Before: Leigh came into this 1963 bout on a high of sorts, going the distance on the set of 'Bye Bye Birdie' in a disputed loss to Ann Margaret which saw Margaret busted open and generally outclassed by the elegant veteran. It would be a role reversal of sorts for Gaynor who was used to being smaller and quicker than most of her contemporaries - against Leigh, Mitzi would be the big girl, and clearly relished the opportunity to concentrate on hurting, as opposed to avoiding hurt for a change. Fought in L.A. at the Ritz before an invite only crowd of luminaries. Mitzi wore a yellow hipster bikini, hair up; Janet a baby blue push up bra with hipster panties - black, short hair.
Rd 1: Janet came out and established distance early, often extending both hands towards Mitzi, flicking the jab at Gaynor's face, then palming up on the girl's arms to prevent the receipt. Gaynor struggling with the holding managed to bull her way inside and scrub gut on Leigh, forcing Janet to step out and regroup rather than risk trading with the heavier handed girl. But Leigh's quickness and timing became evident late: jabbing and stepping left, Leigh ducked and put a shoulder neatly into Gaynor's stomach as the brunette missed an overhand right, then straightened to snap Mitzi's head back with a clipping left uppercut. Mitzi scooted to her backside in shock, rising immediately, but nevertheless embarrassed by Leigh's hand speed.
Rds 2-3: Leigh went to work on Gaynor's eyes in these rounds, pecking the jab with merciless precision while stepping deftly clockwise. Gaynor had no trouble keeping up, but Leigh's broken rhythm often caught her by surprise, and Janet's left fist beat out a tattoo on Gaynor's brows as Mitzi's face jerked back under repeated contact. Mitzi's bobbing and weaving proved ineffective as Leigh tracked her effortlessly, and Janet was adept at clinching and turning Gaynor whenever Mitzi made it past the jab. After 3, Leigh had a comfortable lead, and more importantly, had Mitzi fighting the wrong fight.
Rd 4: Mitzi tried barging in but met with near disaster as Leigh turned a shoulder and clipped her clean with a short left uppercut underneath. Gaynor took several of the short blasts on her chin as she leaned in, and the accumulation suddenly had her stutter stepping as Janet pivoted left to work the angle. Gaynor started to break down, taking crisp chopping combinations - Leigh jerking the left up the middle, falling off to her left then jamming the right over Gaynor's right shoulder to bash Mitzi's head to the side. Only Mitzi's heart and Leigh's light fists prevented the knockdown, and by the final minute, Gaynor actually fought constructively off Leigh's chest at the bell.
Rd 5: Gaynor built on her late rally in the fourth, and bullied the slender Leigh into her corner to open the fifth. Mitzi put together her best round, shoving and bodying the lighter girl into the turnbuckles, lifting 3 and 4 punch blows in curling arcs underneath to pummel Janet's tummy, and clouting short hacks to the jaw whenever Leigh tried to shoeshine her way out. Gaynor's legs were too strong - Leigh couldn't push or punch out of the corner, and Gaynor stamped out a grinding shutout this round.
Rd 6: Janet got back on her toes and put out the fire, dousing Mitzi with that pesky jab, picking up Gaynor's face no matter how Gaynor moved her head. Mitzi's left eye began to close after Janet's persistent tapping through 6.
Rd 7: Mitzi's pressure gave her more opportunities this round as Leigh chose to stand and defend more often. Gaynor bent at the waist and slung her fists wide to bash at the bony rib cage, slender arms and chiseled features of her opponent. Leigh with the right at her temple, left across her belly, turned her shoulders and rolled with Gaynor's offense, trying to nip Mitzi with little counter chops as the girls worked toe to toe. Gaynor's pounding work to the waist carried the round, but Leigh was upbeat, knowing she had a sizable lead going into the home stretch.
Rd 8: Mitzi Gaynor had no choice but to gamble, rushing Leigh and taking the beating to her face from Janet's educated left hand in the process. Janet's timing remained exquisite, spearing Mitzi coming in, falling off to the left to rip the short left uppercut into Gaynor's chin from the side, then chopping the right hand to finish the combination as Mitzi turned to square up. Gaynor continued to come forward, seemingly impervious to the hurt, but her face was shiny with punishment at the bell as Leigh gave her a thin smirk before parting.
Rd 9: Janet Leigh came out and led from bell to bell, now stabbing the jab in earnest to set up sharp right crosses, putting the biting hook on top to rock Mitzi's head to the side. Leigh was never better, stepping in and out, letting her punches flow economically and battering Mitzi with precision combinations as Gaynor stood with crossed arms and wobbly butt. By the final minute, Janet Leigh was looking to finish her girl, and dragging her hands back and forth across Mitzi's face, forced her awkwardly to the ropes. Mitzi was in trouble, bending forward, trying to evade the punishment, but Leigh kept tagging her, brushing her hands back and forth, turning her elegant shoulders into the abuse as Gaynor's eyes went blank. At the bell, a dazed Mitzi Gaynor lolled on the ropes as Janet vindictively bounced her shoulder painfully into the brunette's teeth.
Rd 10: A badly battered Mitzi Gaynor came out for the 10th round and lit into Janet to the shock of all in attendance. Leigh could only touch Gaynor once or twice with the jab before being tackled to the ropes and brawled with irresistible force. For the first time in the fight, Janet slugged with desperate intensity, ripping into Gaynor's torso with rising lefts and rights. Mitzi took the punishment without a backward step and slugged right back, finally landing her solid left hook to snap Leigh's face to the side. Vicious spanking blows bounced off both women's faces and bodies, but Gaynor's heavier fists took their toll. By the end, Leigh was covering up and taking, content to twist with the punches and absorb the shock. At the bell, Janet pushed her way past a visibly disappointed Mitzi Gaynor and strutted the ring in anticipation of the verdict: a unanimous decision for Janet Leigh.
After: It was a fight Gaynor wished she could take back, feeling that she had squandered numerous opportunities to hurt Janet and taking the best that Leigh could offer without too much difficulty. Still, that was often the case against Leigh - opponents would feel that they had been beaten by the clock more than by the lithe boxer in front of them. Had Leigh been more rugged, she might have re-written the history books with these kinds of performances, but she would not finish the decade as a fighter - retiring following increasingly shattering losses to younger girls as her once-considerable skills began to fade.