Before: Girls more familiar with one another on apartment carpets where the action has been relatively competitive: Aniston thought to be at a bigger deficit in the boxing ring. "I know Connelly's body very well," Aniston relates in prefight, "boxing or wrestling, that's going to help me deal with her experience. True, I'm not going to be able to dig my knee into her thigh or twist her arm up behind her back (laughs, flips her hair in winsome fashion,) but trust me, there are things I can do to Jen that she won't like at all in this fight."

Connelly acting every the inch the favourite, her side the dais: "Jen's avoided boxing me her whole career," Connelly shrugs. "She knows I'm too physical for her and without grappling there's no way for her to compensate for that. I know Aniston just as well as she knows me and we BOTH know who's mentally tougher. I'll break her will, then break her body in this fight - I'm really looking forward to it!"

Connelly in white bikini, messy puncher's ponytail - Aniston in champagne bandeau top, green/gold check print string-tie bottoms, scruffy battle bun. Small gloves, both vixens. Only physical tension in prefight comes from Aniston's second, Courtney Cox, getting in Connelly's face with charges of ducking the more legit boxing challenge (Cox herself) to go at a soft target.

During R1: Girls adopting wide stances, setting and punching hard at the open. Elbows in, girls dipping side to side to pull snappy wallop onto each other - good spanking two way fare through the first minute. Midway through, girls punching, ducking, blocking in methodical rhythm - Connelly times an exquisite hook, beating Aniston's left to punches, buckling Ani's back knee to the canvas for a quick knockdown. Aniston breathing through pursed lips, collects herself for 8, steps forward dukes at temples but is hesitant to get off: Connelly helping herself to tanned Aniston waistline with snap-snapping rights and lefts - small mitts digging tacky into taut flesh.

R2: Similar stuff, neither girl afraid to set her feet wide, twist and pull hard leather onto opposing head and shoulders. Connelly matched punch for punch from this posture - but she separates herself with superior footwork - occasionally stepping around her jab or fading back to change distance on Ani. Good hardworking round: Connelly's ring generalship the difference.

R3: Connelly jabbing up top to stabilize, then dipping in strap thick right/lefts against the Aniston paunch: blonde lips parting as she soaks up tummy work, steps out to regroup. Connelly more obviously assertive this round, walking Ani down, banging her body - JConn imposing her will through 2 minutes. Down the stretch, Aniston grimacing, dug in dukes at temples on ropes: she invites Connelly in and catches her being too extravagant downstairs with a nipping little counter-hook on the temple. Connelly's back knee touches down in mirror image to her first round put-down of Aniston - Connelly's turn to gather herself during ref's 8 count, taking deep breaths. Aniston chin tucked, dukes up, strides in, dips down and pulls a clanging right over top onto Connelly's jaw - Connelly stunned, earmuffed up as she sags hurt to ropes. ANISTON RELEASES THE HOUNDS! Blonde tears it up, swinging away from her hips, elbows in as she thrashes lefts and rights up top - poor Jen Connelly wilting forward GOES TO ALL FOURS to relieve the pressure. Conny up at the bell, eyes moist, legs shaky - hot glares from Jen Aniston as she surveys the hurt.

R4: Connelly spearing Aniston with hard, first-minute jabs - pre-emptive poke busting past Ani's guard, knocking her head back and leaving her a half-step behind. Connelly mixing in her body attack - second minute sees her shellack the Aniston ribcage and waistline with those strapping, licking rights and lefts, really cramping Aniston up. Terrific work leaves Aniston paralyzed: she's moping midring, leaning forward behind her mitts, unable to answer as Connelly systematically reduces the flanks, and looks for short fish-hook left uppercuts to the bell.

R5: Comprehensive work being down by Jennifer Connelly - really showing her boxing pedigree this round. First minute jabs set the tone, bring Aniston to heel: she's earmuffed up, crouching forward midring, very tentative. Hard body licks - right/lefts strapped thick across paunch cramp Ani up, loosen her guard. Tucking, rangy hooks dig PIK! PAK! in behind Ani's right elbow as Conny reaches in off her front foot, then eases back to get jagged left and right uppercuts. Aniston grumpy, worked over - she tends to creep forward and fall into Connelly's punches when fatigued.

R6: Third consecutive shutout, Connelly. JConn bloodies Aniston's nose with those harsh, uncompromising jabs early, then starts stamping poke to tanned Aniston breadbasket while pivoting to the side. Aniston sullen, busting up, getting outclassed - she's creeping forward, but not releasing. Connelly uptempo, but well within herself - she's just painting Aniston up and down, stroking her numb, turning her midring, walking her into punishment. Bell: Connelly flashes a rare smile en route to her corner; Aniston slumps in her corner, gets a hardbitten lecture from unsympathetic Courtney Cox.

R7: Aniston jabs with Connelly early, unsettling former champ - both girls looking for hard right hands and it's Aniston connecting, Connelly sailing wide over top. Connelly's knees buckle, eyes water: she's hurt - stepping away to her right with anxious expression as Aniston hops in. Aniston treats herself to the Connelly midsection, bending down to strap thick right/lefts on pale tummy meat: Connelly grimacing, baring her teeth as HER tummy gets put to the test now. Aniston coming off the body with short-arm uppercuts - standing up in the stirrups to scrape and brush at Connelly's guard and face - Connelly hooks-with, catches 100% Aniston chin and ANI'S HURT! Aniston wobbling to her left, eyes forlorn, palms out - Connelly steps and fetches Ani a lunging straight right sloped to the body, spanking Ani breathless to ropes. Connelly hops in, sets up off Aniston's right shoulder and looks to clip her short right uppercuts - jagged little punches picking Ani up in the breast, right shoulder, face as she tilts forward. Aniston's legs shimmy, but she rallies, punching-with and catching Connelly a tidy little right/left on the mouth to back Connelly up and HERE COMES ANISTON! Walking barrage has Connelly in full retreat - she's backpedalling wildly, then stopping, crouching and RIPPING the right uppercut to catch Aniston coming in. DOWN GOES ANISTON! Ani reckless, rushing in - she crumples to canvas as if shot, reclining prettily to her back with eyes shut, lips pouting in KO'd shock. KO7 Jennifer Connelly.

After: Brief in-ring scuffle between Cox and Connelly neatly difused by officials - Connelly essentially turning away and giving CC a cold-snubbing shoulder rather than acknowledging her. JConn dinged up - fiesty Aniston doing some nice things to be surprisingly competitive tonight, but Connelly clearly the more complete fighter. "She was a little quicker than I expected," Connelly admits in postfight, "maybe a little more accurate - her timing was pretty good and that made up for her lack of pop. She caught me a couple of times, but I was never seriously hurt - I always knew where I was and what I had to do to regroup. Basically, I just went out there and won this fight in her body - the knockout came from all those bodyshots I put into her. She was really hurt and tired when she charged me in the seventh - that's why she was so open for the uppercut. I just walked her in and checked her out - simple!"