited." Sarah still dealing with Virginie-hurt: haughty blonde never, ever imagined she'd drop that series. "It's behind me," Sarah shrugs, "Ledoyen's not in my league and talking about her just makes her seem better than she is. Beating Claire wipes the stink of Virginie right off my record. Nobody's going to look at those Ledoyen results when I master Danes." Claire in elegant black bikini, small black work out gloves; long blonde hair back in twisty-bun. Sarah in brazen gold bikini, small black work out gloves: hair long and loose.

During R1: Claire turns slugger, catches Sarah off guard at the open. Danes leaning in close, swinging her arms thick and rich to Sarah's taut ribcage, flat tummy - great meaty chup-chup hacking at that slender torso. Carter taken aback, but answering - HER slender limbs shiver as she beats at Claire's flanks and torso with a similar straight-arm, batting delivery. Danes spends a minute initiating ruinous trade, then steps out, circles: she's got smaller blonde breathing hard. Claire turns pot-shotting cutie - freezing Sarah with the feint, dropping the hesitation right hand, scoot-steppin' right as Sarah's dealing with face-spank.

R2: Claire hard to Sarah's body here: Danes using her size for a change, deliberately being big and strong on Sarah. Carter dancing away after firm batting touches to her ribcage: Sarah not liking Claire's heft downstairs. Fight gets tactical - Sarah circling clockwise, snapping out the jab body and head - leaning in the odd adventurous right cross. Danes stalking - often leading the right hand, then easing onto back (right) foot to change up the distance. Sarah falling short on a lot of shots, not catching as much of Claire as she'd like.

R3: Better round for Carter. Similar tactics now adopted by Sarah - strong to the body in little bursts, then stepping out cute, piecing out the jab, circling, feinting with her shoulders. Not a lot of sustained contact, but crowd loving the batting, withering trade to either body - girls really cranking in right/left with free-swinging leverage underneath.

R4: Typical sequence for Claire: pinging double-jab gets Sarah covered up; right hand scrapes off Carter's guard; sharp straight left hand spears THROUGH the guard, punching Sarah's face back. Claire punches the straight right over again, just to tap Sarah's guard; Danes shifting weight to back (right) foot, making Carter come up short on receipt; Danes leans in, collects another straight poking right against Sarah's beautiful face; Claire shifts to back (right) foot while checking Sarah's chin the defensive hook as Carter's trying to answer. Result: handful of touches for Claire - good scoring blows (nothing devastating) for little in return. Claire able to pivot around, initiate these moments over and over again - consistently outscoring Sarah in nip-tuck engagements.

R5: Big, banging exchanges to the ribs underneath - both lasses leaning forward, swinging thick, strapping whacks in. Sarah indulging in too much of this, but it's due to Claire's clever timing of the assaults: a few hard touches put Sarah in the position of answering, or potentially losing the round. Carter bravely going for it - but Claire using that little rock-step to her back foot to create distance - often pre-empting Sarah the jab or check-hook as Carter's pressing to even up the score.

R6: Good round for Sarah - but the rounds she's winning aren't doing the same kind of damage as Claire's heats. Danes defensive much of the round, turning behind her left shoulder in wheeling pivots; bending low while dropping the right foot back and easing herself out of range. Carter hitting a lot of elbows and arms when she whacks at body; skipping fists off perfectly turned shoulders or ducking scalp up top.

R7: Danes back to the body - sumptuous, shellacking lefts and rights - Claire popping her hips, twisting her torso into the shots, extending her arms to lick heavily at Sarah's svelte torso. Carter's sinewy legs give a shimmy - lips part: she's looking concerned, starting to shy away rather than slugging-with. Danes walking her girl down - but oh-so cute: knocking at Sarah's forehead the jab or lead right, ducking down, pivoting, then hooking her girl to body from the angle. Straight rights off feints starting to victimize Sarah as she tires: face jolting back from clean single-shot stamps. Claire circling, banking harder, higher-quality shots: starting to ring her girl up through 7.

R8: Sarah lumping up, indecisive: Claire adds to the body woes with a belting first minute that leaves Carter cringing. Sarah stooped forward, elbows tight to throbbing ribs, lips quivering: Claire's easing to either side now - extending either hand to measure, then smoking Sarah hard the other mitt. Feints setting up that straight hesitation right: Claire punching Sarah square on the face, almost at will now. Carter proving wiry tough here - starting to take a crowd-wowing beating as Claire thumps body to get at face through 8.

R9: Claire dazzling the crowd, really showcasing on Sarah as poor Carter tries to keep it together midring. Softening barrage underneath beats Carter stiff and breathless. Then Claire dots and jots away - straight rights off the front foot (often doubled up); cutey-pie hooks off the front foot, followed by a little tapping backhand left to set up the next shooting right. Lots of medium-sweet, tapping or knocking blows to set up one spicy punch in any sequence. At one point, Claire turns southpaw, drills in three straight lefts as she rock-steps to back (now left foot) in between each - penetrating on all three blows as Sarah falls tragically short. At the bell - Sarah hurt - left hand extended out straight: Claire's angled in southpaw - pokes the straight left to left side of Sarah's face, stamps it again off a quick reload as poor Carter gobbles.

R10: Claire hands down at her sides: Carter's eyes very expressive, showing her disappointment and humiliation as Danes elects to showboat. Danes loosey-goosey - lifting mitts from her thighs to swipe aside Sarah's punches; swivelling pivots and cutie-pie torso weaves making Sarah miss, setting up wallop from either hand off the thigh. Midway through, slip-and-counter left uppercut catches Carter clean to chin, punches mouthpiece off her teeth: she's ragged and swaying. Danes circling, having fun feinting once, twice, three times - getting flinch out of Sarah, then just stepping away from her rather than coming in. Late the round - Claire dips in close, digs a tuff left/right tidy to tummy: Carter groans, pitching forward into Claire's embrace. Bell: Danes lifts a right off her thigh, places it on Sarah's jaw from well outside - Carter wobbly butt as she hits ropes - ref jumping in to keep Claire back. Comes back UD10, Claire Danes.

After: Danes lingering in the Foxfire corner, grinning, stalking back and forth to get a good look at Sarah's face as Carter's getting a little TLC: earns a bit of a frown from Garner who knows only too well what Claire's trying to do. Sarah bruised, beat up, needlessly embarrassed: her third straight loss has the ice-queen looking a little less than regal right now. "I'm big - I don't need to pussy foot around with these kids," says a happy Claire Danes in postfight. "I pounded Sarah to the ribcage - she's probably still humming - I really got into the girl good. It feels great - you know, I did my thing, I boxed her socks her off, but I feel I bullied Sarah and let her know what Claire Danes is all about tonight."