Before: Casta the 'American Assassin', so-called for her ability to strip strong US champs of their titles - she comes into this fight in prime upset shape. Cat Bell well aware of the challenge.

"Laetitia is the most underated top contender out there in my opinion," says the champ. "She can box, she can work the body, she can punch and she's durable. I've watched how she's recently tightened up her stroke and I think it's made her more dangerous than ever. I know I have to be at the top of my game to handle Casta - no mistakes allowed."

Casta in royal blue bikini, white fleur de lis print, Cat in white STUFF mag bikini.

During R1: Girls easy to midring, touching gloves, then jabbing stiffly at one another's chests. Casta stepping up, turning over a big right hand and LAETITIA GOES DOWN! Bell timing it, ducking in and fitting a tidy right to onrushing French chin - Casta's right sails over top as she corkscrews into the mat, sprawling in swoon on her back for a dazzling opening punch knockdown! LC up at 8, but fried - legs rubbery, torso wobbling on creamy hips, gloves up weak at the mouth - Laetitia covers up as Cat Bell stomps over to finish. Bell cleaning up rugged - harsh, batting straight arm rights and lefts repeatedly against the flanks, tuff palm-shoves in the shoulders to prop Casta up against the ropes, then softening bombardments to belly, both dukes a-pumping. Shove and slug, shove and slug - Cat just pouring it on in measured doses, systematically demolishing Casta's body at the waistline, then roaming up top with curling, tight lefts and rights chest and chin. Final minute, Cat working inside rolls her shoulder, picks up Casta's chin a tidy left/right uppercut sequence, puts the hook on top and sits Laetitia stunned in the ropes. Casta out on her feet, head lolling, defences drooping - Cat has to pull a punch as the bell sounds - champ very gracious in not labelling her helpless opponent late.

R2: Cat with her jab, spreading Casta out - Laetitia glassy eyed, but stubborn, flat footed, trying to make something happen. End of minute one - Cat blocks a Casta right, drops a chopping right blunt on the left side of Laetitia's face - French legs give way, Casta staggers sideways across the ring into the ropes. Cat business like as she moves in, jabbing to get Tisha leaning back upright, then digging into breadbasket with a pumping barrage. Laetitia groaning, folding forward into Cat's arms - Bell muscular as she shoves and dumps Casta into the ropes, then beats her mercilessly - keeping up a raking lather on the girl's sides. Cat taking what she wants - Laetitia wilting forward, getting shoved back - poor French beauty just dazed with punishment, not answering back. Crowd roaring appreciatively as Cat spends a lengthy sequence just thumping away to Casta's available jugs - cuffing, tight lefts and rights, just a-womping away on those bulging French loafs. Casta open mouthed, staring at the bell - 6 minutes of Cat Bell has French girl tremble-bodied.

R3: Bell backs Laetitia up with spearing jabs through the middle - wonky French legs, wobbly French backside struggling to keep Laetitia up as her back hits ropes once again. Robust beat down flows forth - Cat humming like a well oiled machine - straight arm lefts shivering upon impact with Casta's side, digging, doubled up rights getting in under the elbow, stoving in Casta's lung. Laetitia stooping forward, lolling hurt against Cat's chest - Bell just reaching down the girl's body and torturing her, pounding away without remorse or let-up. Casta's feeble clinches don't buy her much time - Cat either punching around the outstretched limbs, or wading back in as soon as the ref spreads 'em apart. Bell to bell Bell: 9 consecutive minutes of shelling has Casta in tatters.

R4: French girl grimly shaking off the ref during the break - she wants to continue - up off her stool reeling, but stoic. Bell on her girl with the jab, snapping it up top, placing it flat to belly - Casta reacting late, getting touched up, shuffling to the ropes to dig in. Once Cat has Laetitia covering and drooping, American opens up lusty - those big, strapping blows to either flank, the romping gut work as Cat gets low, driving up into the meat. Tight swabbing tit-licks, Cat just swishing her shoulders side to side, pancaking those puppies and well placed, tidy uppercuts from either mitt, routinely snapping back Laetitia's head. By the midway point, even the bloodthirstiest of the crowd is sated - Casta swooning, hands at her chest, swaying in the wind, just taking punches now - ringsiders screaming for the fight to be stopped, but Cat keeps punching. Bell just heaping it on - she's ruined Casta's body, but she stays on those battered ribs, wrenching wet sobs from a battered Laetitia. Cat's busted Casta's pretty face up, but she takes uppercuts whenever they're there, pounding back Laetitia's head as she droops forward. Bell bodying up repeatedly, preventing Casta from going down - some in the audience start to boo as the beating goes way, way beyond the necessary. Down the stretch, Casta completely falling apart, tilting to her right - Cat setting and hacking down on her girl's ear and jaw shattering right hands, over and over again until Laetitia FINALLY sprawls to her side at the ropes. Ref tackles a seething Cat back, not even bothering to count. Casta deep in ruined slumber - wouldn't get up for a 100 count. KO4 in frightening fashion - Cat Bell.

AFter: Sombre, tense post fight. Bell's fury subsides - she paces nervously, concerned for the unmoving French girl. PHysicians have Casta on her back now, checking her eyes, supporting her neck. Stretcher brought in after 5 minutes - some movement from Laetitia, indicating she's ok, but she's taken from the ring for precaution's sake - press already dubbing it "The Perfect Beating."

Cat modest as always on camera, "I don't know about 'perfect'," demures the champ. "Obviously, Laetitia wasn't on her game tonight - it happens to all of us and I just jumped on her early. Actually, that first punch I dropped her with was lucky - I gambled and caught her - most girls wouldn't even have gotten up. In the third, I was starting to feel it in my arms and Syren was worried that maybe I was spending too much energy - we were afraid she was going to mount a comeback, so I really had to give it to her in the fourth. Honestly, if she hadn't gone out, I don't know what I would have had left for the second half."

Bell picking up where she left off in 2003 - 4 consecutive shutout rounds, hellish power almost every round, knockdowns and of course a brutal, brutal stoppage - it's a classic shellacking. Hard feelings across the Atlantic - French press villifying Cat as a 'Monstre', a new tyrant, a heavy handed bully - they simply don't understand why Bell would keep supporting Laetitia and lavishing her with extra hurt when Casta was so clearly going down. "Agincourt was a picnic" proclaims one paper, "Flower of French Beauty - Disgraced" shrieks another - you get the picture.