In 1946, Yvonne De Carlo had solidified her status as a boxer, and had moved from taking minor, uncredited roles to being a box office draw on her own. However, her wins had attracted her negative attention as well. In particular, Rita Hayworth entered the picture when her private comments on the matter became unexpectedly public. Hayworth had felt snubbed by her absence from De Carlo's list of the most beautiful women in the world, and furthermore resented the other woman's time in the spotlight despite her own success both on screen and in the ring against other pin-ups.

Though Hayworth had a size advantage over De Carlo, and would likely be an even more uneven matchup against Merle Oberon in the original tournament, De Carlo issued a casual invitation to Hayworth to meet her in the ring.

At the same time, Linda Darnell and Merle Oberon, the two women De Carlo named as the most beautiful and then defeated, were each experiencing a slump in their own out of ring careers, with Oberon attempting to replicate her success in Wuthering Heights, and Darnell pushing for more serious roles. The opportunity was obvious, and both actresses were quick to volunteer for the less glamorous opening match.

Oberon made her entrance in yellow swimwear, showing no interest in putting on a show for the crowd. Darnell behaved similarly, wearing white swimwear, but did express a bit of smug superiority when she looked to her opponent.

Round 1:
Darnell made a strong start, keeping Oberon penned in and forcing the older actress to fight an uphill battle against her longer reach. Oberon did everything she could to resist, and made the climb despite Darnell's best efforts. The taller actress felt Oberon's fists on her ribs and jaw, but persevered, pushing her rival back with a high energy performance. Overall, Oberon's control did not look particularly reliable, but she had shown herself to be a danger to Darnell.

Round 2:
The history books give the round to Darnell. However, actual details were sparse, as De Carlo and Hayworth made separate red carpet entrances in evening gowns seconds after the action started. Oberon contested the official ruling quietly but firmly for her entire life, and Darnell herself lamented the poor treatment at a later date.

Round 3:
Darnell, looking slightly worse for wear despite her win on points, charged Oberon ferociously early in the third. The shorter brunette held her ground, engaging in a fierce battle with her attacker. This time, Darnell was slower to react, and the momentum turned decidedly in Oberon's favor as the older actress smashed her rival's nose. Darnell avoided a freefall, and was soon resisting strongly, but her pride and scorecard were soundly damaged.

Round 4:
Oberon went truly on the offensive in the fourth round, testing her opponent early on and then making her push near the midpoint. Darnell responded furiously, but in the opening of the battle, Oberon beat her to the punch by an instant, striking the taller brunette on the mouth as her own swing veered off course. Her bell rung, Darnell tried her hardest to resist Oberon, only managing to earn herself brief respites from her attacks. When the round ended, a much puffier Darnell frowned and stumbled back to her stool.

Round 5:
Despite the beating she had taken during the previous round, Darnell attacked Oberon with just as much enthusiasm, if slightly less coordination. Oberon met the charge, exchanging swings at a quick, dangerous pace and ultimately paying the price as Darnell caught the side of her head with a strong left. Oberon grimaced and tried her best to drive Darnell off, but the taller actress had tasted blood and would not back down. Darnell's fists had no trouble finding Oberon's jaw several times in the next minute, securing her status as the dominant woman in the ring, while Oberon had to struggle to stay upright.

Round 6:
Oberon met Darnell bravely, but without enough fight in her to even stall the enraged actress. In the opening seconds, Darnell's right hand struck Oberon's jaw with a thud, causing her to desperately but unsuccessfully cover herself defensively. Darnell easily shot a fist through the weakened woman's guard, and the blow seemed to take Oberon by surprise. Her head wobbled for a moment as she stumbled back, feebly attempting to counter punch her rival. From there Oberon could only do her best to avoid her attacker, but as Darnell landed headshot after headshot, Oberon soon succumbed, spinning away from her opponent after a nasty hook and falling away from her yo land face down, eyes closed, sleeping through Darnell's KO6 win.

With De Carlo's poor treatment of Darnell no doubt fresh in the minds of venue staff, officials were quick to carry Oberon to safety and march Darnell through a staged celebration -- in particular, the decision to have the ring girl award Darnell a bouquet of flowers kept the stronger actress' hands busy and thus incapable of further violence. Darnell, trembling and slightly teary, basked in the attention. With the winner's nose trickling blood, one of her lips swollen, and her face unevenly puffy, no one photographed the dramatic scene up close.

"After what Yvonne put me through, I needed to redeem myself, both to the public and in my own eyes," commented Darnell in the following weeks. "I absolutely had to give someone a beating, and if I couldn't get my first choice it didn't really matter who." De Carlo, commenting on the match at a later date, expressed a distinct lack of surprise at the end result. "I experienced what Linda and Merle have to offer up close," she explained. "Merle was skilled, but Linda had her beat on guts and bloodthirst."