Before: At the time of this bout, Angie Dickinson was at her peak and a favourite against almost any girl in her class - but Gaynor reportedly 'saw' flaws in the blonde's style she could exploit and pushed uncharacteristically hard for this bout. As a result, the fight took on a personal tone, with Mitzi making the kind of comments that had to be paid for in the process of goading Dickinson into the fight. Fought at the Sands Hotel (1960) in front of a select gathering of Frank and his cronies, maybe 20 people would witness it first hand. Angie in black push up, pink hipster bikini bottoms, Mitzi in yellow hipster bikini.
R1: It was Gaynor's contention that Angie's legs 'were for show' while hers 'were for dough', and she immediately backed this up with circling, bouncing, in and out movement that Angie did indeed find confusing. Gaynor with her hands low when outside, made slashing inroads to bounce her fists off Angie's shoulders and head, then pivoting back outside at an angle to avoid receipts. In the final minute, Gaynor had Angie reaching and a beautifully timed chopping right caught the blonde out over her feet and almost pushed her to her knees. D finished the round wobbly butt as Mitzi strutted to her corner with a shutout.
R2: Better round for Dickinson as she cut off the ring effectively and worked Mitzi's right side with a barrage of LaMotta style hooks. Gaynor sinking to the ropes was not the same girl with her legs going numb, and Dickinson was able to work, fighting off Mitzi's chest, reefing hooks to the head and body while bodying up in between rips.
R3: Angie beat out the same tune on Gaynor's body, putting mileage on those legs and keeping Mitzi's butt planted firmly on the ropes. Vintage Dickinson beat down as she kept her head on Mitzi between the blows, chopped right hands to set up the ripping lefts which thudded home to send shudders through Gaynor's body. Mitzi covering up, hunched over, took it well, but she wasn't pulling the trigger herself, and Angie had a history of knocking out girls who couldn't get her respect.
R4: Gaynor again found herself walked patiently to the ropes, then huddling over as Dickinson worked. Angie very methodical, not spraying her punches, but batting hard left hands, or clipping the right into Mitzi's overhanging face or jugs. Angie's legs certainly looked for real as she bodied Mitzi back into the ropes time and again, corralling Gaynor and being very physical with her. After 4 Mitzi's face was beginning to swell, and she was clearly shaken after suffering several one sided rounds of abuse from Angie.
R5: Gaynor rediscovered the bicycle and got outside, doubling up the jab to nibble at Dickinson's face as the blonde began to follow. Mitzi ate Angie up with the jab, luring her across the ring, turning her by pivoting to the left - and as she had earlier, Dickinson began to reach in frustration. Mitzi made no mistake - stepping back in good order, she began dropping the right hand onto Angie's face every time the blonde overextended, and Dickinson began to go wobbly butt as Gaynor's blows added up. By the final minute - Angie was woozy, but wouldn't back off - form degrading totally, she blundered in as Mitzi timed her for blistering right hands on the jaw, and the accumulation proved too much. Dickinson wobbled uncertainly to the ropes, hands at her stomach - eyes unfocussed as Mitzi stepped over and chopped lefts and rights over Angie's left shoulder. The blonde was stunned, taking punches, head swiveling and the referee stepped in with a signal from Frank. Dickinson was battered open mouthed by the accurate assault as Mitzi glowed with the upset KO5.
After: One of the first bouts to feature the shadow boards at the Las Vegas sports books, Gaynor paid off handsomely at 2 to 1. She had seen the right hand over Dickinson's low left and correctly guessed that Dickinson could not keep pace with her clever footwork. Dickinson was shattered, never believing Gaynor to be in her class and angry that Sinatra would stop a bout she was clearly winning to that point. One of the high water marks in Gaynor's boxing career, and a testimony to her somewhat under-rated tactical skills.