Tale of the Tape:
Jamie Lee Curtis:
Age: 36
Height: 5'9
Vs
Tia Carrere:
Age: 28
Height: 5'8

(Written by Girls Friday)

(Venue: Waikiki, Queens Beach, Date: Saturday 22nd July 1995)

Intro:
In 1994 the movie catfight of the decade and maybe of all time in cinema history was released on screen, True Lies came out and in it Jaime Lee Curtis's character Helen, who was a simple housewife who wanted adventure fought Tia Carrere's Juno, a terrorist in the back of a limo, setting pulses racing around the world.

While both women were friendly during the filming, both were known for being competitive, some of the other cast members would reveal that both women would sometimes have "friendly" wrestling matches back at the hotel the cast stayed at, though nobody would reveal who came out on top of those matches.

The one thing it did bred for both women was money and requests for fights, both women getting fights on the apartment wrestling circuit and boxed against models and other actresses during the time.

Of course the big money fight was Jaime and Tia to lace up the gloves, while publicly they would claim they didn't want to ruin their budding friendship, it was more due to both holding out for top dollar, they knew the worth of fighting each other and wouldn't settle for less.

In May of 1995 that figure was found, the press were invited to a press conference where both women posed in their "True lies" outfits, a blue dress for Tia, a black one for Jaime, this time both wore matching coloured boxing gloves to their attire, standing nose to nose for the cameras before back to back with fists.

Taking the gloves off as they shook hands with rye grins, the hand shake was tense as both women seemed to realise this was finally happening, one of them was going to be seen as the lesser fighter to the other.

Standing at the podium first, Jaime told the assembled press "first I want to say it was a pleasure working with Tia on the film, this isn't some rivalry where we truly hate one another, it is just about business for us, though I do plan on winning this fight"

When asked why the fight was taking place on what many saw as Tia's home turf of her Homs island on a beach, Jaime replied "I think it will be fun to face Tia there, hopefully she doesn't take it too badly when I beat on her own beach, maybe if there's a rematch she'll come to California to fight me" grinning as Tia looks at her with what many sees is a fake smile.

Tia to her credit doesn't bite, she nods to Jaime as she takes the podium, telling the journalists "like Jaime says it was an honour working with her, I know she is tough from the few times we have had little competitions like arm wrestling, this will be full on though, we won't be friendly pawing at each other for ten rounds, we both accept that and may the better woman win"

Before she can leave the stage, Tia is asked to comment on Jaime saying about a rematch in California, Tia smirks as she answers "if Jaime feels we need a rematch after this then I am willing to go for it, personal I think we will get our answer here who the better fighter is, I just hope Jaime can accept it too" the tense look both women give each other has the press getting excited, the friendly façade starting to disappear for the women's true feelings for each other it seems.

Before the fight took place both women weighed in on the beach, with a more frost reception to their opponent when they met this time, Jaime and Tia ground foreheads during the face off for photos, Jaime giving Tia a little shove and getting one back as it seemed like if not for the press they would have fought then.

Instead twenty four hours later with a crowd being held back by sponsor holdings, the biggest money fight of the year was about to begin, the ring posts set directly into the beach itself, with camera crews from around the world filming this event.

Out came Jaime first onto the beach, she wore a black bikini and gloves, her coach followed behind her as the crowd of course mostly booed her, she didn't seemed bothered by that, only focused on winning the most important fight of her fighting career.

Tia of course got a heroes welcome, the crowd roaring their hero on as she wore a light blue bikini and matching gloves, her long hair braided as her coach waved the crowd to yell louder.

Brought to the center of the ring by the referee, the stare down was probably the most intense ever seen on the beach, over a year of build up to this fight, finally they would get it on.

When they were told to touch gloves, both hammered theirs into their opponent's, before they turn around to return to their corners, the fight scheduled for 10 rounds of welterweight action.

Round 1:
"Ding" at the bell both women circle at the center of the ring, the noise deafening around them as the crowd cheer for their hero, each jab she lands sounds like she is landing a haymaker.

After the early probing exchanges, Jaime pushes back Tia with a double jab/straight combo, the Hawaiian trying to fire back as Jaime smirks at her while dancing back to dodge the flurry coming from Tia.

Who maybe was letting the emotions get to her, the crisper punches coming from Curtis, who was keeping Tia at range, popping her to her face with nice jabs and straights to start quietening down crowd.

