Posted by Simguy on 2/12/2005

Before: "Natalie brings out the puncher in me," beams a chipper Claire in prefight. "I just see her very well, I know her moves, I know how to hurt her. Don't even bring up that Hilarie Burton performance by Nat: nothing that happened there applies in a Claire Danes fight."

Portman tight lipped, tense - Danes gets to her in a way most don't and that last loss still scalds. "Claire Danes kicked my ass last time," Natalie says matter-of-fact. "No excuses. But I'm getting each and every one of those punches back. I've sparred more rounds for this fight than any other I've had - I'm sharp, my timing is good - there is no reason in the world why I shouldn't dominate this girl."

Natalie in white/green floral print bandeau bikini, low ponytail - Claire in plaid bikini, bra style straps (see Aristide photo reference). Small gloves, both combatants.

During R1: Neither girl showing much respect - slender beauties lean in shoulder to shoulder and dig away downstairs. Girls compact, crowding in close to shove at each other, then ripping away to ribs and waist. Claire a little more constructive, consistently digging a hurtful left uppercut to Natalie's sternum, often going there with two or three consecutive jerking shots, then dipping to place the right hand in Nat's ribs. Portman shrugging it off, staying in there, working in tidy bursts of lefts and rights to the pit of Danes' stomach.

R2: Nat spritzing jabs, Claire weaving and slipping - mutual progression sees girls end up cheek to cheek again. No clinching - girls leaning forward, elbows in, dukes under chins as they grind heads for room, push and prop with elbows. Claire with those meanspirited plexus shots starts to rattle Nat - Portman sluggish midway through, laying in, but not getting off - Claire quickly takes a left handful of bandeau top, pulls Portman forward off balance, turns and pushes her away, clapping her a right hand on the eye as Natalie stumbles into ropes. Danes barrelling in close, flurrying to the line of Natalie's trunks, then arching her back to score a jackpot right uppercut to the point of Portman's chin - NATALIE'S LEGS GIVE WAY! Portman stunned, sagging into the ropes - happy Claire squares up, starts going to work speedbag lefts and rights across Portman's available face. Towards the end, Claire grabs Nat's top again with the left to stabilize, claps Nat a walloping open hand right on the jaw, then strokes her a miserable BACKHAND right on the right cheek. Instant referee intervention, finger waggle, and scolding at the bell: you can't backfist a girl across the face like that. Natalie holding her cheek with a wounded expression, legs trembling as Claire is ushered back to her corner.

R3: Natalie redoubling her efforts, still not finding Claire with the jab, but edging in close and fitting tidy rights and lefts into strawberry blonde ribs. Claire nice and compact, choosier this round, willing to block and wait longer, stepping to the side, influencing Portman in a counterclockwise rotation. Midway through, Danes working off the block inside, getting up into Nat with perfectly placed left uppercuts to the solar-plexus - Portman shouting in pain, legs rocked - brunette brave as she refuses to take a knee, hanging in and punching instead. Portman working late, but effect of Danes' accurate body blows visible: Natalie not punching with a lot of steam in the final minute - Danes grinning, constantly rubbing her tousle against Nat's face to the bell.

R4: Natalie out with right hands - Claire slips 'em - both girls fall inside by mutual assent. Danes a little sorceress - both girls digging and working underneath, but Claire with a knack of picking up shots on her elbows, turning at just the right time, dipping her torso side to side to create a Portman miss, then cashing in on Natalie's ribs. Claire not throwing any more than her foe, but she's landing a higher percentage, and she's made it a personal committment to get to Natalie's bruised sternum. Claire scoring with tight left or right uppercuts to Portman's body, once again buckles Natalie's proud legs after a series of cracking connects. Natalie open-mouthed, fighting back despair: she's getting banged up and can't quite believe it.

R5: Natalie doubling up the jab, trying the short right hand up top, back with a tidy swiping hook - then disengaging - Claire never really tagged, but not getting off either as Portman makes a sound adjustment. Natalie in and out, now showing a spearing jab to the body which DOES land - Portman starting to make tactical inroads as Danes closes her stance, starts swivel-pivoting in tight clockwise turns to shake the assault.

