Kicking off the Manchester card are former Miss Universe and AWUBA lightweight champion Jennifer Hawkins and fellow model Elisabetta Canalis who unsuccessfuly tried to become Italian lightweight champion herself but succumbed to Laura Pausini. Since then the Italian model suffered some heavy defeats including her latest fight against Christine Bleakley but has beaten Academy Award winner Marion Cotillard back in December which serves as her best career showing to date.

Meanwhile Hawkins is perhaps happy she's not facing Karolina Kurkova against whom she has lost twice already but eyes a vicious punchout of an otherwise attractive brunette instead. "I couldn't make it on the upcoming ACB PPV but beating Canalis will be the first step on my recovery road. Everyone in BBU seems only to remember my fights against Kurkova and in fact they are somehwat hurting my ACB image as well but I will avenge them when the right time comes", a very confident blonde tells Denise van Outen before the introductions with the Italian model refusing to speak to BBU TV much to van Outen's dismay.

Jennifer Hawkins wearing a pink bikini with black stripes and black gloves. Blonde hair in loose waves. Elisabetta Canalis wearing a violet bikini and black gloves. Brown hair in loose waves.

Round 1:
There's nothing but open disdain from the Italian model as she strikes to the blonde's body, manages to connect between the arms and blasts a jabbing series on the rack but eats a swift hook on the counter as Hawkins snaps her head back before following up with a quick combo on the nose, exposing the brunette's guard. Canalis pauses for a moment and gets pummelled on the back foot as Jennifer jabs on the chest and forces the Italian to cover up with more striking over the top. Elisabetta ducks and weaves around those punches but gets backed against the ropes as the Aussie model shows early signs of that ex-AWUBA title presence and bounces off the chest, just slices the brunette's arms apart and makes her wince, opens her eyes with a quick uppercut on the jaw and traps her aginst the turnbuckles for remainder of the round but the Manchester crowd senses that Hawkins has hardly hit the second gear. Nonetherless she keeps the Italian stranded on the ropes and smacks her head around with more punches on the temple, has Elisabetta seeking clinch but eating more uppercuts on the rack instead.

Round 2:
Hawkins leaps around the brunette and peppers her midsection but Canalis is more angry rather than afraid of her antics and responds with some hooking efforts on the head herself. Jennifer shows some nifty footwork though and avoids getting hit, counters low with more jabs around the elbows, closes the distance and uppercuts the rack, exposing the brunette's defence again. Elisabetta nails her on the eye with a left hook but there's no follow up and she gets pounded on the navel instead, covers up but eats a big right hook on the jaw and wobbles back. More leather from the blonde as she slams a left/right combo on the temples and staggers the brunette, piledrives her guts and bends forward, smacks another uppercut on the jaw and SENDS THE BRUNETTE TUMBLING ONTO HER KNEES!!! Hawkins oozes confidence but holds back emotions, accepts her superiority and even encourages her rival to get up. That's unneccessary as Canalis is livid with the knockdown and springs back upright at five; jumps after the blonde straight away but crashes off the guard as Jennifer holds her ground and accepts the close range trade-off, sends leather on the tummy thereafter and Canalis can only yelp in pain as she seeks clinch again and drops her revenge for now; Hawkins doesn't look keen to punish her too much at this stage, seemingly wants to stretch her limbs a bit longer yet still shoves her opponent away and Elisabetta's late lunge proves fruitless again as she just can't land a proper shot on the blonde's flesh.

Round 3:
Elisabetta wastes some energy with more useless jabbing in mid-range as Jennifer's footwork proves too much to overcome but the blonde quickly switches into the offence and slams punches against the tummy, closes the Italian down with ease and fakes more midriff assault before a swift uppercut on the chin snaps Canalis' head back. Hawkins follows up but fakes her targets again, as the Italian's arms rise up to protect the head, she gets nailed on the navel and yelps for air, eats more ribcage punches thereafter and stumbles back to the ropes as Hawkins finally switches upstairs and slices through the mitts, keeps the brunette jumping around in avoidance but to little avail as the blonde cross-hooks her on the mouth and causes to just cover up in the final minute. However Jennifer still looks like she's not giving it all right now but has Elisabetta gasping for air at the bell when another jabbing series catches her on the stomach and leaves breathless on the ropes. That's as cool and methodical display from the former AWUBA lightweight champ as you'll ever see but Canalis refuses to accept her status and curses in her native language during the interval, indicates she will knock the blonde model out regardless.