Till with less then a minute to go, Tia slipped a right to land an overhand left to the cheek of Jaime, the crowd finding their voice again as they see Jaime get backed into the ropes, her toned body getting worked over by Tia.

Who gets shoved back and eats a left cross just before the bell rings, the stare that follows from both women was full of fire behind those eyes, neither backing down as the referee needed to push them back to their corners.

Round 2:
Jaime again coming out of her corner strong, not landing as cleanly as Tia tightens her guard, both kicking up sand as they move around, looking to land a big shot.

Ducking a straight, Tia comes inside again to work the body, nearly shoving Jaime with her head down as the sound of leather on abs rings out, Jaime's body taking them well, though she is gritting her gumshield.

Again using left to create space, Jaime lands an uppercut that pushes Tia back a step, a left cross follows to turn the head of the small fighter, allowing Jaime to force her back to the ropes.

Boos ring out as Jaime goes to work, giving Tia some of her own medicine with body work, both grinding foreheads as they slug it out to the body, while Tia wants to be on the inside; it isn't like this though.

Being leaned on by Jaime, who keeps her near the ropes as they fight around the ring, Tia not able to generate as much power with the ropes on her back.

At the bell it is another strong round for Jaime, who has made the crowd lose some of it's luster, fighting smart to keep Tia under wraps so far, with Carrere being told to open up more to turn things around.

Round 3:
Heeding her coaches advice, Tia uses more combos to try to force the fight her way, both women landing some stiff shots to now marked up faces, Tia looks to have the quicker hands of the two fighters.

Slipping a jab so she can land a counter right to the jaw, Tia follows with two lefts under the ribs of Curtis, she bodies up to her opponent to show off her own power.

It isn't pretty as both bump the other back, before they throw hard punches, some land onto boobs to make them hiss, tempers starting to boil as they push apart and exchange a few not so friendly words.

Jaime manages to land a few straight punches to the top of Tia's head late on to keep her back, moving around the outside of the ring as she weathers the storm.

At the bell Tia gets on the scoreboard finally after a slow start to the fight, her coach giving her praise as the crowd chants her name, Jaime just scowls at her as she takes a drink.

Round 4:
Trading more headhunting punches while they circle, cheeks are slowly starting to look a bit puff as neither focused much on defense, more on landing a big hook that both were missing.

Tia landed a chopping right across the breasts of her opponent, whose guard was left open long enough for Tia to follow with two straight punches into her face to knock back Jaime to the outside of the ring.

Holding the center of the ring herself, Tia was looking more her usual self, confident as she was beating Jaime back in their exchanges, her hand speed giving the older woman trouble as she begun outworking her.

Sweat flew off them as the sun made their toned bodies glisten, Jaime feinted with her left so she could find a way inside, landing a right cross to the top of Carrere's head.

Both went toe to toe in close in the final twenty seconds, barks rung out from the fighters as the fans went wild, at the bell they kept on swinging, the referee risking their safety to push both women apart as they nod at each other, as if to say you want more, I'll give it to you.

Round 5:
Stepping back out their corner with more urgency, Jaime lands a nice jab/right cross combo, wanting to unload more of her power punches, Tia finds herself getting knocked back to the outside of the ring.

Stepping in with a perfectly timed jab, Jaime opened up Tia to a left/right cross, blood run from the bottom lip of Carrere as she found herself knocked into a corner.

Where Curtis goes to work, swinging in hooks to the sides of her opponents head and body, Tia starting to groan louder with each hit, forced to clinch up as both women grapple.

After being split up, Jaime rushing in a bit too quickly with a left hook, Tia showing she wasn't going away so easily, dipped down before coming up with an overhand left, then a right to the jaw of Curtis.

Powering her back into a corner, the Tia chants drowning out some of the noise of Tia's body shots, the grimace on Jaime's face showing the power behind them though, forced to clinch up herself now.

Back and forth goes the action, Jaime landing some hard uppercuts to rock back Tia, who comes raging back with overhand punches, both fighters giving their all in this contest.

At the bell they bump shoulders on the way past each other to their corners, eyes locked across the ring as both know they've been mostly evenly matched, still believing they are the tougher fighter.

Round 6:
Looking to throw more uppercuts from the start, Jaime becoming too easy to read, Tia sidestepping before poking a right or left straight into her cheek, knocking back the older fighter.

Before Tia can get too comfortable, a left cross smacks her to the cheek, the follow up straight causing her lip to bleed again as Jaime begins to push her back.

