Before: Along with Nikki Cox, Biel's been getting the WB push in a crowded bantam stable that features the likes of Carpenter and Pressly. "She could be the most talented young fighter we've ever had," beams one studio mouthpiece, "We put her in with Cox, Carpenter, Jaime - different weights and styles - and Jessica holds her own. She's only getting better. It's all about seasoning for Jessica now." Results for pay have been spotty thus far with Biel showing mouthwatering flashes of ability, followed by ingenue gafs that have her record treading water. "She reminds me a little of myself at that age," says Cat, "she has all the tools you could want, but there's no cheap way to get experience. She has the best sparring in the world at the WB, which has allowed her to make incredible progress, but we still haven't seen her realize her potential. I like Sobieski for Jessica - they're almost identical physically although I was surprised to see Leelee's a little taller and heavier - she could be a lightweight when they come through the ropes tonight and you wonder if Jessica's people got hoodwinked a little during negotiations. Leelee's been snubbing Jessica's TV background all week and that could cost her. The time when a TV fighter couldn't get decent training is well past - if Leelee's counting on that for an edge, she could get her head handed to her." Leelee in clingy pale blue tank top, navy bikini bottoms, Jessica in red bra style athletic bikini.

During R1: Jessica shows off her boxing ability this round, scouting out her opponent from the perimeter of the ring. Nice and loose, rangy limbs low and relaxed, Jessica pivots and dances to her left, touching Leelee with the jab, occasionally jumping in with the sniping right hand. Sobieski turning, hands up and out - she's getting dictated to but does business with a licking half uppercut/half hook to keep the round competitive.

R2: Feeling-out period over, youngsters go to war. Jessica not moving her head much when she punches - Leelee's lining her up as the girls trade right hands and Sobieski's reach proves decisive. Biel lit up over and over again in a series of blistering exchanges during the first minute - Jessica punched wobbly butt starts to push her punches. Bleeding from the nostrils, Jessica falters, looks to back away and Leelee steps with her, slapping the left and bending in and down behind a slashing right to PUT JESSICA DOWN! Biel hammered to her back, lies blinking for a few seconds before struggling to her feet - she's damaged goods as she takes her 8. Sobieski wades in, lowering her gloves to sling from the hips - Biel with her right at her cheek, left hand low, leans her right side into the ropes, just giving Leelee the left shoulder to shoot at and a wild give and take develops. Sobieski wide with crashing lefts and rights, long arms licking, fists bouncing hard off Jessica's body and defence - Biel trying to punch in between, snapping her left hand off her hip as the girls get moving in a dangerous side to side rhythm. Shattering left hand explodes off Sobieski's chin and LEELEE'S DOWN! Lanky brunette sprawled on her back - it's HER turn to suck it up as she barely beats the count on sheer guts. Biel with a few seconds left, walks into Leelee and goes to work with lashing hooks, keeping that right hand on her face as she turns her torso and gets her legs into whipping left hands to the head and body. Both women vibrating with hurt at the bell as they stare in groggy awe at one another.

R3: Both girls tentative this round - each narrowly escaping KO's last round and not anxious to mix it up. Biel more mobile, pretty as she dances into the ropes, tucks her chin behind that left shoulder and spins out into open canvas, forcing Sobieski to double-clutch and chase. Biel clever with feints, faking Sobieski out then striking her face with clean right hands from the shoulder. Jessica's whippy left hand a constant menace - Sobieski walking into it on several occasions as Biel just leaves it nonchalantly at her side.

R4: More boxing, potshotting from Jessica who clearly seems the better schooled brunette at this point. Footwork from Biel the biggest difference - she works the ring like a pool shark walks a table, Sobieski comparatively rigid and forced as she stalks forward. Swelling under Leelee's left eye - Jessica's not hurting her opponent, but she's touching her plenty and getting off cheap.

R5: Jessica banks another round. Licking counter right hands have shut Sobieski's jab down - Leelee just walking Biel down and taking punches, occasionally raking Jessica across the belly whenever Biel moves to the ropes for her spin-move. Jessica doing some of her best work off the ropes, letting Sobieski body up, then jerking little right uppercuts into the bulge of leelee's breasts or the tip of Sobieski's chin, all the while leaving that left hand dangling, the better to clinch and spin with when she's done.

