BEFORE: (Original air-date - summer 2012: Celebrity Boxing After Dark)

HBO wanting to get Blunt on air for some time now: Gugino thought to be a tough, but winnable debut for the girl called "The Blonde Kate Beckinsale" in UK fighting circles. "I've never liked the Beckinsale comparison," Emily frowns in prefight. "She's a wretched person - truly unpleasant and mean...I hope that American audiences won't rush to judgement on me just based on the marketing hype. As for Carla - she's well known in the UK as a rugged customer on carpet or canvas, so it's a well-made match for my debut. I'm excited...I expect to beat her, but I do have butterflies...girls who stumble in debuts often have a hard time gaining traction, so I definitely want to shine!"

"To me," Carla shrugs, "she's a trophy. The way they're building Emily, she can't last. She's no Kate Beckinsale, though my scouting says she's a classy orthodox boxer. When you're in with Kate, you're in tough; being in with Emily feels like I'm in soft. We'll see who she is when I dig into that ribcage of hers. I'm betting there's quit inside Emily even she doesn't know about yet!"

Carla in scarlet cotton two piece underwear; small black gloves; curly black hair up/wavy bangs framing face. Blunt in charcoal cotton sport top with thin straps; taupe cotton bikini bottoms with a boy leg; small grey gloves; shoulder-length blonde hair in loose curly-tangles.

R1: Carla in pressure-fighting crouch; dukes grouped near chin as she weaves close to hook ribs/breadbasket. Emily spitting jabs, backing up...she's trying to create distance. Gugino's pursuit prevails...she's bobbing inside, getting off robust to waistline and flanks - brunette fists busy about blonde torso in the first.

R2: Emily more elusive - retreating in front of Carla while putting left hand atop Gugino's head; spinning counter-clockwise off the apron; chopping right hands off Carla's cheek as Gugino sputters into ropes. Minute mark, CRISP hook/right hand combo spanks off Carla's face...brunette wobbly-butt, forming stunned earmuff: Em steps in on lead (left) leg, pops hips-right and rips hooks thick to liver - pumping in two before withdrawing behind a peppering jab. Blunt frowning, intense, circling Carla's left flank to turn brunette counter-clockwise - touching her stiff, straight one-twos from outside - often sorting out Carla's plump rack. Gugino fielding touches, turning and bobbing in the pocket: Emily pitching a classy shutout in the second, putting quick, accurate hands/nimble legs on display.

R3: Carla bobbing/weaving her way forward in crossed arm - right at her mouth/left under right elbow. Emily roaming to her right, spitting sticky left jabs, keeping the right cocked at her chest for sudden deployment. Tactical round dominated by Emily's legs...she's dictating distance to Carla; mixing up shots head and body; punishing the jugs via spanking one-twos. Gugino reduced to lunging hooks against Emily's ribs for single-shot connects in spots.

R4: Resolute pursuit from Carla hounds Emily to ropes - Gugino processing blonde girl on the apron. Carla's head/left elbow a constant bumping menace in Emily's chest as Gugino shoves and jostles for position; hooks thump and bounce off Emily's tight waist, or snatch at her lats - Carla snapping the mitts off meat LaMotta style. Right hand doing a lot of pushing-to-prep, but also scraping uppercuts inside, keeping Emily covered up in high earmuff. Blunt showing her inexperience here by absorbing behind her guard rather than tying up...Carla getting a good long look at proud British ribs as a result.

R5: Carla slugging out of the bob-and-weave: looping overhand right clouts chin early; sweeping hook toggles chin, leaving Emily frazzled and staring; thumping hook to ribs locks up Em's legs; bashing right upside the head has her sputtering out of orbit. Blunt hurt, backing into ropes with hands high/palms out...Carla ranges-in with pokey right hands, then RIPS hooks in behind Emily's right elbow. Blonde girl groaning, face grimacing in pain: she clinches head-and-left-arm, leaving Carla free to whack away righty-to-ribs until ref's breaks. Blunt's legs shakey - she can't wheel off the ropes...leads to a relentless wave of Gugino attacks as Carla wades in close, beats the belly; clobbers either arm/flank; pushes off brawny with left elbow; rips right uppercuts hoping for a little chin. Emily treated to bruising shove-and-slug...she's able to tie up for breaks, but can't reverse the situation or escape...Gugino nodding her head/smiling at the break as she pushes up off Emily all "I'm Big".

R6: Emily in wide stance/forward aspect as she's pivoting to her right - that back (right) heel up off canvas as she wheels around midring. Carla trying to penetrate, but jabbed into compliance...Emily using a combination of spicy left jabs and jagged left uppercuts off the front leg to keep Gugino defensive. Midway through, Emily scouring Carla's defenses with a scraping jab; digging at Gugino's waist with the short left uppercut...Carla grumpy in crossed-arm, movement slowing as frustration increases. Slashing right cross kisses off Carla's right cheek, startling her; jerking left uppercut locates the chin and DOWN GOES GUGINO! Carla dropped to all fours by pinpoint placement more than power...Emily glaring down on the strut-past to neutral corner. Trembling 8 Carla G: Emily quickly upon her all sleek, tanned thighs, flashing eyes and whirling fists, but GUGINO WON'T PUNK! Carla catching a swinging right flush on the chin, then a rising hook, but slugging back like a champ: Emily clobbered upside her head and momentarily destabilized by furious trade. Em trying to finish Carla with a series of chopping rights to head: Gugino bobbing under 'em, blasting back both hands to Emily's trim ribcage to deny blonde girl her first FCBA KO.

