By simguy 1-20-04

Before: Theron coming off an emotional high against Nicole Kidman, has to refocus, get disciplined for the challenge of Liz Hurley. "It's tricky," notes one freelance scribe, "Charlize was in her element against Nicole, passionately duking it out, both girls fought with their hearts on their sleeves, and that's what Theron craves. She wants her opponents to give everything they've got so she can claim total, exhaustive victory, and Liz doesn't do that. Even when Hurley loses, you get the sense that she's saving something, holding something back - she's very hard to beat with an exclamation mark. For all her skills, Theron doesn't relish having to match wits with a girl and despite KruZher propaganda, you can't say that Hurley hasn't had success in keeping Charlize off balance with that sneaky southpaw style."

Hurley enjoying a little win streak against Theron, extracts onerous terms and conditions during negotiations for this fight with Charlize insisting on a rematch "at any cost".

Kidman I did for my fans," says Charlize, anticipating perhaps a let-down in terms of entertainment value, "Hurley, I need for myself. It might not be a classic, but I can't have this disappointing troll strutting around, bragging about how she has my number. After I beat her down, I promise I'll get right back to the heartpounding brawls I'm famous for - but you know: business before pleasure."

Charlize in cream bikini, Liz in Union Jack bikini.

Rd 1: Charlize starts out aggressively, trying to rush Liz, but Hurley undresses her blonde with a series of sickly sweet pivots, slips and rolls as Theron swipes air with lusty swings, missing badly. Fury over - Hurley's imposed her pace - girls are flat footed, batting and slapping jabs (left for Charlize, right for Liz). Hurley swinging a supple left underneath, curling it thick to Theron's belly, easing out as she cuffs Theron's ear the right hook, bending at the waist to slip under Charlize' seeking right, stepping around to keep Theron unsettled. Hurley just placing thump to Theron's tummy - those slinging, heavy single lefts, getting a tidy right hook up top, negotiating and pestering Theron with a loose-limbed jab off the thigh. Breezy shutout Hurley. Janet Jones wasting no time in the Theron corner - she's on one knee, hands on Theron's knees to address her. Janet puts her right hand against Charlize' tummy, says "You like Liz getting on up in here, is that it? You like taking it from her? You turning bitch on me - Liz Hurley's tasty little bitch? I'm going to have to watch you get your ass boxed off for the next 30 minutes, is that it?" Doesn't let up - Theron livid by the time bell rings.

Rd 2: Charlize storming off her stool, giving Janet the asked-for aggression, but look at Liz: right shoulder pointed at Charlize, easing under the powershots, swivel pivoting to the right, guiding punches into harmless trajectories past her with the open-palm left, lashing greasy counters flat to belly, slick across ribs, clouting to cheek. Midway through, Liz slips jabs and pushy right hands from Charlize, leans in close to pull her left hand square to paunch, gets that biting right hook on the temple and CHARLIZE SPILLS TO HER BACKSIDE! Theron up quick, but rattled - she's been fighting 5 hard minutes and hasn't laid a glove on her girl yet. After 8, Liz tests the waters, squaring up a little and going at Charlize with more sweeping lefts amidships, snapping the hook at the leftside ribs and left eye - but this is Theron's fight. Charlize loving the hard exchanges, starts checking Liz' chin loose limbed right uppercuts, gets her own left hook a-raking the body. Girls clanging away beyond the bell - ref gets in there to break it up - points to Hurley, but she's slightly wobbly butt back to her stool.

Rd 3: Hurley dictating - she's got Charlize boxing thoughtfully midring - blonde trying to jab, set up her right hand to Liz' face. Hurley too cute, bending at the waist, getting under Theron's cross and licking midsection tidy, snatching right hooks and that sweeping, thick left. Hurley smooth as she dips in under Theron's attack, wrapping up around blonde waist and holding for the break - frustrating stuff. Theron enraged at one point when Liz slips a punch so clean, she's able to slide around behind Charlize, riding her left arm insolently around blonde belly. During the break, Janet taking a knee, hands on Theron's knees, not saying anything, then suddenly slapping Charlize' face a brisk right hand, slapping her AGAIN - Charlize' eyes blaze to attention. "How many times do I have to tell you?" Janet shouts. "Beat this old bitch in her body! What are you doing spraying that lame crap at her head - get off her head! Punch. To. The. Body!"

