UNIFIED LIGHTWEIGHT TITLE

Before: "She's had her way with me," Charisma admits ruefully, acknowledging Laetitia's inexplicable, heavy handed head-to-head dominance, "but to be fair, two of those fights came during troubled times for me. You know what they say: being champion makes a fighter 50% better - I figure Casta might have been one or two points better than me on those previous occasions - so I should have WAY too much for her now!"

Casta negotiating treacherous lightweight waters very well - she lured Carpenter to the table with taunts and that 3-0 career edge, snubbing Ms. Catherine Zeta Jones in the process and outflanking worthy names like Jen Garner who are forced to go the JOD route.

"I will be crowned champion when this is over," says a brazen Laetitia C. "And then you will see how well and truly I deserved the shot. Charisma is a fine, Theron-class fighter, but that leaves her a little shy of the mark against me. Time and again we have seen that Charisma cannot handle my pressure, my punching, my elan - I look forward to my fourth consecutive triumph over her with great anticipation!"

Laetitia in ivory string bikini, Charisma in navy battle bikini.

During R1: Charisma: comfy in the ropes, alternating hands from a stack at her stomach to peek-a-boo at her temples, turning her shoulders either side, slipping and ripping back at Casta sneaky left and right uppercuts or tucking counters to body. Laetitia - attacking behind a thudding jab, legs set strong, she'll step to the right to throw combinations from off Carpenter's left shoulder, minimizing CC's counter-ops. Down the stretch it's neck and neck and CASTA GOES DOWN! Girls just in there working - both chop short hooks - CC wins the race and puts Laetitia on her world-class rump. LaTish up quick, face burning crimson - CC refusing to get too excited about it - knows there's plenty of fight left in the French Fox.

R2: Casta gets it back: hard work against CC's slippery pocket defense. Carpenter rolling punches, lots of torso movement - dragging her fists into Casta's hips, flanks, armpits in the process of dipping side to side. Laetitia dukes up, jabbing stubby, then putting tidy rights and lefts together to overwhelm CC's defense - punches adding up on Carpenter's shoulders and chest as Casta hacks away at her. Tish reaching her left under Carpenter's right and stacking her rudely into ropes - plugging French right hands land unopposed to the pout of Charisma's gut as she's bodied down and belted.

R3: Carpenter getting the better of busy trade - still fighting with her back to ropes, at times reclining in them - nobody's more comfortable from that posture. Mistake Casta: too much in front of CC, not fighting off either shoulder - Carpenter able to dip side to side and shellack the chin, chest, waist. Carpenter warned for slicing the knife-edge of her hands above Casta's hips - kind of unintentional - just a by-product of the sleek, swiping counter-punching delivery she uses. Girls touch gloves after the foul, resume play - but CC still lands the odd hip-chop.

R4: Pace slowing, more rhythmic - girls settling in and working for the long haul. Casta pinging away straight rights and lefts, sliding over to her left to operate off Carpenter's right shoulder - French girl getting nice touches, even to the head as she tightens up stroke, keeps everything quick and fresh. Laetitia reaping a sweet bounty of Carpenter midsection via a thick, swinging right hand flat to paunch - Casta getting it from the oblique angle, almost sidearming it in there tough. First clinches of the fight from Carpenter - lips tight, eyes squinting in pain: Laetitia's hurting the champ this round. Dying moments, Casta cruising to the finish line and LAETITIA'S STUNG! Sneaky screened right hand off the ropes catches Casta flush, cracks her head back as her own right hand sails - she nearly takes another rump-dusting, staggering sideways into ropes instead. CC a total pro, steals the round with a cheap flurry, buffetting Casta about her breadbasket as Laetitia sags woozy in the ropes.

