JULIANNA HOUGH VS CHERYL BURKE

Hough in two piece ball room fighting gear - black with fringes, black gloves

Burke in two piece peach ball room fighting gear with fringes, black gloves.

Fought in support of upcoming Dancing With The Stars season

UD10 Hough

It used to be that Burke could count on being the most physical, sexiest, and hardest punching dancer on DWTS, and early titles on the show seemed to be hers for the taking as she routinely battered her rivals in the ring, and on the dance floor. But the one constant in competition is change, and as longer, stronger, more electrifying blondes began to populate the cast - we've seen Burke hard pressed. Julianna Hough is just such a blonde - a blonde seemingly designed in a lab somewhere to be the perfect answer to Burke's ballistic fighting style - and once again, she gave Cheryl some terrible moments en route to posting another decision victory over the multi-time champ.

It was 7 rounds to 3 for Julianna by the end - but that doesn't convey the shattering force of her strafing right hands that raked and rocked Cheryl all night long. It doesn't get across the pulsing domination posed by her jab, or the elegant, long-legged footwork that had Burke turning and sulking much of the night. True, Burke's quick hands caught Julianna with a potentially fight-winning combination in the seventh, buzzing long blonde legs and leaving Hough vulnerable to Burke's legendary ribcage pounding - but for the most part, the sexy brunette found herself loading up and hoping for a miracle. It's early days yet for ball-room boxing, and Cheryl could yet mount another run of conquest - but she'll need to solve the new geometry posed by dancers like Julianna and Kym Johnson if she hopes to reassert herself.