Before: "I'm sick of it," Watts snarls at the podium. "I'm one of the biggest stars in the world, and I'm playing second fiddle to THIS tramp? I won't have it - I won't. TECH has promised me - "beat Virginie and earn her spot" - and that's all I ask. I can win a flyweight championship - I can beat girls like Lindsay Lohan - all I've ever asked is the opportunity. Ledoyen's in my way, and I'm going to move her. Simple as that!"

Virginie outwardly calm, but it's been an anxious period for the brunette beauty: she knows the weight of celebrity is on Naomi's side. "No one, I feel, wants me to beat Naomi," a candid Ledoyen admits, eyes as big as a curious kitten's. "She is a big star, c'est vrai, mais, I have quality too, non? I know in my heart I am the better, and I pray that being best will be good enough. Who knows? In this world, women like Charlize Theron and Naomi Watts are given everything: fighters - real fighters like me - must struggle for the tiniest morsels."

Naomi in white bikini from "I (heart) Huckabees" - Ledoyen in lilac string bikini. Small gloves, both vixens - white for Naomi, black for Virginie.

During R1: Naomi looking to box: Virginie steps in slugging, pasting Watts' face left/right to startle the blonde onto her heels. Ledoyen intense, crouching on the attack, pulling overhand rights and lefts into Watts' head - Naomi bailing out, often awkwardly scampering to avoid a very aggressive Frenchwoman early. Final minute sees Watts impose some semblance of martial law with her jab - tapping hard at Ledoyen's left eye to buy a little distance. Round to spirited Virginie as she sets a fierce tempo in the first.

R2: Jab, jab, jab - no secret what Watts' approach will be tonight. Blonde icy-eyed, planted on left (front) foot as she pulses in the poke, pushing off ball of right foot for smarting leverage. Ledoyen's face being heavily taxed, and oh, that left eye: Watts dialing in like Portman, really pounding crisply at Virginie. Second minute, classy Naomi opens up the playbook with Ledoyen raising her mitts to parry poke: thick, sticking hooks to French solar plexus - small glove biting in PIK! PAK! - Watts biting her lower lip and squinting with the effort of digging into Ledoyen's body. Virginie frowning, backing away hurt - Watts walking her girl down behind that piston, slender-limbed jab, feasting on flat French tummy as Ledoyen covers up at the apron. Shutout Watts - we only see how hurt Virginie is when she mopes back to her corner, ashen faced from stern body work.

R3: One-two: Naomi drops the right hand in off the jab, splitting Virginie's mitts and putting the French girl sputtering on her heels. Hardhearted follow up, Watts: Vicious overhand rights to head; rising left hooks to midsection chase Ledoyen in disarray to ropes. 'Ginie (no relation) covers up at her temples, grimacing - Watts squares away to work the ribcage with good ol' fashioned Australian lather. Solid minute's work of Watts working Ledoyen over against the ropes - French girl crying out, crumpling forward, leaning back - just trying to ride out this round. Naomi seething, but controlling her ferocity - weight on the lead left foot as she puts steady, batting pressure against French flanks, tummy and jug. Final minute, Watts pressing to close the show and VIRGINIE WON'T HAVE IT! Naomi's chin toggled left/right as Ledoyen erupts out of her crouch, backing blonde up with heartfelt slugging. HAMMER AND TONGS! Watts stiffening, standing her ground and banging back - Ledoyen baring her teeth, digging in: gamine-limbed brawling toe-to-toe as lissome bodies are tanned to the bell.

