Before: Texas vs Alaska and Texas couldn't be happier. "I'm stoked," chirps an upbeat Kelly at the podium. "Every singer I know wants to test herself against Jewel sooner or later - I'm thrilled that I'm getting the chance so early in my career. Way I see it - Jewel's sweet in the gut: I'll come up the middle hard on her, back her up, jam her jugs if I have to and beat her up at the ropes. In all the tapes I've seen, Kilcher couldn't fight off the apron against aggressive opponents, and that's me!" Jewel glacial at the podium, recognizing she's a target and looking to send a message. "I'll hurt Kelly," Jewel says all frost, "and stop her. Everything she's thinking right now isn't going to happen: she's not going to back me up; she's not going to get to my chest; she's not going to outwork me. It's going to be a tragic night for her. Oh, and Kelly? (turning to face Clarkson from the podium). You wouldn't make it out of the first round on Nashville Star. You know that's true." Jewel in navy bandeau bikini with white trim, hair back in slick ponytail, white gloves. Kelly in mauve bikini with broad horizontal bands of purple, spunky ponytail with curly bangs, white gloves. Clarkson fidgetty during ring instructions, dipping and bobbing, shimmying her shoulders - very enthusiastic touch 'em up as Jewel glares at her like an irritated Siamese cat.

During R1: Frame defence, Jewel: right hand cupping temple, left at the mouth, elbows in - she's stepping forward like a Roman Legionnaire, thrusting out the stubby jab en route. Clarkson catching poke, driven involuntarily backwards: Jewel imposing will from the onset. Thudding lesson in methodical brutality for Kelly: Jewel jabbing and stepping her girl to ropes, then bludgeoning her an assortment of heavy right hands and hooks, banging Clarkson's body, shoulders and skull with equal authority. Kilcher so good using her body weight and shoulders - leaning in on Kelly at intervals, bumping Kelly the extended left elbow-forearm to keep her pinned down. Bell to bell shutout leaves Kelly's ears ringing, eyes wide: Welcome-to-Jewel-Kilcher boxing round for Clarkson.

R2: Thought the first round was all Jewel? Bigger, badder, beat down for Clarkson as Kilcher lands JUICY to the body at the ropes. Clarkson breathing hurt through pursed lips, stooped forward behind her gloves most of the round: Jewel just getting big, bodying Kel into ropes, shouldering her once or twice to jostle, then strapping in that fat hook to breadbasket. Jewel clubbing away righty to Kelly's left flank - bashing, hacking blows taking Clarkson in behind her elbow, loosening up her knees. Uppercuts for Jewel carving in between Kelly's raised mitts, shaving lips/nose/cheek, brushing Clarkson upright - little Kelly really shipping a pasting this round. Bell to bell Jewel - she turns on her heel smouldering, stomping back all business to her corner: Kelly takes a moment to steady herself with her left hand on the ropes, shaking her pretty head to clear it.

R3: Kelly showing resilience - she's taken a drubbing through 2, but she's undiscouraged, coming at Jewel with renewed

vigour. Kilcher relatively safe behind that frame defence, but Clarkson's furious pelting barrage midring effectively shutting Jewel down, hitting Kilcher in her arms and pate. Jewel backing up - Kelly hopping-with, keeping up a steady patter of leather. Kilcher's back hits ropes for the first time: Kelly celebrates with a stupendous hook to Jewel's paunch - Li'l Clarkson twisting hard to her right to torque that baby in. JUGG! Jewel momentarily winded from that body shot, stooping forward loose: Clarkson chugs up into rack with shoulders a-pumping, beating Jewel in stupor to a seat in the ropes. Bit of a Clarkson jail break, but final minute sees Jewel firm, get her feet beneath her: TORRID back and forth as girls jam away straight right hands and tidy hooks, beating each other's faces and chests pink in furious exchanges. Kelly shouting incoherently in Jewel's face at the bell, underscoring the fact that Kilcher finished up with her back on the cables.

