BEFORE: "I've seen enough," Natalie tells assembled media in prefight. "I've been the good newcomer - stayed on the sidelines - held my tongue...but Virginie's collapse against Kreuk was pathetic and needs to be addressed. We can't take the fight to HISC, and Foxfire and the rest without a strong lead fighter, and that's obviously me. I'm coming off a fight that a lot of people felt was the most perfect 10 round boxing performance of all time. Ledoyen will never know a moment like that: it's time for her to step aside."

Virginie livid, but holding herself together - she doesn't want to give Natalie any psychological advantage. "Kristin would have beaten Natalie at the tower," Virginie says flatly. "We all have brilliant nights from time to time - Kreuk was untouchable on that day, and I pushed her as hard as anyone could have. Portman looks titanic now, before any one has touched her - but I promise you - after just the first round of this fight, you will see a shriveled, frightened side of this girl no one one has seen before."

Nat in navy bandeau bikini with boy cut bottoms; hair in slick french braid; small white work out mitts. Virginie in bright baby blue bikini; small white work out mitts; brown curls loose.

During R1: Natalie out crisp n' quick - touching Virginie jabs tummy/face/tummy, then sidestepping clockwise. Ledoyen turning - fists curled against the hollows of her cheeks - she's sweeping hooks, trying to get Nat to duck into the stiff right uppercut. Hot-tossing back and forth through 2 minutes: Nat separates herself with rapid-fire combinations tummy-and-tits to take the round late.

R2: Nat startles Virginie with a sudden lead right: follow up combinations pepper Ledoyen to ropes as she's covering up. Ripping left uppercut punches Ledoyen up out of her stance: she's still hurt when Nat digs to gut, both hands blazing. Ledoyen brave: she's wounded here, grimacing, but slugging back - French vixen dippin'-and-diggin' to Natalie's flat tummy. Portman backed off by Virginie's weight of shot, but Nat circles, stoops to nibble jabs against French tummy: Portman's mobility and quick mitts continue to vex and bedevil French vixen.

R3: Swift exchange of hooks - girls ducking supple, trying to time each other in turns. Wide-ranging action to the minute mark - Portman pressing a pecking attack over Virginie's left shoulder: jabs and chopping right hands. Ledoyen stumbling backward, but recovering well: she ducks, leans forward, drags a wide right hand to Portman's ribs, smiting little American a terrible lick. Natalie crying out, cramping up: she forms a shaky earmuff, stooping forward behind mitts midring. Virginie sweeps the wide hook to Nat's right ear...Portman ducks on cue...Virginie leans in, tucks the shivering right uppercut in under Nat's left breast. Gasp of pain, Natalie: she's just frozen - weight out over her feet, dukes at cheeks...Ledoyen reloads, left hand lightly atop Nat's right shoulder as Virginie's right digs in harsh beneath pert Portman left breast. Portman sobbing out - right (back) knee giving way: she eases herself down, tears welling up as Ledoyen struts on past. Natalie rattling, blinking away tears: she's a body-shocked little vixen, aborting early attempts to push up off her right knee. She finally beats the count at 10 - legs trembling badly: ref doesn't like the look of it, waves this thing off TKO3 Ledoyen!

After: Virginie beaming - hands above her head on the victory strut: she bangs it out of her rival's body like a little champ should. Portman mounting a weak protest, hugging her body, but complaining that she could have gone on...Virginie's not buying it. "She was completely finished," Ledoyen reports happily. "The first punch, right there (placing the flat of her hand underneath her left breast) ended her - I could see in her eyes she couldn't continue. That second blow I struck was just insurance to get that knee touching down. Hopefully, this clears things up for Ms. Portman. She's wingman: I'm leader - no question."