BEFORE: Frosty relations between flyweight super-powers as current champ meets multi-time former champ in a bid for division supremacy. "This pound-for-pound nonsense of Claire's...it has to stop," Sarah says at podium. "It's deliberately provocative - she knows this: as champion I have a responsibility to crush this kind of talk whenever it arises. Danes brought this upon herself: I would have been content to let her exist at the fringes of my empire, but she's given me no choice. She's definitely gonna feel my iron fist in this one!" Danes scoffing at the notion of Sarah's tyranny. "Carter has no concept of what it means to rule with an iron fist," Danes smiles. "I think Eliza showed us all that. Sarah's a little yapper - a distribution champ - and those belts are definitely coming back to where they belong. This has been a while coming...I'm going to savour it. I want to beat her until I see that hopeless look in her eyes, then I'll end it. Maybe. If she's lucky and I'm feeling generous."

Sarah in gold bikini; long low ponytail with bangs framing face; small black workout gloves. Claire in lavender bandeau bikini, silver jug connection - dark purple bottoms; small black work out gloves; frisky ponytail with messy gym-girl bangs.

During R1: Maybe three punches connect in a showcase for ring generalship, manoeuvre, feint and deception. Claire willing to stand her ground, bend at the waist, slip-and-pivot: Sarah frequently bending punches over Claire's head as Danes proves unavailable. Carter relying on her legs more - bouncing out of range, circling back to Claire, pouncing in off jabs. One good digging right to the body, Claire: a grazing right by Sarah under Claire's right eye, and a buggy-whip right to Claire's ribs enough to give Carter a tactical first.

R2: Claire much too defensive - making Sarah miss plenty, but not making her pay. Carter nimble about her foe - eventually abandoning headshots to focus on Claire's supple torso. Sarah landing with sidearm rights/buggy-whip rights to flank; dip-n'-dig left uppercuts to solar plexus. Down the stretch, withering right hand lashed across Claire's kidneys as she's bending forward sends a tremor down Danes' legs. She's pressing a hand to the aggrieved area at the bell, getting on the ref early: "FYI chief: kidney punches? Totally illegal."

R3: Claire baits-and-switches - making Sarah commit her guard with a slow hook up top, then gouging Carter's sternum via digging right uppercut. Sarah's knees buckle, but hold - she's able to scamper away, re-organize. Danes not following up - she goes back to patient slip-and-pivot - allowing Sarah to resecure initiative. Claire's big shot holds up as the round-winner: vixens exchange smouldering eye contact as they part at bell.

R4: Claire generally more assertive - willing to lead as well as counter, fighting most of the round in Sarah's home-quarter of the ring. Danes feinting at Sarah's head with either hand, then looking to her body: good, gouging strikes claimed as Sarah takes to belly, sternum. Late the round - Claire digging up tummy...she dips right, lashes a right hand across Sarah's hip/lower back as Carter's bending forward. Payback kidney lick has Carter trembling, arching her back at the bell - whining at the ref as Claire's eyes sparkle.

R5: Battle is joined - Sarah more willing to stand ground in front of Claire, matching wits with Danes' supple torso-rolls. Claire standing HER ground - bending low to put left shoulder into Sarah, then pivoting-left around the bump - both ladies looking to lap shots up underneath. Sinewy, licking trade stripes both lissome torsos, but late the round, Sarah hurts Claire with a gorgeous left uppercut to sternum off the left leg. As Claire's cringing forward all stricken, Sarah pivots 45 degrees right, bending in to deploy buggy-whip right above Claire's left hip. Savage lick draws a cry of pain from Danes, brings HISC confederates to outraged feet at ringside. Bell: both girls know Sarah's ahead at the halfway point in a bout seemingly destined to go to the cards.

R6: Claire more energetic - making sure she scores points this round. She'll feint Sarah into crouching earmuff, then lean forward to lap right/left hup-hup to Carter's sinewy midriff. Sarah takes with pursed-lip little gasps, then licks back in the horizontal plane - hoping to stripe Claire along her chest, ribs, or catch her behind either elbow. Claire pivoting left, leaning in and out: she outworks Sarah this round, small mitts beating out a meaty tune on that whippet-fit torso.