R4: Naomi looking to restore order - pivoting left, doling out jabs with piston pop to Virginie's rapidly swelling left eye. Minute mark - crouching Ledoyen getting her timing down: she steps in low, sweeping a stupendous right overtop Watts' jab - concussive blast on the face staggers Naomi, rendering her helpless. Virginie over to offence - Watts staggering around all wide-eyed - takes Ledoyen thirty seconds or so to hound Naomi to ropes, butting her heavily in the chest for good measure before squaring away. BEATDOWN! Ledoyen snarling, lathering at a reeling, loose-limbed Naomi - Watts trying to cover up face-in-gloves, but clouting jaw-checks keep tossing her head side to side. Robust gallop amidships - 'Ginie leaning forward and hauling her limbs up and into Aussie belly hup-hup-hup sits Watts in ropes - Naomi visibly breaking down under the non-stop shellack. Final minute, looping right hand clobbers Naomi's head around in a loose swivel - blonde suddenly relaxing, hands dropping and VIRGINIE SMOKES HER AGAIN! Crowd roaring as Ledoyen straps home right hands to Naomi's stunned, staring face - BEATING WATTS TO HER KNEES! Naomi parallel to ropes, her right side to the audience, open-mouthed in shock at the punishment: Ledoyen looming over her, screaming down at Watts - ref has to push tempestuous french vixen away at the bell.

R5: Watts out front with that jab - Naomi scuffed up, dishevelled - she's punishing Virginie for that French romp in the fourth. Patient, stabbing peck - Watts scoring brutally over and over again to Ledoyen's puffy face, punching back Ledoyen's head - blonde vixen stepping smartly left, or loping back out of range as Virginie comes up short on right hand receipts. Virginie bleak, baffled at the constant face-punching - reactions slowing: Watts regains initiative with a coldblooded fifth, bringing her slugging opponent to heel.

R6: Virginie regroups, attacks with vigour - strong French punching forcing Watts to break her stance and motor around the ring for distance. Ledoyen making a good read here: getting Naomi off her plant leg, preventing her from pushing off the right foot is key - Watts not a great improviser when she's on the run. Naomi leggy, elusive, managing to avoid Virginie's optimistic, sweeping headshots - but blonde totally defensive, forfeits the points as combative brunette uptempos.

R7: Virginie rushing headlong - Naomi makes her pay. Watts fading back behind a defensive stick, gambles, places an intercepting right cross clean on Ledoyen's mouth as French vixen recklessly charges up the middle. Ginie momentarily shook: Watts up on the front foot hooks the mouth, hooks it again, buckling Virginie's knees. Ledoyen tragically hurt, stoops forward behind her mitts - she suffers as Watts pops her hips-right, hooks-hooks-HOOKS that quivering French tummy. Crowd groaning in sympathy - poor Ledoyen sagging under the body shots - but she manages to limp away to her right. Watts stalking, hopping forward, popping her jab to put Virginie ropeside: lengthy blonde beatdown issued as Watts keeps her distance, strokes and lathers a battered Ledoyen to the bell. Naomi nostrils flaring as she looks over her rival: Virginie's eyelashes batting, left eye closed, lips parted - she's breaking down through 7.

R8: Once again, Virginie times the Watts jab - clouting Aussie jaw via the right hand over top: Naomi stagger-stepping, covering up, giving away her ribcage as Ledoyen wades in. Strong body lather - Ledoyen to Watts - Naomi cramping up behind her mitts, grimacing as toned torso soaks it up. Middle minute - Naomi sponging punishment elects to brawl her way off the apron - FURIOUS lefts and rights swish back and forth: LEDOYEN getting much the better of it. Virginie's little mitts bouncing off Naomi's face and skull, sitting her stunned in the ropes - blonde slugging leaves her temporarily helpless as LEDOYEN PILES ON! Virginie with her left tight to her chest, BENDS into go-home right hands, smashing Naomi's face aside - Watts staring, loosening up, wilting to her right as her hands come down. Another crashing French right - ANOTHER! Crowd screaming as poor Naomi's just sitting limp in the ropes, facing into clobbering heat and WATTS GOES DOWN! Naomi swooning face-first to canvas, lips parted wet against the mat - SHE'S OUT COLD! Shocking KO8 Virginie Ledoyen.

After: Virginie just won't go away! Ledoyen snarling, looks about to pounce upon KO'd Australian back when TECH officials bundle her off - what a performance for the underappreciated Euro-ingenue. Naomi brought around in stages - she breaks down absolutely heartbroken at the decisive defeat. Ledoyen pounding her tormentress into submission - correctly turning brawler to overwhelm Watts' classy boxing - French right hands reign supreme in a flyweight thriller