A missed left by Curtis opens her up to two rights under her ribs, the left to the opposite side has Jaime starting to wince, body work starting to really get to her it seemed.

But desperate to win Jaime uses her left forearm to press Tia on the top rope, hammering her cheek with two right crosses before the referee pulls her off and warns her to keep it clean.

When they resume Tia gets caught with a double jab/uppercut that rocks her to a corner, Jaime landing several clean punches that rock back the head of the Hawaii fighter, crowd booing and cheering for Tia to make a comeback.

All she can do is clinch and shake her head to clear some cobwebs, Jaime getting in some kidney shots as the referee has to warn her again when they split apart.

The bell rings not long after with Jaime happy to have won a round after being pushed back, she is looking to be breathing harder of the two fighters.

Round 7:
Trying to badger Tia from the off with her jab, Jaime misses with a right cross and pays for it with an uppercut to her chin, a left/right hook combo to the body has her yelping as she retreats.

Tia though getting right into her face, both fighters letting their hands go on the inside, cross punches and uppercuts land with sick accuracy to make both women cry out.

Dragging Tia into a front headlock, Jaime finds herself tackled down by an angry Tia, the referee struggles to break the grappling pair apart, finally doing so with a warning to Tia and a point off for Jaime, who complains that is bullsh*t to her.

She tries to take it out on Tia, becoming sloppy though as she misses with two cross punches, taking a right onto her liver, Curtis crying out as her eyes go wide.

Getting bullied to the ropes, Jaime tries to hold on but gets pushed off by Tia, who is landing several more body shots, JAIME TAKES A KNEE AS HER EYES ARE TEARFUL, THE REFEREE PULLING BACK TIA AS SHE LOOKS READY TO POUNCE ON HER WOUNDED RIVAL!

1...2...3.. Jaime sucked in air as she put her right glove on the middle rope, 4...5...6.. Wincing as she was breathing, 7...8.. But getting to her feet to beat the count, Tia thudding her gloves together as she wanted to dine more on that body.

Unlucky for her the bell rung not long after, giving Jaime a chance to recover as she got an ice pack put on her body, that liver shot had clearly taken a lot out of her though as she couldn't help grimace.

Round 8:
Trying to keep Tia at bay, Jaime boxed around the outside near the ropes, throwing plenty of jabs and straights as she moved side to side, Tia stalking her around in the opening thirty seconds.

Feinting with her jab, Tia watched Jaime move where she wanted, dipping down the real right hook she planned landed sweetly under the ribs of Curtis.

Who when the left landed to her body bent down, THE UPPERCUT THAT CRASHED ONTO HER CHIN SEND HER INTO THE ROPES, BEFORE SHE SPRUNG OFF THEM TO LAND FACE DOWN IN THE SAND!

A loud roar rings out around the ring, Tia raising her fists into the air as she heads to a neutral corner, 1...2...3...4... No movement from Jaime, 5...6.. The crowd chant the numbers along with the referee 7...8...9...10 Jaimie is counted out to the delight of the crowd!

Winner Tia Carrere KO Round 8

After:
It had been a wild battle, Tia knew how she wanted to celebrate as she headed over to Jaime, shoving her to her back as she posed with her bare right foot on the cheek of Jaime, her arms flexed as cameras flashed the moment for all the celebrity magazines.

After the fight Jaime would claim Tia only won due to home bias, that the referee was against her and that she wanted a rematch with Tia in her hometown.

While Tia was the fight fans celebrity darling, she had proven in the dream scrap that she was the better fighter, posing for posters of her in the gear she wore for the fight getting more offers for high paid fights from around the world.

Tia commented on the fight afterwards "I have heard Jaime complaining, I thought she had more class then that but that doesn't bother me, I have proven myself that I am better then her"

Asked about a rematch, Tia said "I have to check my options but I'll love to step into a ring with her again anytime, she has made this personal and I promise someday I will either box her or we can go to Vegas for an apartment wrestling match, either way I hold all the cards now"

This was the beginning of their high profile rivalry, two more boxing matches followed, along with countless wrestling matches around America in apartments, while today both are heard to look back on the fights with fond memories, they'd admit they couldn't be in the same room without fighting during that time.

By the time of an official female celebrity boxing organization, Jaime was out her prime and Tia became a legend in her own right, some argue this was the fight that begun the legacy of Carrere.