"She was absolute murder on our girls in sparring," one in-house trainer for Colombia relates. "Coming up - starlets used to call her 'the crippler' for what she'd do - and this was practice mind you. We had girls leave the studio - just flat out breach their contracts, rather than get back in with Kimmie."

Catching the eye of Sinatra, Sammy and other glitterati of the late 50s and early 60s, it was only natural that Kim's KO streak would eventually put her into conflict with another rat pack-fave - Mitzi Gaynor.

"I'd faced a lot of studio brats on the way up," Ms. Gaynor recalls in her memoirs. "At the time, Novak didn't look special to me. She could punch, but she couldn't box a lick - I knew I could lay a strapping on her given half a chance."

In a ring set up poolside at Signature's Vegas villa, under a bright summer sun, a prime Mitzi Gaynor in a pink and white bra style hipster bikini faced a sullen, glaring, near-prime Kim Novak in yellow and white hipster bikini in a battle for Rat Pack supremacy.

Round One: Jabbing midring - Novak's pawing blows came up short as Gaynor's stabbing retorts painted face and set Kim up for repeated short right hands as Gaynor fell in to crowd the receipts. Novak had puncher's arrogance - hands at chest level, pushing out the jab like an obligation, coiling the right hand at her chin just waiting for the opportunity to label Gaynor, and Mitzi took full advantage of her opponent's inactivity. Mitzi's combinations flowed off the jab, ringing Kim's face up with shattering impact and in the middle minute, the tree trunk legged Novak buckled under the incessant tattooing. Flushed with triumph, Gaynor waded in, beating Novak to the ropes with stuffing lefts and rights to the breadbasket and with Kim seated stupid, hands crossed at her body - Gaynor got off with zesty lefts and rights to spank Novak's cooperative face side to side at the bell. Kim stood up shaky, trying to sell like she hadn't been hurt - but a cocky, grinning Gaynor wasn't buying it.

Round Two: Novak tucked her chin, crouched forward and gave a much better account of herself this round. Her jab jolted out from her hip, pounding off a shocked Mitzi Gaynor's face with stunning power, even as Mitzi stood fast and poked her own stick home. At the midway point, both women were diving in behind savage short right hands, but the crunching trade was much to Novak's liking - a blinking and dazed Mitzi G started to give round, and Kim began her familiar stalk, hunting her foe to the corners, jabbing to set up monster straight right hands to the ribs and head. At the bell, Mitzi swooned ropeside, arms up to block the incoming as Novak began to dial in with serious intentions.

Round Three: A lot of the pre-fight talk had centered around the contest below the waist in this match up - Gaynor looked to body up and walk her girl back to settle the debate and perhaps dictate a new style of fight for the middle rounds. It backfired! Locked up high, the girls groaned to push each other back, and in every clinch, it was Novak stepping Mitzi to the ropes, leaning in, and muscling Gaynor hip to hip. Punching grew less frequent, placing a higher premium on power and Kim's wrecking ball fists began to carry the day. Fighting face on face, Novak plowed right hands to the stomach, and chopped lefts up high around Gaynor's guard. Whenever Mitzi crossed her arms and bent forward - Kim would get beefy to the sides, sending shockwaves down Mitzi's backside and creamy thighs; or bludgeon short lefts and rights off the back of Mitzi's overhanging head and temples. At the bell, a glassy-eyed Gaynor lolled back into the ropes, exhaling heavy through pursed lips and giving Novak a stare of grudging admiration for a beating well served.

Round Four: Gaynor went to the jab and to her feet this round, pre-empting Kim who had a tendency to wait her turn. Mitzi steering the dangerous blonde who couldn't punch when her feet weren't set. It was a winning recipe for her as punches and points began to pile up in Gaynor's favor. Novak stepped forward, hands at her stomach, stooping over her front foot, fielding Gaynor's blistering combinations off her sultry face and the occasional thudding dig in behind her elbow. At the end of the second minute, a double jab, right hand, left hook put Novak wobbly butt and sent her stumbling backwards a couple of steps. Mitzi climbed aboard, rode her girl to the ropes and cudgeled midriff to the bell, fighting off Kim's chest and digging furiously between the hips with both mitts.

Round Five: Hurt and punished, Novak proved a warrior this round as she shook it off, stepped to Mitzi Gaynor and POUNDED back the rival blonde's face with the jab and leaned into vicious right hands that just grazed a retreating Gaynor's chin. Mitzi on the ropes couldn't handle Kim - Gaynor would cover up and turn her body side to side - Novak with her shoulder and powerful legs kept Mitzi pinned; awful clubbing strokes to the ribs or in between the hips low on the belly had Gaynor suffering terribly. Mitzi countered with short left hooks from her guard on occasion, but she was finding out what 'the crippler' was all about this round. Gaynor weaved uncertainly to her corner as Novak strutted, apparently oblivious to her own facial swelling.

Round Six: Gaynor took it to Novak this round, bumping shoulders midring and digging left hooks to the paunch. Change of pace had Novak backing up, but midway through, Kim adjusted and began to take Mitzi's hook in order to get off with her right hand. Brutal give and take ensued with both girls soaking up tremendous punishment. But whereas Mitzi's fists bounced off Kim's solid frame without apparent effect - Novak was moving Gaynor, buffeting her from one foot to the other, visibly rocking her with the right hand on the chin. Gaynor began to slow, breaking down from the sheer punishment and in the final minute, Novak wrestled Mitzi's arms away from her body and managed to sink in a tight right hand to the sternum. Gaynor sank into the ropes with a groan, elbows in, face twisted in agony. Kim showed no mercy. Beating Mitzi with crude lefts and rights about the temples, Novak bludgeoned the blonde with breathtaking cruelty, finally cupping Mitzi's chin with the thumb of her left glove and driving home a downward blasting right to Gaynor's face that put her on mat with a sickening crash. A stunning KO finish, continuing Novak's impressive streak and, as if to underscore the backside rivalry - Kim placed a heavy foot on Mitzi's slumbering derriere - posing at the ropes for the Sinatra scrapbook.

