Before: "Erica's been exposed," Ali says, cutting at her foe in prefight. "She's chinny - can't take a good knock. Aggressive girls will always overwhelm her, because we know she can't afford to swap it up. I'm gonna take it to her - even though Erica can still crack, I know when we're both landing, she's the one who will give way." Durance fuming as Larter harps on Erica's early exits this year. "I'm through talking about my chin," Erica seethes at podium. "Larter's welcome to try me - I HOPE she goes right at me, because a lot of people are seeing this fight as deciding the future of the division, so I want her best. When I break Ali Larter - and I WILL break her - I hope the conversation can go back to being about my onslaught on the lightweight division." Larter in black bra, leopard print bottoms, black gloves. Erica in crimson bikini/navy bottoms with crimson hip belt (Smallville); red gloves.

During R1: First round jabbing fierce - both women employing poke like thrusting power punches. Durance gets the better of the fencing, easing Larter to perimeter by minute mark. Determined stream of right hands from Erica breaks down Larter's guard, pounds against her forehead and chin - Ali spilling wide eyed along ropes, strong legs suddenly challenged. Final minute - Erica steps-to, murders Ali to body: Durance leaning in close, curling short, slamming rights and lefts into Larter's waist and lungs as Ali's cringing forward behind mitts. Bell to bell domination - Erica D favours Ali with a smouldering, lingering glance as girls separate for break.

R2: Larter firms. She doubles up the jab, taking a little off it to be speedier with it. She's bouncing on her toes and heels, swivel-pivoting around, giving Erica angles. Larter with both dukes up, palms out - she'll stab a straight-slanting right down into Erica's chest or tummy, then come back the hook - neatly picking apart Durance defences. All Larter for two minutes, but down the stretch, nasty exchange of hooks goes Erica's way, unhinging Ali's legs. Distraught, Larter fades to ropes, legs shivering: she covers up earmuff, sits in strands as Durance wades in. THOROUGH pounding of Larter's sturdy flanks as Erica opens up with batting roundhouses: Ali gagging on punishment, cowering behind her guard. E relaxes as time winds down - systematically working both sides with either hand, then coming up the middle via uppercuts to body and face. Larter's strong legs hold her up; Erica steals a clear Larter round with late pop.

R3: Larter already scuffed up, disheveled, but she shows her durability, engaging Erica lusty midring. Exchange of ringing right hands to chin and vicious hooks to firm tummies illustrate durability all around - Erica taking a very good punch, but slowly yielding control of the round to Larter. Ali up tempoing - leading with sloping rights into Erica's torso and midriff, then hooking her chest or chin - Durance on her heels a bit, falling off the pace. Larter's jab piercing the defence, marking Erica beneath her eyes - Durance getting steered around as Larter exerts will. Ali staying at medium range - occasionally penetrating to get off in combination - but she's basically slashing and stabbing from outside, systematically taking Durance apart in the third.

R4: Larter's double jab becoming a problem - Durance catching pesky knock and poke, starting to get flustered as Ali takes the initiative. Midway through, Larter stepping in and out scores a GLORIOUS right hand to chin: clanging blast has Erica ponytrotting to her right, feet stamping in fence post holes. Larter carving into Erica's ribcage to consolidate - big, brassy right and left roundhouses bashing at torso: Durance wilts to ropes, face in gloves. Ali squares away late, enjoys Erica over the final minute: big, bashing beatdown administered to HMK enforcer's flanks. Larter uppercutting the heroic Durance rack as Erica's tilting forward numb from body blows: icing on the cake that is a shutout 4th.

R5: Erica stamp-jabs Larter's mouth, pre-empting blonde poke - girls rotating clockwise as Durance renegotiates terms. Larter attempts to barge in side to flurry: Durance eases weight to back (right) foot, executing a beautiful counter right uppercut and LARTER GOES DOWN! Ali walking into a ripping clip, drops to all fours, shaking her head: Durance lifts mitts, bellows in exultation en route to neutral corner. Larter up, but swaying - eyes glassy, lips parted: she's desperately hurt, sagging into ropes for support. Cue beatdown: Erica hard eyed, batting her mitts together as she crosses the ring - she steps into Larter's breadbasket with a thick-swinging right and never looks back. TERRIBLE drubbing administered - Durance squared away wide, teeth bared as she slams away relentless lefts and rights. Hook/cross combos; left uppercut/cross combos; right hands pitched mercilessly to tummy as Ali's stooping forward; pounding hammerfists against the back. Brave Larter suffers the worst battering of her career, sinking in stages to all fours late the round. Erica bellowing anew - raising her mitts and strutting - but LARTER BEATS THE COUNT! Ali cringing, all busted up, swaying, but on her feet - she makes it to the bell defiant.

