Before: "51%?" Charlize asks incredulously in prefight, "51%. That's what this kid thinks her chances are? Try 2% - with me suffering from pancreatic cancer and a bad hangover. I'm tempted to sew my right hand to the back of my swimsuit to get Laetitia up into the low teens percentage wise. Where do these chumps get off?"

Casta staying reserved, letting Theron do most of the chirping - sources revealing that Laetitia's focused, having the best camp of her life and ready to fight this blonde with everything she's got. "I'm standing by my assessment," Casta tells reporters, "I will give Charlize the hardest fight of her career."

Casta in leopard print bikini, hair tied back, Theron in black silk bikini. At the signal to touch gloves, Charlize turns her back, spurning Casta midring.

During R1: Theron on her toes: hands loose and low, flicking the jab off her stomach, settling into a nice easy, rangy rhythm. Casta batting at the jab, stalking, trying to cut off the ring without success, coming up short on her right hands. Midway through, Laetitia overextends on a right, Theron counters with a cuffing left off her stomach, slings in a torquing right from her hip and CASTA GOES DOWN! Laetitia swatted to her hands and knees - Theron looking down imperiously, stepping over the French woman's back en route to the neutral corner. Casta up, nodding her willingness to continue to the ref and ON COMES THERON! Charlize looking for the first round KO! Theron UNLEASHING with a sizzling barrage of rising lefts, downward arcing rights, landing with fists, sides of her hands, TEARING Laetitia apart at the ropes. Casta digging in, covered up and getting battered. At the bell - Theron chests up, shouting into Casta's vacant face "What percent was that? Huh?" Laetitia dazed, uncomprehending as ref pulls blonde away by her arm.

R2: Theron gritting her teeth, looking to chop away at what's left. Charlize loose and limber, lifting her hook off her thigh to swat and cuff, turning into slicing right hands on the eye and cheek, falling off to either side. Casta all shiny and lumped up early, but recovering well - she's getting a heavy jab through to Theron's chest. Midway through, Laetitia lining Charlize up BEATS blonde to a right hand and THERON IS HURT! Charlize' back knee almost touches canvas - she straightens and wobbles away - and gets CLOCKED in the ear as Casta pounces. Theron ragdolling to the ropes, eyes glassy and it's WAR! Brunette digs in, shoving and palming at Charlize to prop her up, then whalloping home vicious right hands on the jaw - Theron refusing to go, tearing away at Laetitia with licking, rising lefts and rights in fierce toe to toe trade. Bell sounds - both girls belting away - ref steps in - this thing's a fight.

R3: Casta's been watching Bell/Theron tapes. Laetitia compensating for Charlize' quickness with a harsh, stabbing jab in the chest, keeping blonde in front of her, steering her to the corners. Theron willing to trade, but she's loose and lanky with her punches, bringing them up from her hips to lash at Laetitia and taking that hard right hand repeatedly on the chin. Casta liking the bargain - she's rocking Charlize consistently, pounding away to the head in a series of raucous exchanges all around the ring.

R4: Jones massaging Charlize' legs during the break, telling her to quit playing with this kid and do some damage. Theron out with springy legs, touching Casta the jab off the hip, the circus backhand jab, the swinging hook on the ear - all in syncopation with the bouncing, in and out, side to side movement. Casta keeping her mitts at her cheeks, stooping forward, peering at Charlize but unable to get off - Laetitia's a spectator as Theron puts on a show. Down the stretch: disaster. Charlize with a sudden one-two up the middle, hurts Leatitia, freezes her. Another booming right on the jaw - Casta hops to her right, drops to one knee for a quick 8. Casta wading forward off the ropes - Charlize feints in, steps out, then sweeps in with a crashing right on the temple BLUDGEONING LAETITIA TO HER KNEES! Casta badly hurt this time, failing on her first attempt up, but beating the count - she's swaying and dazed, gloves at her lips. Charlize on with a TORRENT of punches - Casta wilting to her right, sliding along the ropes - Theron just welting away, doing murderous work with slinging right hands upstairs and CASTA GOES DOWN AGAIN! Laetitia beaten to the canvas once again, sitting on her left hip as Theron steps into her lap, hands on the top rope, bellowing out into the audience as the ref tries to get involved. Casta somehow escaping the round - getting desperate work done during the break.