Round 4:
There's no proof Hawkins understands Italian but she finally looks to be meaning business in Manchester as she squares up to the brunette opponent and slams a right hook straight against her jaw. Either she didn't take Elisabetta's loud remarks well or that's just a coincidence and round four is when it all really starts for the Aussie Miss Universe. Denise van Outen's unsure of the tactics but she can only enjoy a fellow blonde snapping the brunette's head around in the opening minute and Canalis's arms keep dropping lower each time she gets hit clean on the face and the lumps and cuts are suddenly appearing in numbers with Hawkins just viciously bruising her, softening up and causing to sway on her feet. But there's no haymaker after that with Jennifer seemingly only a solid punch away from her second knockdown. She's happy enough to pummel the brunette to the ropes where a midriff assault follows and Elisabetta just can't stop moaning in wake of the blonde turning her tummy into a mush, another trademark uppercut catches her on the jaw late on and bends against the ropes but there's no mercy shot from the blonde who seems to enjoy the extended punishment she's giving the Italian and Canalis just removes hair from her eyes after the bell, glad she doesn't have a mirror in her corner as the lumps are worryingly stacked on her otherwise pretty face but she's feeling some pain in her guts anyway as she holds her tummy during the interval and doesn't throw any vocal abuse towards the Aussie anymore, visibly concerned about her physical status. "About time the stupid Italian realized she's getting pounded out of her senses!", Denise van Outen offers little sympathy in the booth.

Round 5:
Jennifer squares up to her foe straight from the bell and targets the head with little resistance as Elisabetta's footwork can't save her from trouble and as her head snaps back repeatedly with the blonde adding more lumps to her face at will, she finally stumbles back and lets out a painful scream but there's no mercy from the Aussie as she opens from both hands and buries a low series around the liver area and has Canalis wrapping her arms the blonde's waist. All to no avail as Hawkins slams more leather over the top, spikes the brunette on the temple and bangs another piledriver on the liver SENDING CANALIS DOWN ON ALL FOURS!!! Jennifer struts back to her corner and there's a real battle against the count from the Italian this time as she makes it back upright at eight but looks sore and the ref has a really long check on her but allows the fight to continue. Hawkins storms at her wounded rival and slams a jabbing combo on the face, bursts the lower lip of the Italian model and throws another clean uppercut on the jaw as Elisabetta staggers on her feet, on the verge of a really heavy KO and the ref makes up for his earlier mistake and embraces the battered brunette as Hawkins was pounding her rack and seemingly looking to leave her topless in the middle of the ring with the violet bikini barely staying in tact. Canalis didn't look like she knew much about it anyway and just falls into the ref's embrace well and truly finished... TKO R5 Jennifer Hawkins!!!

Post-fight:
If Jennifer Hawkins ever needed a strong and intimidating result, she surely achieved that here in Manchester tonight. Aware of her overwhelming advantage she offers the fallen Italian a friendly hug but bursts out laughing as she heads back to coach Nikki Visser in the Downunder Boxing corner. Both Aussie women enjoy the announcement but meanwhile Elisabetta still looks dizzy and mumbles something back the referee who quickly signals for the medics to escort her to the locker room.

The Manchester Arena crowd realizes the Aussie girls came to England well prepared ahead of the ACB PPV and the Ashes and support Hawkins' brutal stoppage of the Italian model but it remains to be seen whether they will keep cheering for the visitors once the English opponents get in their way. Denise van Outen thinks that's the loudest noise any of the Aussies will hear tonight even if some of them manage to achieve even more impressive destruction of their rivals than the forrmer Miss Universe. Either way, that was the best possible start for the ACB roster tonight and the BBU fans got to see that Jennifer is really capable of much more than just being Karolina Kurkova's punchbag.

Final result: Jennifer Hawkins def. Elisabetta Canalis TKO5.