Before: Big movie star fight - Liu normally a heavy favourite in the match up, but Reese says things have changed over the last few years. "I'm just sturdier, smarter, stronger - I know who I am in the ring now and I'm not afraid of anybody,"Witherspoon explains. "I'll give Lucy hell in this fight, and I'm putting boxing on notice for '08." Liu unimpressed by reports of Witherspoon banging out good rounds in camp: "Hammering on Rachel Stevens for a few weeks doesn't get your ready for Lucy Liu," Double L shrugs. "You can't prepare for me, and Reese especially can't prepare. Does she look good? Yes - she's tightened up nicely, but the fact remains Reese is slow afoot, slow of mitt and conventional in approach. I'll walk her into bombs and take her out - easy-peezy!" Lucy in pale fuscia scoop top with tight baby doll sleeves and twist-tied at jugs; bare midriff; pale fuscia bikini bottoms; white boxing boots to mid calf with tassles; small white mitts; tangly-curled hair loose down her back. Reese in baby blue bikini - sturdy low-rise hipster bottoms; small white gloves; white boxing boots to midcalf (tassles).

During R1: Liu on her toes, dancing clockwise: right hand at her chest, left dangling. Reese dukes tight to temples, crouching forward, stepping forward and planting on her left leg. Liu commanding midring, tassles tossing as she bounces about. Lucy feinting multiple times, then bringing a buggy-whip right PAK! to Reese's tummy: Lucy bounding back out of range before blonde receipt. Witherspoon compact, sponging up single potshots - when she can get close, she'll club a short lead right out of her crouch, double up on short clubbing hooks - just trying make contact with elusive Asian.

R2: Lucy still circling, on her toes, pouncing in and out with buggy-whip rights off feints. Liu occasionally slapping a hook as she pivots left - so slick. Reese chugging away, stomping forward - she's punching in short, clubbing arcs - Liu often bending backwards on liquid hips, hands down - or deep-knee bending to get under the shots. Lucy scoring loud to Reese's left side ribs and paunch: blonde taking the shots well, continues to encroach.

R3: Lucy elects to go flat footed, test Reese up the middle. Liu edging her shoulder into Witherspoon's chest; Lucy's right at her chin, left across her body; weight on right foot as she nudges and bumps. Reese nostrils flaring, blazing away in short side to side clobberings: Liu's lips pursed, eyes narrowed as she twitches shoulders side to side, slipping shots, blocking shots while standing right in Witherspoon's wheelhouse. Reese getting off 4 for every 1 of Liu's - but Lucy placing her shots with thick, supple leverage. A Liu right hand pounds into blonde belly mound as Lucy twists torso-left: Liu pressing the mitt into the flesh as she dips her torso to slip Reese's right hand. Liu making Reese miss with bobbing, twisting toros movement, then slamming either hand to blonde midsection or ribs - really laying the mitts in there thick, bobbing to slip the receipts. Hard round to score as Reese IS scoring a lot of grazing partial-connects while Liu's stamping in thudding bodyblows to good effect.

R4: Liu back on her toes, dancing the ring: Reese ever forward, body pink from abuse. Liu feinting, leading her buggy-whip right hands, leaping away while swiping calling-card hooks: it's classic Lucy potshotting. But Reese staying strong, compact - blocking a lot of blows on her elbows and gloves, and when she's busted flush, she's taking Liu's shock well.

R5: Liu back in with her left shoulder in Reese's chest: toe-to-toe hammering resumes. Reese punching from her compact crouch - short, curling, clubbing shots pelting off Liu's shoulders and scalp. Witherspoon dipping in her crouch and ripping up with short, gouging hooks to Lucy's midsection and jug, trying to wear down the slip-n'-counter suppleness of Liu. Lucy lips pursed, eyes glaring - magnificent slips and rolls, punctuated with educated shoulder-bumps and pivots - then heavy, heavy punches with either hand into Reese's tummy, ribs, chin. Liu relying on vicious single shots, pressing the mitt into flesh after landing - it's a thick, thudding delivery. Reese absorbing with grunts and winces, but fighting through it: every Liu punch landed is paid for by a brace of blunt lefts and rights from Witherspoon. Round ends with Liu fighting near the ropes, under thumping pressure from a determined blonde.

