BEFORE: Flyweight Kelly (best known for slapping the smug off Sarah Carter's mug) giving up pounds and inches to get bantam Jessica: Monaco's not worried. "I know she's bigger," Kelly acknowledges in prefight, "but I didn't want to go my whole career without testing myself against her. Love her or hate her, Jessica's been a special name in this era - really the only true 'super ingenue', so I've always wanted to try her. It's tough: I'm hotter than most of the big names in the sport, but I don't get the attention. If you put yourself in my shoes, you'll see why I'm anxious to fight Jessica regardless of size."

Alba barely aware of Kelly except as opponent beef du jour. "Swatting a fly," Jessica shrugs when asked to characterize Monaco's challenge. "It can't hurt you, but it's irritating, so you take a moment to get it done. Kelly doesn't have the tools to compete with me - on any level - in OR out of the ring. She's got a decent rack: I might have to do something about that - but other than that, she's just another pretty name on my resume. Besides, I've been trying to get Megan Fox in the ring all summer and she won't come out of her hole: may as well bust me up some Monaco while I'm waiting for other girls to courage-up."

Monaco in heroic black lace pushup bra, yellow/black horizontal-striped bikini bottoms; small black gloves; black hair damp/tangly. Jessica in string bikini slashed through with streaks of white/pink/mauve/black; small black gloves; smooth battle braid also wetted down for the occasion.

During R1: Jessica: rangy; right hand curled into her chest, left hand dangling at thigh; feet wide, legs springy - she sliding/pivoting to either side, ready to dart in or out. Kelly: dukes at temples, crouching, staying low as possible on the approach. Typical Alba sequence: potshotting lead right hands as she leans in, then slashing/rising lefts off the thigh as she shifts weight to back (right) foot. Tough for Kelly to negotiate - she blocks and slips a lot of this, but can't penetrate as Jess maintains distance. Late the round, Alba splits Kelly's mitts with the pulsing right, then really tugs that chin a lanky left uppercut. Pretty Kelly stepping in fence post holes, straightened up and nearly sat down by Jessica near the bell.

R2: Jessica opening with that elastic lead right hand - doubling it - clean punching to Monaco's face has her stumbling early. Kelly firms, crouching forward behind her gloves, gritting her teeth while absorbing rangy Alba hooks in behind right elbow. Jessica so leggy/smooth - turning Kelly's flanks, slinging lefts and stitching rights. Late the round, with Kelly leaning forward behind mitts...Jess deploys vicious buggywhip right hands sidearm, taking Monaco loudly behind left elbow. At bell, Kelly's grimacing, rubbing at that tender left flank.

R3: Jessica leading the right hand - or feinting it - to get Kelly ducking behind mitts: Alba leaning weight onto left foot, unfurling the left hand to cuff heavily at Monaco's body in behind right elbow. Gorgeous stuff - Jessica grinning as she scores thick to body, small glove sounding out CHUP! as she claps away. Monaco grimly digging in, taking what she has to, then trying to issue hook-receipts from the crouch - occasionally nipping Jess to chin as Alba's leaning away. Jessica all willowy on her hips - torso weaving as she's pivoting around planted left heel: she's supple as an otter working the ring on Kelly.

R4: Kelly bobbing and weaving, scooting forward as she's doubling up her jab: Monaco able to land a swinging right to Jessica's startled face, finally punching blonde off her stance. Kelly scooting forward as Jess backpedals - Monaco sweeping a thick hook-to-paunch on the hop-in, hounding Jess to ropes. Second minute: Alba bending deep at waist, bobbing and rolling at ropes; Monaco eyes wide, elbows in, throwing tight, curling little uppercuts or hooks with either hand, clipping Jessica's head, forcing her to lean back into ropes. Body work from Monaco: whenever Alba's weaving supple, Kelly digs into ribs/waist - turning into short, ripping blows (either hand). Jess grumpy, distressed: she's hurt throughout the round, outworked, thoroughly pasted in a Monaco fourth.