R5: CASTA COMES BACK! Charlize shocked to see a resolute French woman, chin tucked, dukes up, walk her down and start firing hard punches to either flank. Laetitia just banging her way into Theron's waist, coming off the midsection to set down on clubbing right hands over the top - blonde beaten to the ropes and setting up on defense. Charlize batting her palms down on Laetitia's shoulders and head, trying to muffle the attack - Casta crouched, hurling vicious rights to the ribs and jaw, using her left to palm and stabilize the blonde. Theron hurt at the midway point, crowd screaming as her back leans out over the top rope, then she tilts forward again for more abuse. Charlize not answering back, hands stacked at her stomach, lazy upperbody movement not confusing Casta at all as she POUNDS face with awful right hands to the bell.

R6: Both women shopworn, fight taking a terrible toll through 6. Theron goes back to boxing, neutralizing Casta with circular movement, flicking, constant jabs. Theron safety-first, well outside for most of the round, but she sets down late, hurts Casta a right hand over a low French left, then pounces. Theron with a long, low slung left wide to the jaw and a DRILLING short right hand on the mouth sends Casta reeling and once again one girl's on the verge of going under as the other tries to finish. Casta's turn to loll helplessly at the ropes, taking a withering beat down as Charlize clouts away with swinging lefts and rights. Frustrated blonde keeps wailing after the bell - Laetitia swaying on the spot, all busted up, but refusing to quit despite the hellish punishment.

R7: Shutout Theron. Charlize complaining of hurting hands - she's bounced her hardest shots off Laetitia's noggin and the brunette's still there - blonde content to box out a round and regroup. Casta getting worn out by jabs - she's crouched forward, gloves up, but she's not moving her head much anymore - Theron just touching her up cruelly bell to bell, steering her around the ring.

R8: Theron still in control, disciplined boxing from outside. Casta having moments, measuring Charlize with a jab between the breasts and grazing the blonde's chin with shearing rights as Theron leans away - close calls for Charlize, but she's making Casta miss, then clipping her good on the counter. Theron nodding confidently at the bell - both faces badly used, legs burning, but both still digging down for more after 8.

R9: All Theron with her boxing, but Casta narrowing the gap. Laetitia coming forward, keeping the stubborn jab in Charlize' chest, still coming up short with right hands, but hounding Theron to the corners. Final minute, Charlize trying to bounce off adjacent ring ropes in a corner, turns her shoulders, hands down and Casta hums across a splitting right hand that catches blonde chin - THERON IS HURT! Charlize skidding backwards, top hand on the ropes preventing her from falling - Laetitia climbs aboard. Theron bullied up against the ropes, gloves at her chest and CASTA WORKS THE RIBCAGE! Big, meaty right hands to the left side - Theron groaning, buckling forward, then getting picked up a thumping right uppercut in the breasts. Charlize swaying, out on her feet, taking a monster beat down - eyes are half closed, legs locked as Casta beats it out of her to the bell.

R10: Girls slack jawed, mute getting rubbed down in their corners - they slouch off their stools, shamble midring to do more business. Theron crippled, flat footed, but still with the ability to get off first, touching the long jab between Leatitia's eyes, then stepping to the left. Casta blinking, taking it, coming forward - she's fighting on insinct. Charlize no longer looking for the KO - she's content to bang away from outside, retreat to the corners, then tie up her foe in sweaty clinches, hugging Laetitia for breaks, then walking with hands down to center ring to begin anew. Casta can't up the tempo, can't beat the clinch - she's shutout and finessed as Theron coasts to a UD10 victory.

After: Left side of Theron's face purple with abuse, she's exhausted, left elbow tight against her side as trainers remove her gloves. Casta battered beyond recognition, eyes closed, too tired to be dejected with the loss. Fight pretty close in rounds, but the 4th catastrophic for Casta - 3 knockdowns virtually sealed her fate on the cards, necessitating the KO that never came. Kind of losing effort that can really benefit a fighter - we saw the Laetitia Casta that they've been bragging about in Europe for years, brunette giving blonde all she could handle to the final