R7: Carla strong off the knockdown - stubby-jabbing out of her crouch to drive Emily ropeside; setting up on blonde-girl's chest with head and bumping left shoulder/elbow; thumping away from there. Em grimacing, slumping into ropes from the weight of Carla's persistent bump-and-slug onslaught...blonde girl issuing right uppercut receipt; trying to tie up when she can, but it's all Carla Gugino. Gugino absorbing the odd flush shot on her chin - often shaking her head "No!" after getting ripped...Emily looking a little discouraged by the ragdoll treatment through 7.

R8: Emily working behind her jab early...takes Carla a minute to cut off the ring, but when she does? Sweeping overhand right clips across astonished British face, buzzing Blunt's knees/sending her reeling into ropes. Cue beatdown as Carla sets up on Emily's chest, stays compact, bobs/bumps/slugs away on her opponent's torso - really laying the thump to Blunt. Bell: Emily hollow-eyed, mouthbreathing...she's getting welcomed to the FCBA through 8 bruising heats of Carla G!

R9: Emily leggy, reducing Carla's effectiveness, but it's more inexperience on Blunt's part, selecting evasion when she needs points. Gugino bobbing/stalking...she can't cut off the foe on her limber foe, but she keeps the pressure on - occasionally sinking a satisfying hook into Blunt's flank in spots.

R10: Torrential beatdown, Emily to Carla: Blunt using youth as a weapon to overwhelm her older foe. Starts early as clipping lefts and rights spark off Gugino's chin, making her stomp around in fence-post holes. Emily ripping to the body right/left - weaving her torso into the shots; bouncing mitts off the thick of Carla's paunch. Weighted on her front (left) leg, Emily rings right/left uppercuts off Carla's chin: soon as Gugino's hurt, Em digs hooks to liver, getting in behind right elbow like a champ. Carla in sputtering free-fall - beaten and pursued about the ring...she's facing groggy into punishment, extending arms in don't-hurt-me fashion, trying to push Emily away - meanwhile, Blunt distributing a crashing non-stop assault head to hip on Carla. Gugino's curvy legs hold her up as she spills haphazardly around the ring...seething blonde girl pours on a 10-8 beating without the knockdown, sending this one to the cards. Comes back a DRAW: both girls elect a decisive overtime solution.

R11: Gugino visibly slowed by Emily's savage 10th round onslaught: Carla forming earmuff, stepping/bobbing her forward, trying to get inside without giving up anymore chin. Emily able to work from wide stance in forward aspect...she roams to her right around a sticky left jab, dropping in the odd swift right cross against Carla's guard. Leaning over her left leg, Emily's getting terrific, snappy leverage on rising left hooks into Carla's midriff or ribs - blonde girl snatching at meat, bringing her mitt back quick to ready position at chest. Em edging her left shoulder in under Carla's guard to bump her upright/back...Gugino sullen behind her mitts, getting bumped off course/thumped amidships as blonde works briskly for shutout points.

R12: Same again - Gugino too exhausted to mount serious pressure - just encroaching behind that tight earmuff, hoping to snuggle inside and work. Emily's legs still springy-fresh...operating from an aggressive forward aspect, weight planted on left leg - she pounds her jab off Gugino's scalp/guard, establishing distance for the follow-on right crosses. Carla blocking the head shots, but going stationary in receipt: Emily able to dip in over her left leg, pop hips-right and really get her back into succulent left hooks behind the Gugino right elbow. To reset, Em just edges in with left shoulder underneath Carla's stooping earmuff front - bumps the brunette up and back, turning her counter-clockwise and continuing the assault. Midway through, Emily just going through her progressions drops the one-two up top, loads the hook, and rips it vicious to liver. Instant cringe-and-groan from Gugino - face stricken, she hugs her body, turns away, stumbles into ropes - her right hand on top strand as she stands there panting, left still wrapping her across her midsection. Emily hops in from 3/4s rear angle off Carla's right glute: blonde girl hooking her left hand at Gugino's belly from behind, digging at helpless, cringing brunette and THE REF STEPS IN! TKO12 for Emily B in clutch overtime fashion.

AFter: Debut proves to be a character test as Carla won't be had on the cheap...young legs prove decisive over the extra-long distance, however. "She was very durable, wasn't she?" Emily marvels in postfight. "Rugged as promised and giving value for money - especially on the inside. Obviously, I've work to do in certain situations, but overall I'm pleased. It's a stern test well passed I feel, and I'm excited to see who's next!"