R5: Carpenter off the ropes now, showing more of a lead look as she swaps jabs with Casta midring. CC closing up behind her left shoulder and rolling Casta's right, then punching out of the screen with sharp, counter right hands. Casta's chin under fire - great pin-point accuracy from Carpenter adding up in French legs - CC gradually working Casta's back to the ropes. Down the stretch, CC muscular, pressing up on Laetitia then putting punches together - nice compact, swiping lefts and rights tidy up Casta's hips, flanks, tits and chin - French defense droopy, ineffective as LaTish counts on her stubborn chin to get her to the bell.

R6: Carpenter looking to pile on - gets stacked up and driven ropeside a brace of unforgiving Casta jabs. Laetitia setting up over the right shoulder, hooking Carpenter high to the temple, packing thick right hands firm to paunch - it's a bruising combination. Carpenter bunching up, suffering from the body blows - crossing her arms, lifting elbows to ward of blows - again she goes to tactical clinches to break Casta's rhythm. Laetitia using her elbows to shove CC off inside, butting Carpenter's mouth a veteran shoulder to discourage the grapple - she keeps hands free, keeps working to her foe's achy ribcage. Round ends to the side of Laetitia on widespread legs, lickin' and a-lashin' rising lefts and rights in robust shellack. Carpenter covered up face-in-gloves, just letting punches burst off her arms and shoulders, sheer concussion of French bombardment having a numbing effect.

R7,8: Hard hearted, non-stop, veteran two way. Carpenter mostly on the ropes - mounting jab-rushes to mix things up and change tempo, but then backing off to set traps and counter Casta to the body. Laetitia using her jab well, punching CC in the chest to fix position, stepping to either side to club away from oblique angles. Both girls take a vicious, brutal toll on one another's pain-wracked tummies - Carpenter via that constant swiping lather and hacking knife-edges - Casta using that thumping right hand plug-punch. Girls laying in cheek-by-jowl more often, sweating it out in the trenches, pushing and straining at each other during brawny lulls. Neither leaves off punching for long - these are tough, tough slogging rounds. Both start going to the overhanging ledge of bulging jug with clipping short-arm churn underneath - late bid to break the other's will in a tight struggle.

R9: Casta visibly weary, but urging herself on - she bodies Charisma at the ropes, mopping the champ with a damp brow, palming at her, trying to squirm in punches while pinning CC down. Carpenter managing Casta's body weight well - nudging her off with the left shoulder to pack in tight digging hook to rib; getting underneath looping Casta punches and feasting on exposed Casta coastline; closing up stance, rolling Casta's right hand and answering back curling rights zesty to tummy and jug. LaTish bogging down in hurt, eyes staring - she's just throwing herself at Carpenter and her jugs are paying an awful price. CC composed, compact and accurate, counters the hell out of Laetitia to send French vixen quivering with hurt to her corner.

R10: The will of Laetitia Casta: achy-bodied, queasy-kneed she digs down, wrestles Carpenter to ropes and applies greasy smear to good effect late. LaTish mopping Carpenter with a constant forehead rub, getting under CC's chin, palming her arms back to expose ribs, tummy and jugs. Casta leaning in, pulling home clobbering lefts and rights - just slugging blindly now, fighting on heart/instinct. CC showing signs of exhaustion - sitting in the ropes right hand left cheek, left across her troubled midriff, just soaking it up on her arms, clinching around Casta's shiny ribcage for breaks. Casta grinding away for points - at the bell, she lifts her mitts, chests up on Charisma and starts shouting "Encore! Encore!" Judges see it otherwise however: UD10 for the winner and STILL Lightweight Champ - Charisma Carpenter.

After: Dull look of shock and disbelief on Casta's face - she's been beaten by Charisma Carpenter and can't quite accept it. Charisma hugging her trainer, beaming happily: it's a special title defense for the champ.

"She fought me tough," Carpenter acknowledges in post fight, "but I always knew I could take her apart if my mind were right. I had a great camp, I made weight easier this time, I watched miles of tape on Casta and I felt we had a great plan coming in: you add it up and that's a beating for Laetitia every time! She's a great champion in her own right and I have nothing but respect for her - but no WAY anybody beats me four times in a row. I just could not lose this fight to Laetitia Casta."