Before: A little known 1960's confrontation, considered by some to be a lost classic. Gina and Mitzi were comfortably mature at this point, still very close to their physical primes but both were getting tough to protect with a veritable tsunami of fresh young beauties ready to take over the international boxing scene in just a few years time.
Fought at poolside without a ring in front of perhaps a dozen close associates, Gaynor and Lollabrigida represented the end of an age - two old time studio professionals looking to do work - and get paid. Gina with curly short brunette tousle, wearing a heavy halter style bikini, twist tied at the hips and between the breasts. Gaynor with coiffured hair up, sporting a pink and white bra style, high waisted hipster bikini. Both wearing the small gloves with prominent thumbs.
Rounds 1-2: Perhaps it was the unforgiving cement of the poolside venue or the glaring overhead heat of the sun, but the usually elusive Gaynor came out flat footed and looking to counter punch her brawny Italian opponent, clearly catching Gina by surprise. Circling warily, eyes intent upon one anothers faces, these two early rounds featured sporadic bursts of activity as Gaynor waited on her foe, made her miss, then made her pay repeatedly. Gina would sweep crude overhand rights or swinging lefts at Gaynor's head, and Mitzi would dip, counter up underneath to the ribs with either hand. This was some of the best punching Mitzi Gaynor would ever do, moving her upper body just enough to work under Gina's punches; then ripping up into the pale softness of the gut and ribcage of her opponent, often drawing hurt gasps from the Italian as Gina soaked it up, but kept on coming.
Gaynor's footwork was economical, effective even. She would often pivot 90 degrees to either side after depositing her fist in Gina's breadbasket, forcing the wincing brunette to move her feet to adjust her balance. Lollabrigida would routinely swing herself off balance, allowing Gaynor to casually slip behind her with a light bearhug around the Italian's waist, holding her for a break and frustrating the brunette's brawling instincts. After six minutes of careful pot-shotting, insolent clinching, and deft defensive head movement, Mitzi had laid punishing back to back shutouts on her opponent.
Rounds 3-4: Gina continued to bull forward, her elbows in tight to her body, fists at her chest, but she continued to open up and telegraph badly as she swung ham-fisted over the top. Gaynor's concentration never wavered - she continued to time Gina to the spliit second, bobbing or blocking to set up a withering single shot counter into that solid, but soft Mediterranean midriff. In the forth round, Gina began to show signs of breaking down - her creamy thighs trembling, her arms in tight to her body. Mitzi started to pound the jab, usually her principle weapon, into the Italian's exposed face. Sickening cracks accompanied Gina's head snapping back as Gaynor patiently stepped around her, getting off at will while keeping her girl turning. Late in the fourth, a ramming jab on the mouth stunned Lollabrigida long enough for Mitzi to step in and bury a left hook into the trunkline of the hurting brunette. Gina groaned and sank to one knee. She was hurting badly at the bell.
Round 5: The flat footed, gun platform version of Mitzi Gaynor continued to play havoc with Gina's expectations as the blonde began to lead, working patiently behind a stamping jab that had Gina's face lumping up sweet this round. Gaynor was machine grooving her punches, tapping the face with the jab, twisting her hips into a sharp right cross on the teeth, then stepping to the right as she batted Gina's face with a light covering jab or simply palming the brunette's face to the side to complete the sequence.
Lollabrigida had fought her entire career coming forward, but she had never been made to look so plodding. When the constant pounding to her face became unbearable, the brunette would flail out with a desperate overhand right, exposing her tender belly to Gaynor's vicious counter hooks. If Gina wouldn't initiate the action, Gaynor would go back to her pecking, patient assault on the Italian's once beautiful features. It was heartbreaking to watch, and indeed the Italian contingent could scarcely believe their eyes. Mitzi Gaynor was ruining their glorious, and highly regarded, former champion. At the bell, Gaynor waded in with murderous lefts and rights to the belly - standing straight up to sink in the leather. Lollabrigida sobbed out as she spilled to all fours, wheezing hideously as Gaynor took a long, sensual, gaze at that full pink backside before strutting away.
Round 6: Bravely, Gina tried to force the issue in the first minute of this round, heaving determined strokes in over the top after walking through thudding digs to her waist as Gaynor retreated, bobbing side to side as she continued to pick her girl apart to the body. By the middle minute, Gina was staggering; no longer punching, just falling forward looking to clinch. Gaynor moved in for the kill. Using her left just to touch up on the Italian's chest, Mitzi began turning over hellish short right hands on the chin, clouting the dazed Italian around the little courtyard. Mitzi's eyes locked on her target, always extending her left to touch Gina, palming her chest or shoulder to keep the distance, then drifting in another right hand as Lollabrigida swooned - her upper body reeling on liquid hips as the punches sapped her strength.
Incredibly, the Italian continued to square up after taking these punches. Gina would twist insanely to her right, seemingly on her way down, then recover just enough to take the next punch. Finally, Gaynor plowed home the right cross which would mercifully end the destruction. Gina spun to the concrete and landed hard to her side with a wet, beefy smack, rolling to a jiggly stop flat on her back with arms wide. Mitzi Gaynor licked her lips and smiled for the first time, looking down at her devastated victim.
KO6 Mitzi Gaynor.
After: Mitzi would never be considered one of the best of the American celebrities when it came to boxing, but on this afternoon, fighting in a completely different style than she had ever before shown - against a very solid brunette - Mitzi put together the finest slugging performance of her career. She had never, and would never again, punch as well and as decisively as she did in this effort against Lollabrigida. So destructive was her body work, that one is forced to wonder how different her career would have been if Mitzi had set down on her punches more often in her career, using her thick legs for power instead of dancing for position. Who knows how well an Ann Margaret or Angie Dickenson would have taken those blows, had Mitzi trained for, and approached the game as a slugger?