R5: Kelly with the scooting footwork/double jab routine scatters Jessica to ropes: shorter lass able to square away and punish the taller. Alba rolling and bending supple, keeping elbows in, hands up. Monaco in compact stance, threatening Jess with swift little right uppercuts; hooking hard to the flank. Monaco not afraid to be rough with bigger girl: Kel using left shoulder/extended left elbow to keep Jessica ropebound. Alba scowling, getting worked over: she's answering back via the odd dip-n'-rip left uppercut, lashing 'em limber to body and chin. Monaco's round - she's just outworking her blonde at ropes.

R6: Jessica assuming forward aspect - leaning weight onto lead (left) leg; right hand still curled in between breasts; left hand waist-high, but snappy-jabbin' this round. Kelly weaving poke, unable to penetrate as Jessica ups left-hand work-rate. Alba pivoting to her left, popping hips-right and ripping limber left uppercuts from her crouch: she's splitting Kelly's mitts, picking her up tasty. Monaco scuffed up - sometimes straightened up onto her heels: she's forced to gamble with wide right roundhouses/swinging left hooks. Alba getting the better of it - keeping the fight midring, managing her pesky foe like a bigger girl should.

R7: Jessica completes her renegotiations: forward aspect propelling stiff left jab/left uppercuts in tandem while pivoting clockwise. Monaco covering up/crouching, but getting shelled: she's taking it tuff to body and head as Jess licks away lefty. Down the stretch, Alba adds to Monaco's woes with sinewy buggywhip right hands chopped in above Kelly's left hip. Juicy, clean strokes these buggywhips - drawing moans of sympathy from ringsiders as Kelly soaks.

R8: Kelly competes! Monaco busting up some, but surging forward - spraying straight rights/left hooks to scatter Alba. Jessica bouncing off ropes, trying to leg for distance: she's on the run and Kelly's hounding her. Whenever Jess hunches forward behind her mitts, Kelly makes money via rapid-fire lefts and rights on the flanks: brunette tattooing her sinuous foe, working up and down that magnificent torso. When Jess tries to sidestep, Kelly's fetching her wide-wiping hooks or right hands across jugs, clawing Alba into ropes. Jessica grumpy, frowning: she answers back spiteful dip-n'-dig left uppercut to Kelly's heavy rack, bunching up that double-D meat in spots.

R9: Kelly charging, gambling: Jessica sent scrambling again as Monaco attacks. Leggy Jess turning at ropes, slowly regrouping behind a spicy up-jab off the hip: Monaco brought to heel by minute mark, forced to cover up and slow her approach. Jess easing into forward aspect, once again dipping over her left (lead) leg to hoist lanky left uppercuts to tummy, jugs, chin. Alba generating sinewy leverage on these licks - really clouting that rack or tugging tightly on that chin. Monaco straightening up - occasionally clipped so stiff, she involuntarily hops forward onto both heels. Jess really dialing in throughout middle minute - finally landing her hardest, most sinewy licks to demoralize Kelly. Final minute, Monaco swaying on the spot, blinking in stupor: she's already hurt when a slinging right slides past her raised left hand, crashing to jaw. Kelly stamping in fence post holes: Jess leans forward in wide-stance, slops another swinging right to jaw with clapping impact. Kelly spanked out on her feet - she jacknifes face-first to canvas, sprawling on KO'd belly as Jessica snarls in exultation. KO9, Jessica Alba.

After: Alba circling downed Kelly, glaring down all nostrils flaring after tougher-than-expected outing. Monaco slowly brought 'round: outgunned brunette pressed Jessica hard all night in a surprisingly competitive outing. "She's tough," Alba acknowledges, "but she's no match for a phenomenon like me. I dangled the 10th round in front of her - let her think she might go the distance - then I snatched it all away. Could've stopped her anytime: just wanted the work." Panning camera catches extra-happy blondes like Sarah Carter, Jessica Simpson and Kelly Ripa clearly relishing Kelly's plight