R6: Erica wades in to finish, encounters much more resistance than she ever dreamed. Larter digging in, hunching up - left across her gut, right at her cheek as she edges the left shoulder into Erica's chest. Durance with dukes up at temples, pushing into Larter. Erica slamming away in tight, wide arcs, beating at Larter's ears and flanks. Larter dipping and ripping away up the middle - hooking Erica's tummy and breasts, uppercutting breasts and chin, chopping little right hands to face. Back and forth, shoulder to shoulder - willful vixens put on a high-class, high-output clinic in savagery, pulverizing each other senseless. At the bell, Erica's blinking, on her heels in wonder: Larter's taken the hardest fought two way round of the fight.

R7: Erica starts with the jab, deliberately going after Larter's left eye. Durance patient, consistently coming forward, sliding her back (right) foot as she encroaches, sliding her front (left) foot as she eases back to change range. Larter fighting with bared-tooth aggression - short, chopping lefts and rights in vicious flurries, but Erica's doing a good job catching these on her gloves and stepping back from them. Methodical Durance attacks usually see her pound the jab to Ali's eye, then pour in a right cross, then jab to recover balance and distance. Nothing fancy, but Erica's scoring the cleaner touches, blunting Larter's ferocity with superior technique.

R8: Similar stuff - Erica on the attack, but not wild - she's advancing two steps forward, one step back, using her jab to keep Larter compliant. Ali's left eye closing, making Erica's right hand more effective - Durance' cross finding Larter's chin at will now. Larter still scouring away in spots, forcing Erica to duck and cover: Durance not too proud to leg away from this stuff rather than engage Ali toe-to-toe. Erica also pounding at Ali's ribcage off the jab - strapping right/left roundhouses helping to wick away some of the vigour from energetic blonde through 8.

R9: Erica's jab has won air supremacy - she pounds Larter's left eye shut this round, has her nose bleeding, head kicking back from constant poke. Durance bending into majestic right crosses now - full blooded strokes, Erica leaning in low, eyes bright as she cracks Larter's chin. Ali's face turning hard-right from these blows - hands stacked right atop left at her stomach, elbows out wide in futile hope of warding off punches. Still, Larter's taking 'em - proving so durable that HMK corner continually screams "BODY, ERICA BODY!" to remind Durance to break Ali down first. Erica complies, slams homes some dreadful roundhouse blows as poor Larter crumples forward: great strapping whacks systematically crippling Ali through 9.

R10: Job of work for Erica - hard work - as Larter trades rights and lefts to once again test Durance' chin early. Erica stepping out, circling right 'round Ali's blindside, pounding jabs to left side of Ali's face. Larter stumbling a little, mobility shot from all the punishment - but she's like the Bismarck: sinking her is taking a hell of an effort. Durance safe when she's outside and circling counterclockwise, can hit Ali with anything she wants, and does - Larter just turning, dukes at temples, trying to get close enough to claw away for a miracle. Doesn't happen - final ringing right hand to chin sends Larter stumbling forlorn to ropes at bell. Comes back UD10, Erica Durance.

After: Brutal back and forth contest speaks well of both vixens, but Erica's the woman of the moment. "I was mentally tougher," Erica says, puffy face showing the effect of Larter's combinations. "We were both hurt, but I maintained my form and continued to execute my fightplan: she didn't. I'm more professional at this point - that's the difference between us - I'm a bit more polished under pressure and it showed. The way she fought tonight, I know I'm not done with Ali Larter. I think '08 is going to see me make a real effort to bring this girl to heel, because she's a nasty threat. I'm going to want to KNOW that I've got her under control at all times."