R6: Jessica comfortable with her opponent - she's more flat footed this round, more certain of range as she leans over her front foot, hands low and loose, jerking back from Sobieski's offerings but staying in position to counter. By the second minute - Jessica's getting off hard and fast - blinding one-twos spanking against the same cheek as Sobieski goes wobbly butt - licking left hooks slicing across the belly, curling up to clip the chin - Leelee goes glassy eyed as hard punches pile up. By the final minute, a gutty Sobieski trudges on on heart alone - head snapping back as Biel glories in her superior handspeed, landing left/right, stepping to the left with a cruel grin. Bending side to side, Jessica lights Leelee up with a clanging left, then bends to the left to pull a bashing right into the brunette's sleepy face. Sobieski staggers back out on her feet at the bell - Leelee shopworn, wanders to the wrong corner as Biel starts to celebrate.

R7: First sign of ugliness in Jessica's game as she toys with a battered Leelee Sobieski, reaching the jab into the girl's gut, slapping her with armpunch hooks, drilling her the odd hurtful cross, but never pressing enough to finish. Sobieski pathetic on boneless legs - staggering forward, getting hammered sideways, she's just reeling. At the ropes in the final minute - Jessica lets her hands go in a blurry arc of slicing lefts and rights - loose limbed power carving up Sobieski's limp defence and putting the brunette on all fours at the bell.

R8: More clowning from Biel as she dances with her hands down, bends at the waist to lead with her face and easily evades Sobieski's labouring punches. Jessica slipping under Leelee's looping blows, sidestepping the girl with a glove at Leelee's hip or shoulder - it's pretty stuff, but the crowd doesn't like it. At the bell, Biel has Leelee around the waist, taunting her drowsy foe face to face as the ref steps in.

R9: Biel revelling in her total athletic dominance at this point - tapping and poking at Sobieski, slipping 4 and 5 tired punches at a time with supple upperbody gyration, then prancing to her left and shaking her head NO at her foe. Down the stretch, Leelee reaching with the left, just trying to put leather on the target, then suddenly bends into a slinging right that catches Biel totally off guard. Jessica hammered sideways into the ropes comes up hurt and stunned - gloves at her temples as a battered Leelee wades in to see what she can do. Sobieski pushing off with her forearm against Jessica's guard, gets good leverage into wide left/rights to the waist at the bell - classic ingenue gaf from Biel who let her opponent go too long without punishment.

R10: Shutout Jessica Biel. All business as Jessica goes right at Leelee, backing the bigger girl up with clubbing lefts and rights around the guard until Sobieski's back hits rope. Good steady work from Jessica who shows she's got trench-game: She's using that left shoulder to bump Leelee back, going to the liver with ripping hooks, and still generating lanky power in close as she bounces fists off Sobieski's aching skull. Nice contrast when sweaty brunette heads are in close - Leelee with eyes closed, mouth open, hurting - Jessica with glittering concentration in her eyes, lips tightly clenched as she bears down on the job at hand. At the bell, Biel lifts her right mitt and pumps at the crowd - comes back UD10 Jessica Biel.

After: Another up and down performance, although a clear step in the right direction for Jessica as she focuses long enough to outclass her nubile brunette rival. "I'm not satisfied," says a serious Jessica Biel in post-fight, "I went down, I got caught clowning around - Leelee Sobieski never should have gone the distance with me. I know I fit right in with Charisma and Denise - I would LOVE a Denise Richards fight - but I've got to cut down on mistakes." Cat Bell comes away impressed, but with reservations, "There's no call for showing up an outclassed opponent. When you're the better woman - put her out of her misery - you can't get caught up in your own hype. I put that on her corner. Jessica needs a role model, somebody to lay down the law and give her some perspective - those kids don't get that at the WB. She almost clowned her way out of the win and that would have been a shame because Biel did some exceptional things tonight."