Before: England vs France - bout is front page news across the pond. First Beckinsale bumps Zeta Jones from a Theron date, now Kate's muscling in on Jones' bitter rivalry with Casta - is Beckinsale looking to replace CZJ altogether?

"People are fickle," Kate says with a coy little smile. "If they prefer me to Catherine, who am I to argue?"

Calculating career move for Laetitia, bumped down the depth chart in her own gym - she's looking to steal a little of Beckinsale's hard-won heat.

"Kate has proven herself against old hags and spent forces," says Laetitia, "but I believe she's gotten a little too excited about her successes. It's time to bring this British tramp back to earth with a hard beating - and that's exactly what I plan to give her."

Laetitia in royal blue bikini, white fleurs de lis print, Beckinsale in black diet coke ad bikini, white waistband.

During R1,2: Casta's been watching tape - comes out with a measured, well conceived fight plan. Hard sticking jabs to chip away at Beck as she comes in, then right uppercuts to take advantage of Kate's temple-high guard. Kate coming forward, dipping side to side, rolling her torso - Casta sliding back in good order, using distance like a champ. Laetitia takes both heats, touches Beck up mostly with the jab in well-schooled early action.

R3: Ain't broke, Casta ain't fixing it, and end of minute one, it's working perfectly. Laetitia luring Beckinsale around the ring, pounding away the jab, keeping Kate at arm's length, then a wide slapping hook on the ear, straight plowing right on the mouth DROPS KATE AT THE ROPES! Beckinsale down heavily, sprawling, dazzled - she climbs the strands to beat the count, but she's in shabby-legged shape. ON COMES CASTA! 'Tish getting big - palming up to jostle her foe, batting at the flanks, then trying to clip-curl tight uppies as Kate reflexively keeps her hands at her temples and leans forward when hurt. Beckinsale bumped, punched, bullied - Kate showing a stout heart in soaking up a thick beating as Laetitia stays on her, methodically working up and down on her groggy foe. At the bell - Casta with a smirk and a demure little look up through her eyelashes - she's satisfied with the dazed, punished expression on Kate's pinched face.

R4: Beckinsale answers the adversity, shaking off the knockdown and follow-on beatdown to have her best round. Kate spitting out the jab to help her negotiate distance - she's getting to Laetitia's chest and proving superior in close. Kate stroking the ribs, swiping hard beneath the breast-line, digging out the belly - Casta forced to the ropes and issuing canny clinches, tieing up head and arm on the fiesty Briton.

R5,6: Back and forth boxing action - both girls having their moments as Casta takes a narrow fifth, Kate a close sixth. Casta wants distance, using her jab and a little fade to make Beckinsale reach and crane forward - Laetitia using the uppercut against Kate's high guard. Kate wants to collapse distance, get French backside into ropes and work - when she can get to Casta's chest, Kate's the boss. Little to choose between vixens in these heats - Katie seemingly getting her legs back and fighting on even terms through 6.

R7: OH LAETITIA! Casta just easing to her right, feinting and bringing out the jab - she turns over that wide slapping hook, drills the straight right between Beckinsale's mitts, shunting Kate's chin down to her chest and BECKINSALE'S DOWN! Kate knocked off her feet and sprawled to her back again by accurate, hard French right hand - Laetitia strutting pretty to the neutral corner as Beck struggles to beat the count. Casta with another freebie round - Kate just digging in hurt at the ropes and covering up - Laetitia helps herself to that taut midsection, those creamy flanks, and it must be said, that shiny lower back as Kate leans forward. Casta keeping it heavy on Beckinsale, bodying up with her shoulder, pressing Kate against the ropes, wrapping up with the left and plugging away righty to the vulnerable tummy. Beckinsale bullied and abused, but refusing to be dropped again - she finishes up shabby but defiant as Casta chests up sultry at the bell.

R8: As she did in the fourth, Kate fights back hard after a knockdown, winning the round and preventing a Casta finishing run. Laetitia on her heels, backed to the ropes - Casta riding her hands on Kate's shoulders, pulling the head down, trying to tie up whenever British brawler gets inside. Kate carrying the round with clawing combination punching in close, but Laetitia exposing the British girl with sleek uppercuts, often pulling Beck's head down and clipping her righty with a little shoulder shrug.

R9: Casta back to the jab, fade, right uppercut timing punch as she uses Beckinsale's forward momentum and hand position against her. Kate proving stubborn, munching uppies on the chin and walking through them, but she's getting tagged, then turned as Laetitia pivots to either side after scoring, keeping the jab on. Casta outclassing Beckinsale through 9, lumping that exquisite face up with deliberate intent.

R10: Kate's legs proving strong and resilient - she attacks with renewed vigor and forces Casta to the ropes for much of the round. Laetitia upright, using her hands to control Kate's head, disrupting most of the head punches - she's giving away her midriff cheap to keep Kate from getting the homerun. Beckinsale chewing away, Casta selectively writhing in sneaky counteruppercuts and banging back that beautiful face - this one goes to the cards. Comes back UD10 Casta in decisive fashion.

After: Beckinsale all puffy-faced, sore, disappointed - Kate learning fast that the same old stuff won't work forever in the FCBA - Casta coming in with good preparation, a well-conceived approach, executes more or less flawlessly to expose an exciting new contender.

"We knew we could run her into the uppercut all night, and we knew we could hurt her with straight rights," says Casta with a Pierre-Trudeau shrug, "it was an easy fight. Kate fights like she's strong, but she's not strong, you control her and dominate her like you would any other blown up bantam. And, if you look at her face now, you see she's not so pretty after all." Ouch - Casta not exactly diplomatic in her assessment, regains a little lustre with a very professional outing.