Mitzi Gaynor vs. Ann Margaret by SimGuy 06-Mar-00

Before: Early sixties - Ann Margaret barnstorming throughout the U.S. put her stamp on American Celebrity fighting with a punishing schedule that often saw her fight every 4 or 5 weeks up and down both coasts. Gaynor one of the 'girls who must be put down' as Ann referred to them was an intriguing match up on paper. A quick-fisted boxer with sturdy pins beneath, Mitzi often played up her pixie-ish demeanour to surprise her foes with tooth and nail determination in her bouts. Ann sported a black push up and pink hipster panties for the bout, Gaynor in yellow hipster bikini, ponytail. Fought at a resort in upstate New York before an exclusive invite only crowd of studio fatcats and personal friends.

During R1: Both girls set a dizzying dancer's pace - Mitzi getting off with her rat-tat-tat combinations, answered by Margaret's BOOM BOOM double left hook. Gaynor in constant motion led the stronger redhead around the ring, as Margaret's power held sway over Mitzi's output in the first.

R2 Annie started to close the gap this round, and Mitzi began to grimace as Margaret stepped into her fearsome hooks. Anne glowing with confidence hammered the ribs of her opponent, calmly walking Mitzi down as Gaynor tried to leg her way out of trouble. By the final minute, Gaynor was brought to a standstill by Margaret's punishing body attack, and Ann had her way late with baseball bat swings against the brunette's sides as Mitzi folded up at the bell.

R3 Ann Margaret came out a bully this round, smiling as she walked through Mitzi's panicky jab, twisting her compact torso into that excruciating hook, and Gaynor began to wilt as fists began to bash hard against her sternum and right side. Fading to the ropes, Gaynor looked fatigued, face twisted in pain, crossing her arms as she folded forward at the waist to cover up. Margaret punched with no respect whatsoever for her opponent - wide open for counters, she jammed her fists into Gaynor's sides, then bodied Mitzi back into the ropes with her forearms to get at the tummy. Mitzi's legs were shot, and Gaynor looked a battered fighter at the bell.

R4 Annie seemed to be at play, walking into Gaynor, digging at the body, then bouncing her fists in side to side combinations off Gaynor's head and shoulders. Mitzi on her heels, reeled around the ring, unable to take Anne's blows, and helpless to stop the redhead from boring in on her body. In the final minute, Gaynor had to make a stand - at the ropes, gloves held high, she deftly blocked and countered, chewing up Annie's face with short lefts and rights while picking off Margaret's wide shots, and for the first time in the fight, Ann fell in to clinch. With a heave, Gaynor clinched and twisted Ann into the ropes, cudgeling the redhead with beefy right hands to the trunkline at the bell while leaning right on top of the stunned Margaret. The ref was forced to pull the women apart at the break, and Mitzi was on the board.

R5,6,7 Gaynor proved unable to build upon her uprising, sinking once again to the ropes, and soaking up Anne's punishing groundstrokes to her hips and stomach. Margaret worked effortlessly, chopping right hands at her foe's face, then jerking those vicious hooks downstairs to make Gaynor cringe with every connection. Round after round, Margaret would batter her petite foe, pummeling Gaynor for long stretches in the same spot on the ropes - Mitzi finally clinching or sliding away for a moment's respite. It was a heartless, patented Margaret beat down, sending Gaynor back to her corner progressively more shopworn as the rounds ground on. After 7, Gaynor refused to submit when Margaret's corner petitioned the ref, and the fight continued.

R8 Mitzi with desperate vigour stood her ground and traded hooks and uppercuts inside with Ann - the girls rotating in a tight circle at center ring, taking turns getting off with snapping 2 and 3 punch combinations. Down the stretch, it was that hammer-fisted hook of Margaret's which proved decisive, as Gaynor began to drift, taking more and more blows clean against her midriff and chin. The round ended as Annie backed her girl to the ropes and bludgeoned Gaynor senseless - the brunette bent over her legs, arms crossed, eyes closed - taking it like a step daughter as Ann shoved and slugged her without mercy.

R9 Annie waded into Gaynor to finish the brunette, and Mitzi shocked all in attendance with a blurring triple left hook that stunned Margaret, knocking her sideways in a daze. Gaynor, tragically beaten herself, could not capitalize, drilling Margaret flush with chopping straight right hands, and a straight arm hook on the mouth, but simply unable to put Ann down. As Gaynor fizzled, Ann took over, palming up on Mitzi's hips, and jerking in the right hand to the pit of the stomach as the fight became a slogging, punch drunk brawl late. Both girls wandered hurt and fatigued to their corners to the delight of the appreciative audience.

R10 Once again, Margaret blundered into a savage flurry from Gaynor and Mitzi rolled the dice on a late KO bid. Ann, shredded by lefts and rights she could no longer cope with, found herself battered back to the ropes, and Gaynor laid on with a vengeance. Digging at Ann's tummy with both hands, Mitzi straightened up to rock Margaret back with short right uppercuts, all body behind them, draping Annie on the turnbuckles and leaving her helpless. Again, Gaynor's ravaged condition betrayed her as the fury died, her punches finally losing their zip, and Ann began hooking off the ropes, catching Mitzi clean and hard in between Gaynor's shots.

In the final minute, Gaynor began to swoon and a crashing exchange of hooks nearly sat the brunette down. Staggering forward, Gaynor was spun to the ropes as Margaret took over, setting her feet, dropping her right hand to her side, cranking hooks exclusively, driving Gaynor along the ropes one punch at a time to the adjacent corner. This was brutal, smash-mouth stuff - Gaynor taking a shot would turn sideways into the ropes, then Ann would push her back into place with the left, then torque in another hook while the right hand stayed dormant at her thigh. Gaynor out on her feet, could only take in a KO haze, getting her head jammed hard to the side as Anne poured it on to finish, but the bell would sound to end the carnage. In the end, Ann Margaret was awarded a one-sided unanimous decision, but her battered face and weary expression told a different story.

After: Although everyone knew Mitzi could box, little did they suspect that she could flat out fight and she gave Ann some heart-stopping moments in this fight when Margaret was surest of victory. Gaynor's Alamo stand took a lot out of Margaret, forcing the redhead to cancel her next 2 fights and take a well deserved break from the grind of pulping her rival celebrities.