Before: Battling A-listers have some history - Nat elaborates. "On the first Star Wars film, Keira played one of my hand maidens," Portman explains, "but George insisted that we stay in character even when we weren't in a scene, so yeah, I made her bend the knee. For the picture. I thought we were all professionals, but Keira was very young and took it all personally. So that's the whole scoop; that's why she's such a hateful witch today, and why I have to give her ass a good swift kick now and again." Knightley livid at the memory, cheeks blushing crimson at the podium. "It's not where we begin our careers," Keira snarls, "it's where we end up that counts. Then, I bent the knee to Natalie, but now? Now, I'm the biggest young star in Hollywood and Natalie's an appalling little hag who has to sift through the scripts I reject. That's reality. In the ring, I shall give this girl a terrible thrashing. I mean to harm her: a Knightley ALWAYS pays her debts." Natalie in navy battle-bandeau, low-rise hipster bottoms - small navy work out gloves; battle braided hair. Keira in scarlet bikini - small black work out gloves - blonde battle braid.

During R1: Keira using her height - gangly, loping locomotion as she pivots in great sweeps round Natalie's right flank. Portman hard pressed - dukes up, deep crouching slips to get under Knightley's swooping thrusts. Keira pinging out her jab - skidding it across Nat's pate as Portman ducks, or cuffing at Nat's right cheek when Knightley's bringing the hand back. Keira stepping in wide with her left foot - pulling the right hand around in a vicious swipe, then pivoting to the left, emerging off Natalie's right side - Portman ducking these winging haymakers, but put on the defensive all the same. Rangy Knightley goodness dominates the round as Natalie tries to figure out a geometry she can use.

R2: Keira Knightley blows the doors off Natalie Portman, to wit:
- Bandy-armed rights and lefts in rising arcs get Natalie bobbing and weaving: Keira's able to dip-n'-dig a vicious left uppercut to sternum, then twist into a whipping hook to face, sending Portman clattering back on her heels. Oh, the hard crack of those unforgiving small mitts.
- Along the ropes - Keira in wide stance menaces Nat - leaning in and out with bandy-limbed wallop, the style recalling Stacy Keibler or Kiana Tom during a finishing run. Portman grimacing, getting shelled as she minces along the apron. Portman's eyes: "I'm hurrrrrt."
- Knockdown at the half way point - Keira midring, hooking lanky at Natalie as Portman's desperately bobbing at the waist; VICIOUS, searing lanky right claps in against left side of Natalie's jaw, stunning her. Follow up right dashes Portman to all fours. Knightley snarling down, puts a boot in Nat's exposed left-side ribs as Portman bleats in outrage.
- Sadly reeling Portman punched and cuffed all about the ring - Keira stepping-with, wide stance, swaying in and out with limber-limbed haymakers. Potent hook punches the taste out of Nat's mouth as Keira's shifting to back (right) foot; Knightley switches back to left foot to sling the right cross home - PUTTING PORTMAN ON HER BACK! Bell: Keira jubilant, shrieking at a swooning, glassy-eyed Yank, "Who's bending the knee NOW, Natalie? Who's bending the knee now!"

R3: More Knightley gangly-limbed strapping: Portman windblown, skidding and staggering about the ring as a happy Brit hops her down and pours it on. Natalie's face bleak, eyes woozy with shock: she's not even processing the beating she's taking here. Keira breezy, unopposed - she only has to step-to Natalie and get off. Portman's legs stamping for balance, buttocks trembling out of control, hands disorganized: now she's stooping forward behind her mitts; now she's leaning back with left across her gut, right at left cheek. Portman's eyes busting up; lower lip bleeding inside her mouth. Constant, frisky bombardment from Knightley as she sways in and out on her long legs - slender limbs whipping and chipping, prodding and slashing as she bats away. Portman beaten cruelly upon her back when she's cringing forward (warnings for Knightley); frequently elbowed when Keira's drawing her punch back to reload (warnings for Knightley). Natalie beaten to all fours for yet another knockdown as fight becomes a dizzying blizzard of Keira shreddiing her foe always and everywhere.