R4: Jewel forward behind the stubby jab and frame defence: inexorable march forward grimly punches Kelly to ropes by the minute mark. Clarkson lumping up, bobbing at the waist, looking concerned: Jewel's trudging offence extraordinarily willful, designed to take canvas and breathing room away from her opponents. Another thudding, bell to bell beatdown handed out, Kilcher to Clarkson: Kelly earmuffed up, bobbing butt-in-ropes to help diffuse the punishment. Jewel shoulder-cycling her jab to prep Kelly on the apron, then either smashing a sidearm right to the girl's flank, or popping hips-right to lay the hook home. Any looseness on Kelly's part - any at all - and Jewel turns over uppercuts, clipping her foe's chin, straightening her up groggy at the ropes.

R5: Spirited Kelly resistance - once again sloughing off significant Kilcher punishment to take the fight to Jewel. Kelly nearly forcing Jewel to ropes in a sustained first-minute bombardment, but Jewel blocking a lot of this stuff on her shoulders and gloves, starts to answer back with short, shoving rights and lefts to Kelly's tummy. Clarkson visibly slowed in middle minute slugging - Jewel working methodically, countering off the block and eating Kelly up downstairs - once again, Clarkson driven in stages to ropes. Final minute, Jewel lands some devastating, full bodied rights and lefts across Kelly's paunch, paralyzing Clarkson's legs. Picture perfect right uppercut punches the mouthpiece off Kelly's teeth at the bell, rendering her wobbly butt and nearly putting her down as ref pushes a seething Jewel back.

R6: Try telling Kelly Clarkson she's getting out-beefed tonight: she erupts out of her corner, spitting a brace of jabs and bouncing hard rights off Kilcher's guard to open the sixth. Once again, Jewel influenced backward by volume rather than heat: she's blocking a lot of shots, but can't get off when Kelly's pinning her ears back. Ropes: Kilcher earmuffing up, bending forward, but giving away a thick band of tummy flesh: Kelly's able to swing away down there with side to side paunch licks. Kilcher grimacing, taking a good shot here, but Kelly's furious punching not to be dismissed. Clarkson digging up jugg via uppercuts from either hand, standing triumphantly up into the punches as Kilcher gasps. Clarkson skidding mitts off head and shoulders, buffetting and cuffing Jewel, and look at Kelly using her shoulder in there! Li'l Kelly reaching under Jewel's arms, putting the left shoulder in Jewel's chest and bodying her upright against ropes - Kel doing a nice job getting underneath Jewel and jostling her open for cleaner body-looks. Bell: Jewel frowning, lips parted - she knows she's winning the fight, but getting scuffed up tonight in the bargain.

R7: Crushing Jewel Kilcher body shots off that jamming jab - Kelly cringing midring, knees buckling as Jewel straps away rights and lefts downstairs. Clarkson groaning, face pinched - she can't hold canvas as Jewel shoulders into her, bumping wounded Idol in stages to ropes. Tough to watch for Kelly's fans as Jewel proceeds to mete out additional punishment, smashing and bludgeoning away at increasingly tender Kelly flesh. Thudding body blows taking Kelly behind her elbows, swinging at her tummy and ribs - she's loosening up terribly, unable to keep her arms in firm. Jewel's body constantly pushing into Kelly, smearing her against ropes, rendering Clarkson momentarily vulnerable to follow-up clobberings. Jewel making tremendous use of her uppercut - underutilized punch for Kilcher really lifting Kelly's face up and making her sleepy: poor Clarkson just doesn't have any answers. Hard, hard beating goes on and on - Jewel never altering pace - not too fast, not too slow, just keeping a steady, heavy beat: it's all too much. Kelly absorbs a hero's portion of punishment, but eventually succumbs - numbly drooping to all fours as Jewel lands a cheap right hand across the lower back to hasten the collapse. That's it - Kelly's awake, but unable to get off her knees, simply paralyzed tonight by Jewel's fists. KO7 in heartbreaking fashion, Jewel Kilcher.

After: Jewel does what she does: Kelly brave, putting on a fight worthy of the Alamo tonight - just not enough heft to seriously threaten Ms. Kilcher. "I'm tuff," Jewel reminds reporters on camera during in-ring postfight. "Kelly tried to get on me, but I wouldn't have it, and that's a lesson for every girl out there who thinks she can steamroll me on her way to the top. I steal girls' souls in that ring, you know? When I hit you to the body - part of you shrivels up and quits, I don't care who you are. I give Kelly all the credit in the world for going as long as she did, but look at her: I took that kid out back the woodshed tonight, and you don't want to go back there with me."