Rd 4: Theron thick n' beefy early, wading into Liz, tackling to disrupt the slip, packing Brit to ropes, laying on her and tucking crude lefts and rights to belly and trunk. Bruising assault draws a break and a warning from the left, but Charlize has broken the spell, wipes her mouth with her forearm and gets back on. Brutal stuff - Charlize reaching in, palming up, then ROASTING Hurley's breadbasket rich pumping lefts and rights. Hurley unable to twist and turn her way clear, forced to clinch, but she's getting stacked up, mauled. MIdway through, intense pounding of British ribs, hips and lower back has Hurley in a bad way - Liz stooped forward, draped around Charlize' hips - blonde bashing down against exposed kidney forces woozy brunette to her knees. Achy 8, Hurley - she covers up, often laying her side against the ropes and simply riding out the beating as Charlize romps to the bell unopposed. Janet's happy - that's what she wants every minute, every round, for the rest of this fight.

Rd 5: Theron head hunting, missing - Liz able to restore order with her slinky slips and swivels, turning to her right, steering Charlize around the ring and slowly bringing her to heel. After the first minute - Charlize tentative again from missing so much - she's stalking, but not getting off. Hurley with that pesky jab off her hip, brushing it, spanking it, cuffing it - jab's lulling Charlize, setting her up for the thumping left bolo punch to the midriff and the forget-me-not right hook as Liz sways in and out.

Rd 6: Liz has been working Charlize' stomach all night long - Hurley lands one of those flush, flat left hands with Theron stooping forward, guard at her temples, and blonde knees give way - Charlize is hurt. Theron stiff, just standing behind a rigid high guard, grimacing - Liz able to drag that sweeping left in amidships, lather the hook to ribs or ear, swivel-pivot to the right - it's classic Liz Hurley. Brunette bell to bell, nice easy pace - it's just Liz taking what she wants: brisket, rib, tit or temple - Charlize being cuffed and buffetted into stupor in onesided fashion this round. Janet J: "You don't start fighting back, I'm stopping this fight. I swear to God, I will stop this fight if you don't start punching this girl in her body as hard as you frigging can."

Rd 7: Liz has done the whittling, wearing Charlize down to the body, turning and frustrating her - brunette smells blood, goes for the kill. Charlize back to the ropes early - Liz working her with supple side to side work - dipping to the right to pull home lefts, dipping left to haul home rights - wallop to the waist, clock to the chin - she's got Charlize ready to go! Theron staring, soaking up shock, leaning upright against the ropes and taking thunderous licks jaw and body - she's getting clobbered, but the straight-up beating brings out the warrior in Charlize. Theron battered, but slugging back on autopilot - she's finding Liz with tight hooks inside, bringing her own looping right hand underneath against British chin. Crowd on it's feet - long armed girls tightening up their strokes and laying into one another at close range - it's slick and furious trade. Midway through, girls leaning forward, bending underneath one anothers slicing hooks - Charlize comes back with a short right uppercut on the button that shakes Liz to the core. Hurley frozen, not punching back - Charlize shifts a step to her right, digs a right to Hurley's quivering belly, then doubles up a tidy right uppercut to Hurley's chin and LIZ SPRAWLS ON HER BACK! Liz' legs out straight, spasming, head up off the canvas as she tries to turn over, but she CAN'T! Stunning KO7 Charlize Theron!

After: Pandemonium in the ring as Tech suits sit ashen faced in the stands. Theron demolishes her second Technetium flagship fighter in as many fights, flipping a sizeable British monkey off her back in the process - Hurley stopped after putting together one of the most comprehensive beatings of Charlize seen in some time.

Theron de-gloved, struts across the ring to indulge, hauling a snivelling Hurley up off her stool, and jamming her chest first into the corner. Liz' left leg is propped in the ropes, Charlize nodding, grinning, holding her palm out flat...camera cuts to Janet Jones who conducts a little post fight segment while the crowd roars in response to whatever Theron's doing to her helpless and vulnerable opponent.

"It was like pulling teeth tonight," says Janet with a wry smile, raising her voice to compete with crowd noise and what sounds like a woozy British shout of protest. "Charlize just wasn't executing like we'd trained, and it took all my leadership to coax her back onside. I willed Theron to a great victory tonight - I think I used every motivational trick in the book and in the end..." on and on - self serving fillibuster goes on in that vein for several minutes - camera shot finally switches back to Charlize strutting, hands held high - Liz devastated, limp in the corner, mouth open and burbling wetly, hair in sweaty clumps obviously pulled back off her face to reveal the dazed torment.