R6: Natalie keeps chipping away - spritzing jabs, chopping right hands, catspaw-swiping hooks, then bouncing outside to circle - brunette legs have initiative. Danes not taking the bait - Natalie trying to coax Claire forward and make her lead. Claire not doing much in the exchanges, staying defensive as Portman tips and taps for more points in the sixth.

R7: Claire times a Portman attack, colliding with brunette midring, headbutting her viciously while burying a right hand to solarplexus: there go Natalie's legs! Portman staggered back - Danes hopping forward with slinging right hands on the ear, riding brunette into the ropes and setting up big-girl on her. Natalie covering up hands at temples, stooping forward - Danes crowding in close with her shoulder, pushing and stacking, then getting up into Nat with both fists tidy. Natalie open-mouthed, really soaking it up - midway through, Claire tugs Nat's top, pulling her off the ropes, muscling her sideways and shoving her back into adjacent ropes. Portman just sick about it, but too hurt to prevent it - Danes stays on, growing more heartless with each punch. By the last minute, Claire's savaging Natalie, dipping and ripping uppercuts to that aching solar plexus, tugging Nat's top to push and pull her off balance, even holding her by her top to land drifting right hands on the mouth. Ref constantly barking reprimands - Danes focused on annihilation, doesn't pay much attention. Diligence rewarded - poor Portman reeling, devastated to her body - Claire snuggles in close, shouldering Portman back and rip-digging another cruel left uppercut to sternum, shutting off Natalie's legs and dropping her breathless to all fours. Portman sobbing, shuddering, face stretched in pain - Claire standing straight with legs together, offering a deep, mocking bow, glorious beaming smile as she drinks in the sight.

R8: Natalie shows good resilience, shaking off tortuous body work to continue to contest this thing. Claire in there shoulder to shoulder, bumping and trading with Portman, constantly trying to step around Nat's left shoulder to turn her. Danes very grabby now, tugging at Natalie's top to relieve any pressure and break up Natalie's rhythm - Portman stamping her foot at one point and demanding the ref DO something about the top-tugging.

R9: Shoulder to shoulder, but Natalie taking justice into her own hands. Nestled in close, she takes Claire's right bra strap in her left hand, holding Danes against the ropes for some rude, repeat business to the body via pumping right hand. Danes scowling, clinching - now SHE'S b###hing at the ref - official looking confused as both beauties start bending the rules. Both girls tugging at tops, or riding left arms around the opponent's head to anchor her for plugging right hands to the body. Crowd enjoying the senseless brawl - unexpected by two of boxing's wiliest technicians.

R10: Girls lean in close, claw away at each other in close quarters, each swinging away and landing loud to throbbing ribs and tender flanks. Claire gets a muscular little shoe-shine going across Natalie's firm jugs, but can't handle the response - Portman answering with a vigorous scrubbing of Danes' breasts backs the blonde upright into the ropes. Rest of the way Portman crowding Danes on the ropes and working her over - Claire dipping side to side, fitting in the odd counter to Natalie's ribs, but clearly on the defensive as brunette rides roughshod to the bell. Claire with a cheeky open hand slap after the break - Natalie lunging back in as ref gets involved - Danes grinning, taunting pesky as Portman is hauled off. Comes back UD10...Claire Danes!

After: Claire hounding Portman in the aftermath, shouting and taunting, really rubbing it in - officials have to keep 'em apart as tormented brunette lunges in uncharacteristic tantrum. Natalie fuming - disappointed at another loss to Claire, even MORE disappointed in the way she's allowed Claire to get under her skin.

"She just finds ways to rattle me," says a frustrated Portman in post fight. "Tonight she was tugging my top, another night it's her elbows - there's always something extra going on that I should just ignore, but I CAN'T. I know in my heart I'm better than that girl - I KNOW it!"

Danes breezy, insufferable in victory, accepting hugs from fellow members of the pack, glowing with triumph. "I love how Natalie thinks she can hang inside and punch with me," giggles Danes. "Once I saw what she was trying to do, I was like - 'You're kidding, right? This is your big plan - punch to my body?' Listen: I don't have many girls sobbing in pain during a fight - that's not my thing - but tonight? I brought out the blubbering quitter in Natalie Portman big time."