R4: NATALIE FIRMS! Is Knightley punched out? Keira a little flat footed, hands low - she's definitely gassed, mouth open as she lifts punches into Natalie, or tries to swipe wide at her. Portman all busted up, but coming forward with good bob-and-weave - she's slipping a lot of Knightley leather, getting into range, then getting off. Keira backing up, trying to keep her distance - her face getting spanked as Natalie steps-with, hooks or crosses her Brit flush. Natalie scoring healthy single shots - nice firm clouts against Keira's cheeks or chin - Knightley a little frazzled as she's backed up. Keira looking to plant and walk Natalie onto the left uppercut: it works, but at the cost of allowing Portman to get position on Knightley's chest inside. Natalie flurring to the midsection tic-tac-toe - tarting Keira up nicely. When Knightley tries to disengage, Natalie's left hand tugs at British bandeau: Portman picking up some hard-won lessons over the last year on how best to use an opponent's swimsuit. Bell: Knightley bleating to the ref - official strides by BSE corner with a stern warning: "No top-tugging, Natalie - you know better than that". Natalie nods in acknowledgment, eyes hard.

R5: Natalie's left hand paws at Keira, finds her top, tugs her into a clouting right cross to begin festivities. Little Natalie tugging and spinning - pulling Keira off balance and tossing her around. Knightley squealing, disorganized, taking brazen face punches as ref gets in there. Portman jabbing her way inside and punishing the breakbasket: American showing feisty handspeed in beating that flat British midsection like a drum. Keira stabilizing however - dropping right foot back while prodding her jab: she's able to rip Natalie a tangy right uppercut as Portmans boring in, putting Nat wobbly butt. Portman stunned, but taking the shots better now - she's able to sustain her forward pressure, continues nibbling and gnawing at her foe's ribcage. Keira baring her teeth, standing her ground - willing to bump shoulders and rip uppercuts as girls trade savagely at bell.

R6: All that body punching isn't good for Keira: she's mouthbreathing, stepping straight back with hands low - Natalie's able to gamble on leaping lead rights and hooks to tall girl's face. Knightley's head switching back and forth - eyes bleak: she's trying to step back and walk Natalie onto something, but the gangly, rising blows lack zip. Portman jumping in strong, pasting Keira's face, then outworking her at close quarters. When Knightley's gasping and needs to disengage - pesky Portman grabs that top, tugs Keira in, spins her about and punches cheap right hands, body and head. Ref constantly breaking this up, barking condemnations at Natalie: Portman's blood is up - she's only got eyes for reeling Keira. Final minute - Keira blinking, upright, backing away in stupor: Natalie hops-to, gets a swinging right off the left foot; gets a swinging left off the right foot tic-toc off Keira's astonished face and KNIGHTLEY SCOOTS TO HER BUTT! Keira sitting up pretty, shuddering into great gulping tears as Portman hoots down. Knightley beats the count shabby - swaying sadly at ropes, dukes at her face: ON COMES NATALIE! Hungry right/left takes Keira in her trembling tummy, stooping Brit forward with a heartwrenching "UHHHH!" Nat digs the hook to sternum, feeling the give - then hooks Keira's right ear. Knightley turning her left side into ropes, face in gloves as she slumps - NATALIE'S UNLEASHING! Torrid onslaught - Portman baring her teeth, hustling her hands onto Keira's head and shoulder in a brisk shoeshine and the REF STEPS IN! TKO6 in stunning comeback fashion - Natalie Portman!

After: Knightley out on her feet, bawling into the official's chest as she's cradled to safety "Don't stop me...don't stop..." Portman staggering away - punishment suddenly adding up in her legs as BSEr's flock to support the groggy victrix. Huge win for Natalie - maybe the gutsiest performance of her career as Keira breaks herself on Portman's iron will. "I was devastated when she dropped me in the second," a badly battered Natalie admits in postfight - pretty face a puffy ruin from Knightley's savagery. "There was so much pressure on me to win this thing, and there I was on the canvas. I just said to myself, "if you're not going to knock this bytch out, don't even bother getting up." It was Keira or me, from that point on. A little bit of her died each time I got up, and when I came on - she didn't have it in her to resist me anymore."