R7: Claire digs at Sarah: left uppercuts off the left leg, gouging up into sternum. Carter doubled forward early, lips parted in agony: good, good body blows have her in a bad way. Danes hard-eyed, stalking Sarah as she legs away: Claire cutting off the ring, jabbing Sarah's left eye, kissing her a slick right cross to chin, hounding champ to ropes. Late the round, Sarah on the apron rolling and bobbing: Claire's about her blonde with both hands, batting and swiping flanks, shoulders, head. A lot of slapping blows, but it's brisk and visually impressive as Sarah seems overwhelmed at bell. Carter disheveled, collecting herself before heading to her corner: Claire leans in from Sarah's left side, digging in the right elbow deep to tummy! Flyweight elbow doubles Carter up in agony: Claire all sunny to her corner, blowing kissing to outraged Hayden and Co ringside in a calculated bid to break Sarah's spirit.

R8: Sarah's spirit enraged, not broken: she's at Claire like a sleek blonde sand-storm. Carter fighting with narrowed eyes, bared teeth - fists whipping, swiping, slapping and occasionally digging as Danes is scoured pillar to post. Claire bobbing and weaving, trying to extricate herself, but Sarah won't have it: taut blonde champ all sinewy, lithe, twisty and bendy-backed as she pastes her challenger. Claire put to the test when Sarah digs a rangy right/left uppercut combo directly to sternum: Danes sits in ropes, stooping forward hurt, but refusing to bend the knee. Sarah vindictive, swabbing Claire vicious small-mitt hammer-fists across the exposed lower back: nothing like a tanned, slender, ponytailed blonde mopping at an opponent's cringing kidneys. Bell: Claire blinking back tears, mouth open as she rests against ropes. Sarah whirls on her heel, whipsawing that lissome torso to draw her ponytail ever so softly across Claire's cheek, open mouth in a dazzling ponylash. Danes flabbergasted, staring as Sarah struts away.

R9: Another tough round for Claire - Sarah tireless, cruel in her relentless pursuit of the Danes torso. Claire's ribs lathered - she'll often assume face-in-gloves look with elbows in tight, just suffering as Sarah bounces small mitts off the flanks. Carter continues to dip-n'-dig at her foe - gouging left uppercuts off the solar plexus: Danes cringing when smote, her face stricken. Claire sitting in ropes and rolling-torso in the pocket, but she can't keep Sarah off her lower back: time and again, Carter's able to swab away from wide stance, ponytail twitching across her backbone in time to the punishment. Danes mouthbreathing - she issues fight's first clinches, pulling Sarah in behind her elbows for ref's breaks.

R10: Danes digs down like a champ, shaking off Carter's good work to turn the tables. It's an aggressive, punching Claire - wading into Sarah with rangy one-twos up top, followed by the pay-off left hook struck hard against abs. Carter grunting, giving ground: she's soon ropebound, forced to torso-roll and weave. Claire tight-lipped, stoney-eyed as she pounds her fists across Sarah's narrow back: ref shouting harsh warnings as these girls have spared one another nothing tonight. Sarah hurt, reaching in around Claire's waist to clinch: Danes continues to slap at Sarah's hips and flanks until ref's breaks. Claire on Sarah, bell to bell: Danes scouring away, but can't get Carter to lie down. Goes to cards, comes back UD10 draw.

After: Both women spent, standing hands on hips in the immediate aftermath. Best boxers in the division duel to a draw - not totally unexpected given the defensive abilities of both. "I denied her," Sarah says simply, holding up the belts. "All anyone will remember is that I was champion coming in, and I left the ring as champion." Claire's got a different take. "You break it down round by round, and you'll see I exposed Sarah tonight," Danes says. "Her goal was to crush me, to prove that I'm not what I say I am, but the result only proved that I've been right all along. Carter's championship is in dispute; this decision is in dispute. Sarah is not the dominant force in the division, and she won't be until she deals with me decisively. Which she just proved she can't do."