Before: Laetitia alone amongst her stablemates taking a hard tune up fight in preparation for Charisma - newly crowned Crystal Queen looking to keep streak alive at Carpenter's expense. CC settling in as the BSE big gun, one of the best slip n' counter fighters in the game, but as Casta is quick to point out: "Liz Hurley knew more about slipping and countering than Carpenter will ever understand - and I've sparred hundreds of rounds with Hurley. I will catch Charisma and hurt her: depend upon it."

CC in black sport bikini (see Aristide reference), hair wetted down against the St. Barthes heat - Casta in leopard print bikini, long battle braid.

During R1: Carpenter crossing La'tish up early - CC attacking behind a lead jab, looking for short right hands and doubling up on them to Casta's jaw early. Laetitia spilling away from the collisions, trying to get her feet under her - Carpenter jabbing body and head, constantly harrassing when she's not looking to cash in big. Laetitia steadies after the first minute, taking to her bicycle and legging for breathing room - turning Carpenter into a patient stalker. Shutout Charisma - Laetitia grinning in acknowledgment she got outfoxed that round.

R2: Casta dukes gathered loose at her chin, stepping strong, back foot up on that right big toe as she rails out the jab, grooves long right hands, turns on curling hooks in lanky fashion. Carpenter slipping and weaving, sets up at the ropes, inviting Casta on in. 'Tish showing her experience against crafty rope-a-dopers - swatting hooks upstairs to move Carpenter's head over, then digging in lusty lefts to liver. Right hands chop thick in behind Carpenter's elbow and when CC reaches forward to clinch? Casta stays busy, plugging her mitts in on Charisma's waist and ribs, keeping her hips separated until ref's break. Carpenter caught with some thudding body shots and even a few chin-clipping hooks - big girls taking a good shot in a Casta shutout second.

R3: Carpenter dueling with Laetitia: sometimes boxing her midring, sometimes fading, looking to walk Casta into counters. Laetitia stepping in either direction, always threatening one or the other Carpenter flank - Charisma generally winding back into the ropes to keep from behind turned. Not a lot of damage - Carpenter more accurate, flashier with those short, swat-chopping shots of hers, especially from the left side.

R4: Casta attacking up tempo along the ropes ringing Carpenter with searing crosses and hooks from that loose limbed, bandy-armed stance. Laetitia fluid, curling and licking her blows - never hitting Charisma flush, but skidding, wiping blows keeping CC's guns in their holsters. Carpenter back-to-ropes, gloves stacked chest-and-tummy as she dips side to side, turns a shoulder, ducks - real Emmanuel Augustus stuff as she blunts Casta's whip-limbed fury. Still: judges have to award a French shutout - nothing back from crafty Carpenter in the fourth.

R5: Similar stuff - Carpenter a little more active off the ropes, dipping to either side and tucking short, shivering blows in underneath Casta's shots to tidy up those ribs. Casta doing the work, well balanced, curling hooks off slicing lead right hands and leaning in to sink a vicious, consistent left hand in behind Carpenter's right elbow. CC grunting, taking a good shot, staying in the pocket and picking her shots, but once again outworked. Late the round, Casta getting fiesty - she goes jug with a sudden shoulder-shrugging flurry of rising lefts and rights - Carpenter stacked up wide-eyed at the gauntlet being thrown down. Casta's eyes dancing at the bell - she turns abruptly enough on her heel to snap her ponytail saucy across Carpenter's livid face!

R6: CC calm, cool and calculating, setting up on the ropes and finally countering in earnest. Casta trying to collapse the pocket with pressure, but it's getting her body a right rude tanning: Carpenter dipping side to side, jamming tidy to the armpits, flanks, breasts, tummy. Casta getting chewed up in one frontal assault after another, stepping out, regrouping, grimly heading back in: she's gambling on her pressure paying off down the stretch, even if she's getting touched up near term. Latter half the round, Carpenter treating herself to Casta's chin, swatting and clipping it uppercuts from either mitt - SO frustrating for Laetitia to be hitting air and getting clocked in return. Charisma nodding, giving a little sauce back to La'Tish at the bell - French woman blushing crimson, has to be bodied back by the ref as tempers flare.

R7: Carpenter drawing Casta into deeper and deeper waters - really masterful, subtle stuff. Charisma so relaxed in the ropes - dipping and rolling, taking a little steam out of Laetitia via the body, then tieing up, just pulling Casta in behind her elbows, or tugging down on her head. Laetitia bogging down, mouth open - she wants to be hitting Carpenter consistently to the body but can't find her rhythm. Down the stretch, swatting hooks off the hip from Carpenter bat Casta into the ropes as girls reverse positions - tasty flurry from CC lights dazzled French woman up at the bell.

R8: Carpenter cocky off the ropes, calling her shots: "Tummy shot coming up!" "Look out, chin!" before she goes ahead and takes them. Casta growing sullen, lumping up - Charisma's clever fists are taking a steady, swatting toll head and body. End of minute one, Casta's legs buckle for the first time - she staggers backwards from a clean hook on the chops - Carpenter goes over to offense. CC attacking behind her jab, herding La'tish to ropes - American beauty getting a gorgeous stubby right hand into Casta's sternum as french vixen folds forward - action taking place right over a grim-faced Tech bench.

R9: Casta catches a second wind - Charisma thrown back onto defence, dipping and rolling back-to-ropes. Laetitia raking Carpenter hooks, pulling 'em across the guard up top, clawing across the chest, weight on the right foot as she pulls the punches against CC's defences. Weight on the left foot, Casta pulls sidearm rights across, bouncing mitt off head and shoulders, or dragging it thick to rib as Carpenter groans forward. CC trying clinch - Casta pumping her arms to the body around Carpenter's groping limbs. Volume overwhelming the slick D at last - Charisma looking shopworn, grimacing as a torrent of body punches uses her up in the 9th.

R10: Carpenter digging in at the ropes, but she's looking hurt, desperate for the first time tonight: Casta's relentless efforts paying late dividends. Laetitia showing no mercy - sees the fatigue in CC's eyes and unleashes her hardest punches of the fight. Casta's back foot up on the right big toe - hard grooving lead rights chased by curling hooks - Laetitia clanging away Trinidad style as CC wilts, sluggishly rolls the incoming. Casta downright brawny at the end, getting off in oily 2s and 3s, ringing Carpenter's head up, then palm-shoving American brusquely upright for more welting wallop. Final moments so intense, both benches hopping up and down - crowd roaring: Tish Casta shellacking away without pity on a stunned, demoralized Charisma Carpenter. Bell: Casta squealing with delight - CC pale, shaken, but still standing survives to the cards.

Side by side - both benches standing, holding hands: comes back one point duke...LAETITIA CASTA!

After: Tech girls go apeshit - Leaping and charging into the ring - BSE women in shock, throwing their heads back 'OHHH!' in dismay. Closest fight of the tournament could have gone either way - hollow-eyed Charisma buffetted to the perimeter in the press of excited Tech celebrations. 10-8 10th for Casta sees her come from behind to take it - she makes good on her prefight boast to find Carpenter and hurt her. Rachael Leigh Cook jumping up and down inadvertantly bounces backwards into Charisma - kneejerk shove from bigger brunette sends Cook to her knees, misinterpreted by Tech as bitter act of aggression from beaten enemy: all hell breaks loose. BSE girls slide in under bottom ropes to join in the fray - wild brawling finally contained as officials hand out fines, warnings. Blazing eyes, pointing fingers, heaving chests: temperatures riding at fever pitch as Kaley Cuoco puts her belts on the line in the finale.