After earning herself some notoriety by knocking out Dorothy Lamour in 1944, Yvonne De Carlo earned the opportunity that would allow her acting career to take off. In September 1944, De Carlo won the lead role in Salome, Where She Danced, coming out ahead of over 20,000 competitors according to reports. While she had a reputation as a fighter, De Carlo actually pulled ahead of the competition by her skills as a pinup and the advocacy of her friends. At most, she stepped into the ring twice in pursuit of the role; records of the period are limited. 

The movie was a hit, leaving De Carlo with a contract at Universal, and attention from the press that the young actress found uncomfortable at first. The press did not reciprocate her discomfort, and pronounced her "The most beautiful girl in the world" on several occasions over her protests. De Carlo eventually explicitly denied the claim, naming five women who she considered tied for the position -- fellow actresses Linda Darnell, Hedy Lamarr, and Merle Oberon, as well as noteworthy wives of foreign politicians Soong May-Ling and Edwina Mountbatten. While it was a throwaway remark in De Carlo's mind that she no doubt forgot minutes later, it caught attention from the press and the Hollywood rumor machine. The comment circulated and gained momentum, and the media began to clamor for a small tournament between the supposed most beautiful women. 

This pressure built up without De Carlo noticing, as the young starlet was still coming to terms with her fame. As a result, De Carlo was quite surprised to receive a polite but insistent challenge from Merle Oberon referencing a single sentence she had said weeks earlier. However, De Carlo accepted the challenge immediately. "You don't get to fight the most beautiful woman in the world very often," she explained. 

The specifics of the matchup were effectively up to chance. Soong May-Ling and Edwina Mountbatten were utterly unavailable for obvious reasons. Darnell, Oberon, and De Carlo were roughly the same size; Lamarr, the odd one out, was excluded through no fault of her own. Oberon was simply the first to issue the challenge, perhaps pressured by her management to seek the spotlight. Her most noteworthy role at that point had been Wuthering Heights, which had been years earlier. Oberon had her own explanation. "I was flattered, but a woman can't make a comparison like Yvonne did without inviting questions as to who is the best. I intend to answer those questions." 

When the night of the event arrived, the medium sized, private venue was packed with a select audience. Both women were civil but serious during the setup. De Carlo removed her robe early to reveal a red one piece, while Oberon required slightly more preparation to show her similar outfit in teal. Several witnesses reported that Oberon was not looking the part of the most beautiful woman in the world at the event. While it was not public knowledge at the time, the actress had suffered damage to her skin from multiple chemicals and a serious car accident. On screen, lighting and makeup could hide the damage; in person, there was only so much her management could do. 

General opinion was divided on which woman was the favorite. De Carlo, while proven against chorus girls, had rarely been subjected to this much pressure. Oberon was famous for fighting infrequently, varying wildly between matches -- no one was sure which Oberon would show up to this particular fight. 

Round 1: 

The main question on the audience's mind was which version of Oberon would show up to the fight -- a tough expert and an underprepared flailer had both made appearances previously. Oberon answered the question in the opening by firmly putting De Carlo on the defense. While De Carlo's guard held up, Oberon was making the plays. Towards the end of the round the younger brunette absorbed several direct hits to the face despite her best efforts at keeping Oberon back. 

Round 2: 

Top quality Oberon returned in the second round, unsurprisingly, as she would historically show up for the entire fight or none of it. While De Carlo kept her effort high, aside for a brief period mid-round where she threatened to turn the fight around, it was not enough. Oberon continued to poke away at De Carlo, occasionally making the younger actress flinch. 

Round 3: 

Up against a difficult opponent, De Carlo was forced into bigger risks. Despite near misses early on, the gamble seemed to pay off. Oberon was forced into costly trades that allowed De Carlo to pull ahead on points for a round. However, the actresses were mostly even on bruises; high risk high reward proved to be unsustainable. A slumped, sweaty De Carlo reevaluated her strategy in the corner between rounds. 

Round 4: 

In the fourth round the pendulum swung the other way for De Carlo. Going at Oberon full tilt once again only allowed the other actress more opportunities once she survived the opening. After getting stalled by a straight punch that left her responses slowed and staggered by the follow up, De Carlo cut her losses. Oberon was able to take control again, this time against an opponent struggling to strike back meaningfully. 

Round 5: 

The fifth round was a slow paced but vital recovery for De Carlo. This time around, she was still up against a dangerous opponent, but managed to be more slippery if nothing else. Each near miss from Oberon left De Carlo able to cautiously but meaningfully respond. Even though Oberon left the round mostly unhurt, the fifth round showed that De Carlo was still in the fight. 

Round 6: 

Once again the actresses faced off for what promised to be a slow paced round, with Oberon on the attack but careful to avoid overextending. However, during the opening, De Carlo managed to weave around one of Oberon's swings and strike the woman on the chin before she could react. Oberon hesitated, and De Carlo's right handed follow up struck the side of her head, causing the once dominant woman to backtrack unsteadily. It was not enough -- De Carlo's left hand found Oberon's temple up close, causing the shorter actress to grunt and fall face down, on her hands and knees for a moment before sinking to the canvas with her eyes shut and her body relaxed. With Oberon down for a ten count and then some, the KO6 De Carlo was announced. 

De Carlo, chest heaving and battle damaged, stood over her unconscious rival with her fists clenched at her sides and one hip thrust out. While measuring the most beautiful woman in the world would always be difficult, any casual observer could see who the winner was in the ring. Once again, De Carlo had a win marred by press controversy; opinions were split as to whether De Carlo was a consistently outclassed, inferior fighter who stumbled into the luckiest three seconds in history, or an effective player with a plan that did not involve points capable of hitting like a train. De Carlo herself steered away from this argument in her comments. "I still think she has me beat on looks, but we weren't having a beauty contest," commented the actress. In a matchup determined mostly by coincidence, there was not much expectation of animosity. With Oberon forgotten for the moment, a future fight between De Carlo and Darnell seemed all but guaranteed.