Afterward: Kim Novak had taken the best Mitzi Gaynor anyone had ever seen, pulped her and stopped her in brutal fashion, convincing all but Gaynor herself that Mitzi was perhaps just a cut or two below the elite class of celebrity boxers. KO streak intact, Kim looked to be invincible, but the telltale signs of her own limitations had been exposed. Gaynor had gotten to Kim plenty with quality body and head shots. The spine-tingling power of Novak was the story of this bout.

Mitzi would later recall that being hit by Kim Novak, "... was like getting worked over with a lead pipe. Every punch hurt." Quite an endorsement from one of boxing's biggest hearts.
**********
Mitzi Gaynor vs. Kim Novak (II) by simguy 10/27/2001

The impetus for the second fight came entirely from Gaynor's camp after Novak's post-fight pose with her foot on the posterior of a dozing Mitzi when the first encounter ended in a stunning KO victory for the sultry Kim.

"I can handle losing," said Mitzi. "But nobody shows me up and gets away with it. I slugged with Kim last time but it was a mistake. I can do more in the ring - Kim can't. She's got to pay for what she did - pure and simple."

Kim Novak by this time was at the peak of her powers, knocking out any and all who opposed her, apparently fearless of reprisal.

"If Mitzi wants more," said Kim. "Then more she'll get. More of everything."

Kim wore a black one piece tank suit with white lace trim around the cleavage while blonde Mitzi chose a pink two piece hipster bikini with a bra style top.

Round 1: Gaynor did indeed feature her nifty feet and pin-prick jab early, but moving straight back gave pursuing Novak momentum and she soon pinned Mitzi with her back against the ropes. Stick and move gave way to crumpling work along the ropes - Novak leaning in, her forehead against Mitzi's chest, palms pushing back Mitzi's elbows to free up punching room downstairs. Good consistent effort gave Kim the round as Gaynor too often found herself laying in toe to toe.

Round 2: More early movement, a nice sharp double jab allowed Gaynor to dictate the first minute, but once again Novak would cut down the ring and get into position to do damage. Midway through, Kim stepped inside a Gaynor jab to turn a jolting left hook through Gaynor's chin - all shoulder, no backswing on the sudden punch. Mitzi's backside rippled as she desperately tried to clinch. The classy dancer would do no more fancy-stepping for the rest of the round. Novak got big all over Gaynor, bodying her to the ropes and pressing up then drifting hard right hands to Mitzi's tummy bulge and straightening to jerk that short left hook in around Mitzi's drooping right mitt. Gaynor in a stupor could only take - her head snapping sharply to the left as Kim's hooks did ruinous damage this round.

Round 3: Gaynor began to lump up - but fire still glowed in her expressive eyes. Mitzi stayed with the lateral movement, but now circled, turning instead of sagging into the ropes, luring Novak all around the ring. Gaynor sharp off that front foot, sometimes feinting the jab to poke in the straight lead right or clouting Novak's jaw with a sturdy hook, then escaping serious retort as Kim couldn't get set long enough to throw. Mitzi bagged an important round to stop the slide and bounced happily to her corner having gotten the better of her rival at last.

Round 4: Novak stepped up the pace, taking some risk to welt Gaynor's right flank with straight arm left hooks and the tactic succeeded in getting Mitzi off her toes. Gaynor, feeling the effects, drew her elbows in and went shoulder to shoulder with Kim, covering up to block; then working sharp off the counter with little clipping uppercuts inside. Novak's wide, blockbuster punching was eye-catching, but Gaynor was placing her shots effectively, stepping back and walking Novak into short, hurtful chin and chest music. The trade was even in terms of effective damage done, but by the final minute Novak had succeeded in backing Gaynor into a corner once more.

Down the stretch, Mitzi stopped punching as the bludgeoning effect of Kim's body attack took it's toll. Kim lathered Mitzi's sides, reaching down to come in underneath her elbows, then back up the middle with chugging right uppercuts, stuffing them into Mitzi's body as Gaynor gurgled forward. Kim's eyes glowed with triumph - Mitzi wasn't answering back, she was gutshot and hurting, and Novak poured on the beating with heartless determination. A series of rumbling lefts and rights up underneath patted and battered Mitzi as she leaned forward, out on her feet and dazed.

Novak stepped back and let Mitzi Gaynor crash face-first to the canvas, her hands trapped beneath her chest, her mouth lolling open on the mat. She wouldn't be getting up. Kim Novak graced the crowd with a sexy little smirk as this time she kicked Mitzi over onto her back and posed with her left foot planted firmly on Mitzi's proud, firm, curvy bosom for her second consecutive crushing knockout of the proud dancer.

After: Flashbulbs popped, capturing forever the image of Novak posing over a used up Mitzi Gaynor in one of the most humiliating moments in FCBA history. Gaynor had adjusted her style and thrown some tricks at Kim, but Novak wouldn't be denied, solving every Gaynor mystery with power and crushing persistence.

Kim's celebratory posing after these two wins led to an ugly, unresolvable enmity between the blondes that lasted the remainder of their careers and even spilled over into several wrestling matches, both officially in the ring and unofficially on the carpets of numerous Hollywood parties. Mitzi was left forever trying to even the score after two disastrous, personal, defeats at the hands of this famous blonde bomber.