R6: Liu loose, hands down, feet flat. She'll reach out the right from her front (left) foot, then shift to back foot while shocking Reese the hook. Witherspoon relying on a rigid guard to help defray the cost of advancing: she presses Liu to ropes, sets up to do harm. Thrilling hammer and tongs: Lucy in her closed stance, slipping, bumping, rolling, countering: Reese crouching in close, clobbering away, always bringing her dukes back to her temples. In close, Lucy with nudge her left shoulder into Reese, then clip a pair of short, short left hooks, her left shoulder just rolling the blows in. Reese will chug away lefts and rights to hip and gut and left buttock - her forehead pressed against Lucy's left shoulder. Liu will roll to her right, then come back vicious right uppercuts - several splitting Reese's mitts and picking up her chin flush. Another hard to score round: Reese has position and effective pressure; Liu's accuracy and power undeniable.

R7: Liu back on her toes, dancing outside. She's showboating a bit - occasionally holding her right hand up and out, twirling it a little, then bringing in buggy-whip style to Reese's tummy as Liu lunges in. Liu leaning back from shots, hands down, then pivoting left around her left foot: Witherspoon basically unable to make contact when there's separation like this. Liu going flat-footed and supple in spots - stepping back from Reese, pointing either shoulder at her; walking her into thick, shellacking power from either side. Bell: Liu scowling: she's busted Reese some huge shots through 7 and can't get Witherspoon off her feet. Reese? Busted up and body-bruised.

R8: Liu easing her left shoulder into Reese: more work close in, Asian trying to take the piss from her blonde. Oh those thick body shots - Liu slipping shots, then sinking a fist into Witherspoon's solid midsection, letting the mitt linger against flesh as Lucy dips low on follow through. Liu shoulder-bumping, then taking a half step back, walking Reese into gorgeous left or right uppercuts off either foot: Witherspoon rocked, wobbled, but rallying through it, resuming her forward progress. Fight migrates to ropes once again - Reese bashing away, hitting Lucy in her arms, back, tummy, occasionally clouting her face; Liu slipping and rolling - right hand moving from one cheek to the other as she parries blonde shots.

R9: Liu easing in to work toe-to-toe - familiar rhythm of Reese working hard, chugging away with volume; Liu supple, slipping and looking to bury her hardest, thickest punches into Witherspoon. Reese visibly rocked and shocked this round: a vicious left uppercut stuns her; a withering left hook takes her heavily behind her elbow; a blasting right cross splits her mitts - but she's walking through it, grimly pressurizing Liu. Lucy fading to ropes, scowling: she's winning the rounds and the fight, but not breaking Witherspoon down. Liu cute as can be against the ropes in her closed stance - snapping off little double and triple hooks off her shoulder-bumps; ripping right uppercuts off her slips.

R10: More pressure from Reese: Liu finally giving up on the notion of knocking Witherspoon out. Lucy on her toes, dancing outside - she's feinting, bringing potshots, then bouncing away before Reese can answer. Witherspoon trudging forward, cringing when Liu scores to the breadbasket, but give 'Spoon credit: she's taken the best of Lucy tonight. Bell - Liu never threatened, steps away with both hands raised. Comes back UD10 Lucy Liu.

After: Surprising fight - one of those decisions that's wide on the cards, but a matter of a few extra punches in each round. Witherspoon really simplifying her approach, buttressing it with improved fitness and iron will, simply refused to be dazzled by acrobatic Liu tonight. "Somebody's been eating her Wheaties,"Liu quips in postfight, eyes puffy - she's been in a real fight. "That's not the Reese Witherspoon I remember - THIS Reese Witherspoon came at me like Dani Fishel. I was expecting a walk in the park - but the park had muggers in it! I really needed to stay on point all night long to handle her." Witherspoon finally letting her guard down afterwards: she's visibly distressed to the body, legs shaky - but DURING the fight, she held it together very, very well.