Before: Battling oscar winners, girls keeping it respectful, cordial in prefight as befits Academy darlings. "Jennifer's a terrific fighter," admits Halle, "and we've had some hard tussles in our time, but I feel if I'm on my game, I'm a little too quick for her. I feel my speed is really coming back after this nice rest - I'm going to get pretty to her body, break her down in stages. It should be a great fight, but I think I'm going to be just a little bit better than Jennifer." Connelly equally gracious in her comments, "Halle's not looking old to me - she's got the body of a 20 year old. It's the same old thing - Berry's very quick and shifty, but my discipline and skills should counteract all that. She'll have her moments, but in the end, I'm confident I'll grind her down, and I don't like to mention this - but she IS a little chinny. Halle can't take my punch - I think she knows that and I think that's going to dictate the terms of this fight." Jennifer the blazing pink push up and panties worn by Raquel Welch in 1967's Bedazzled - Halle countering with the black push up and panties she wore in Swordfish - calculated psyche-play by Berry not lost on Connelly.

During R1,2: Halle with the left low, right hand at her mouth where she can parry Connelly's jab, or cup her right ear to block Connelly's hook, using a shoulder roll to slide under Jen's right hand and countering with darting rights out of the screen. Jennifer more conventional hands up, banging out the jab, inching forward as Halle slides back, wheels to either side. Jen the first, Halle the second in cautious, tactical early move-counter move.

R3: Jennifer's power shows up. Connelly spanking out jabs, making Halle commit defensively - Jen leans in with a searing right hand, nailing Berry on the mouth as she's leaning back - Halle's hurt. Jennifer patient on follow up, jabbing Berry to ropes, digging hurtful left/rights off the paunch - Berry bending low, twisting to absorb punishment as Connelly lays down a steady bombardment. Down the stretch, a poking Connelly lead right squirts through the guard, sets up a torquing hook on the temple and HALLE'S STUNNED! Berry sagging wide eyed into the ropes, staring into punishment - Jennifer lets her hands go hooks and straight rights to POUND away on Halle's gorgeous face at the bell! Halle busted up, bleeding from the nostril, trembling in the aftermath - judges give Jen a 10-8 for bell to bell dominance with power.

R4: Jen's jab sorting Halle's shifty movement out - Berry dipping and rolling, slide-stepping back, but that banging stick constantly making her work. Midway through, Jen spitting jabs, gets Halle to lay over on her right side - Connelly able to harpoon a long right hand to the ear and DROP HALLE TO ALL FOURS! Jen hopping to neutral corner as Halle takes ragged 8 - Berry setting up shabby at the ropes as ON COMES JENNIFER! Connelly investing heavily in the hips, breadbasket and flanks of her foe - ignoring Halle's elusive head to rip up that gut. Gorgeous body shots have Berry's face stretched tight with pain at the bell - Jennifer putting a butt-kicking into place after 4.

R5,6,7: Jennifer Connelly never better - patiently stalking behind her stinging, banging stick, moving Halle to the ropes, punishing her tiring body, and mopping up the head as Berry's movement starts to slow. Halle still cute with the left shoulder roll - taking a lot of the mustard off Jen's right hands, but Connelly's doing all the pitching, happy to bounce her fists off Halle's ribs when nothing else is available. Berry staying in the pocket for longer and longer sequences - rolling, turning her shoulders - Jennifer snapping tight rights and lefts off the arms, flanks, waist of her fading foe. In the seventh, Jennifer goes jug deliberately, cruelly and meaningfully, digging into the offending bra to cut to the core of her opponent's psyche. After 7, Halle wilting badly, unable to protect her breasts, beaten savagely to the body all night long - she's not the nimble little athlete who began this fight tonight.

R8: Halle with a step to the right, walks Jen into a hesitation right, then hops away - Berry finding something late with walking potshots. Jennifer eating Berry right hands, but taking them well and whittling down the ring - final minute, Connelly able to turn things around. In the Berry corner, Halle making cute moves off the adjacent ropes, making Jennifer miss, but Connelly stays on her with straight crisscrossing lefts and rights - finally catching Berry in the mouth a short right cross and straightening Halle up. SHRIEKING hook - Jennifer's best punch, pounds the mouthpiece off Halle's teeth, swivels her head in a shower of sweat - Halle's eyes click shut while she's still standing - dramatic tilt and timber to her right as Jennifer swings away tight lefts and rights over top. Berry stretching out cold on her face - KO8 Jennifer Connelly in spectacular fashion.

After: Berry systematically broken down and punished - in many ways one of the worst, most clinical beatings this proud warrior has ever taken. Jennifer justifiably proud of herself - she nullifies Halle's speed after 2 short rounds, then goes to work - tracking Berry down, harming her, working her over and stopping her with dreadful finality - Jennifer says what many pundits are thinking in the aftermath of this fight. "It's over for Halle - I just hope she can see it. She'll always get fights - who wouldn't want the Halle Berry payday - but I took something out of her tonight that she won't get back. In her heart, she'll always know it was me who finally put the finishing touches on her - I just hope she retires before she embarrasses herself." Oh Jennifer, Ouch.