Before: American brawn vs European guile - both women think they've got the competitive edge coming in. "I've looked at miles of tape on Casta and I just don't see it," Cole shakes her head. "Everyone's warning me not to take her lightly, and I'm not, but I'm just fighting so well right now I just don't see how she's going to stand up to me. Laetitia Casta is 'next' - you know what I mean? Now that I've got Jenny crying in her beer, it's time to branch out and bring some of these other tired old boots to heel!"

Casta smiling throughout, oozing post-Garner confidence: 'Tish on top of the world these days and looking to put gold around her waist once again. "I've seen Taylor Cole types before: so young, so brash, so naive. She will try to bully me, yes? And I will frustrate her. She will try to regroup and I will attack her. She will try to breathe and I will suffocate her. Taylor Cole will become a real fighter after I have beaten her: she has not seen the like of Laetitia Casta before."

Cole in striking cobalt bikini, frisky puncher's ponytail: Casta in leopard print push up, long top knot ponytail, scarlet bikini bottoms.

During R1: Aggressive punching from Taylor - one jab, then long, leaning right, stepping into Casta with authority. Laetitia using her footwork, feinting Cole, doubling up the jab body and head - just trying to take the youngster's temperature. Midway through, 'Tish lands a B+ right hand very clean on Taylor's chin - looping it slightly over Taylor's jab: Casta making a mental note of the connect as she steps to her left, eyes tranquil. Cole the aggressor - lands a few loud body shots as Casta's moving away - neither vixen hurt as Taylor brings the fight, Laetitia manages it.

R2: Cole taking a page from Jenny O'Dell, closing fast with Casta and hitting her a brace of strong lefts and rights, head and shoulders - just a rude clobbering of blows. Laetitia buffetted back to ropes, eyes wide - she rallies off the apron with a swinging right roundhouse to Taylor's sturdy breadbasket, landing with succulent thump. CLAMBAKE! Taylor baring her teeth - caroming a clubbing right off the side of Casta's head, hooking Laetitia a vicious wallop square to jug. Casta rocked back into ropes, trying to slug for respect - she dips forward, ducking low under shots, then lurching up into Taylor a series of breathtaking lefts and rights into brunette lungs. Cole absorbing body shellack, hooking Laetitia hard across the face, then pasting her righty: CASTA'S SHOOK! Laetitia wilting into the ropes, stunned, eyes glazing - she ducks just in time to slip under a rampaging right. Cole POURING herself at swooning French icon - pounding Laetitia a pair of withering hooks in above right hip, warping supple chassis and slumping 'Tish ropeside: Casta stops punching. Laetitia ragdoll, face-in-gloves, tilting forward: Cole feet set wide, smashing at the arms and flanks, loosening her girl up. OH THE BEATING! Taylor unleashing with the reckless vigour of youth, smashing at Casta's fabled ribcage, clobbering away to back when 'Tish bends too far forward - crowd screaming in frenzy as Taylor slams away. JUGG! Casta defenceless, eyelashes fluttering - Taylor able to pound her way past limp gaurd, marauding to French rack and pancaking those stupendous orbs. There goes Casta's mouthpiece - dribbling out of her slackjawed mouth, tumbling across her sulking bosom. 'Tish drooping forward, hands slightly out from her body about hip-height - Taylor's face lights up as she widens her stance and SWINGS AWAY! Sweeping, rising lefts off that front foot clip under Casta's overhanging chin, smashing her face back with concussive force. Hip-shift, then Taylor gets rising rights, turning over her right ankle as she bashes at the dregs. Laetitia's head on a bobble, snapping back over and over again, body just hanging there, halfway between sprawling forward and standing up - somebody please stop the fight! FINALLY, ref edges his left arm in there (his back to Taylor) to rescue Casta, but it's a poorly executed break: COLE RIPS LAETITIA AN INSURANCE HOOK ON THE TEMPLE! Taylor's eyes wide, tongue pink between her lips as she smokes Casta cheap n' late over top the official's shoulder - totally unintentional, but Cole's youthful exuberance may come back to haunt her one day. Ref hugs shattered Casta against the ropes: it's TKO2 in savage fashion, Taylor Cole.

After: Reactions in the audience vary. Theron loving it, spilling her popcorn down her front as Laetitia's taking punches. Jenny O'Dell sitting back into her seat and crossing her arms with lips pursed as soon as Casta swoons into defeat. Tricia Helfer telling the guy she's with to shut-up-for-a-second as her eyes narrow in concentration. Gena Lee Nolin nostrils flaring, cheeks blushing as a violent new gunslinger emerges in the ring - a direct threat to Nolin's slugging supremacy. Cole thrusting her mitts high, stomping away all flashing eyes and flared nostrils, rippling thighs and proud, strong tummy - growing list of well-respected names falling beneath her pounding fists has Taylor scorching to the top of the charts.

"Is it too late to replace Katherine Heigl as fighter of the year?" Cocky kid giggles, unaware she's on camera. "I pounded her worse than I pounded Jenny!" When it's formal interview time, Taylor still pumping with adrenaline, but toning it down a notch: "I'm just fighting with terrific pounce right now - I'm getting on girls, I'm overwhelming them and I'm not taking no for an answer. I feel like, when I want someone to go away, they go - they don't have any say in it. I want to be put in with Gena Lee Nolin. I want to be put in with Katherine Heigl, Jessica Biel, Jennifer Garner - I can totally hang with those girls. You know, I leave the big decisions up to my manager, but I want everyone to know that I fear nobody. Any girl, any weight - I don't care!"