Before the bout: Russell famous for being the studio's premier gatekeeper in the forties and fifties, locked out of the title picture herself by politics, but routinely being matched against tough up and comers reprised this role against Williams in this late 40s contest. Russell more equipped for the rigours of wrestling, still carried a tremendous punch and evident physical advantages against the muscular, but smaller Williams. Esther arguably the best pure athlete of the Golden era had shown perilous little respect for the established Russell and predicted a humiliating end of the establishment brunette. Russell in red one piece swim suit with little baby doll sleeves, Esther in white one piece - small gloves worn by each.

During R1: Russell surprised everyone with a dominant first round that saw Esther rendered almost completely ineffective by the big woman's size and savvy. Jane would routinely meet Esther's brash rushes with a jolting right hand down the pipe, then clinch the smaller girl, walk her back, and push her off by the shoulders. Russell would patiently thumb her nose and walk her girl down, bodying up behind the big right hand, and starting the process all over again. In the final minute, the pounding added up, and Esther's legs went jiggly as the bell rang to end the beating.

R2,3 Russell's surprising dominance continued as Esther would rush straight in, get picked up by a downward chopping right hand, or clipping right uppercut, then be folded into Russell's expansive bosom for a smothering clinch. Williams bogged down in the big woman's tactics, and showed ability or inclination to make adjustments - coming straight in, Esther would be shutout and banged up in both these rounds as Russell proved too big and strong early.

R4 With Williams lumping up badly, and showing signs of fatigue, Jane would up tempo and catch Esther with a shattering short one-two to open the round. Williams sprawled against the ropes, glassy eyed, and Jane went to work, pushing up on Esther with her forearms, then drawing back to hammer at the girl's sides and midriff with slamming lefts and rights. Midway through the round, sliding along the ropes, Esther had absorbed a fearful bombardment, and a monster clubbing right uppercut lifted her onto her toes, and dropped her to her hands and knees for the fight's first knockdown. Williams recovered at 10, allowed to fight when she would have been stopped in later eras, and Russell would heartlessly shove her girl to the corner for a ponderous beat down to the bell. To this point in the fight, Williams had yet to land a serious blow, and was being battered beyond recognition by Russell's crudely effective attack.

R5 Almost incredibly, Jane Russell posted her 5th consecutive shutout. Williams was punchy and hurting, stumbling forward, bobbing too late, catching Jane's timing left on her face, and soaking up the clubbing right hand on the jaw to fall in with the big brunette. Williams laying in with Jane, pushed and shouldered against those big arms and massive breasts, but did little punching. Russell showed the first signs of being winded, slowing her work rate, and holding more, but she continued to do the pitching as Williams seemed rocked, and sluggish.

R6 Esther finally managed to get off, as Jane began to mouth breathe. With Russell looking to clinch, Williams found a rhythm, bobbing inside, using her head underneath Russell's chin to put the big girl on her heels, wrestling Jane's arms back, then going to the gut with little clubbing hooks and uppercuts as Jane wilted. Russell's butt would touch the ropes for the first time in the bout as the round ended with blistering two way action, but Williams was beginning to shake off those ponderous right hands.

R7 Russell looked shot, coming out with face drained, hands low as Williams upper body movement got crisper, her combinations came back, and once again Jane was forced to back up. Fighting off Russell's chest, Williams worked incessantly, hooks to the stomach, curling right hands on the jaw, right uppercuts to the sternum. Williams stepping back, would poke a hard, short left jab into Jane's face, bloodying the big girl's nose, and setting up withering hooks downstairs as Esther bodied up again. Russell soaking up the beating bell to bell, slunk heavily to her corner as Williams looked fresher than she started.

R8 Sensing the slippage, Jane Russell found reserves, and came at Williams with scooping right uppercuts as the girls fell in together. Williams was catching these blows in her stomach, and was visibly pained for much of the round as Jane clobbered her way back on top. Punishing exchanges flowed back and forth as the girls leaned in, then licked at one another's waists with snapping left hooks and bludgeoning right hands. Jane got the nod on the cards, but was clearly spent from the effort, and Esther was still standing.

R9 Esther's fiercest body work put Jane on the ropes with a pained grimace. William's toned legs flexed with her punches as she poured in double and triple left hooks to the big girl's ribs while Russell could only soak it up. Jane's punches began to slap and push, and her thighs jiggled as she tried to walk Esther back, only to be bullied onto the turnbuckle once more. Williams with perfect leverage, getting underneath Russell, had Jane reaching pathetically around her back while the swimming star stayed busy in between the hips of the brunette. Williams glistened with confidence at the bell as Jane struggled painfully to her corner.

R10 Esther bobbed in close, then straightened to land a leaping left hand with popping force on the side of Jane's head, and Russell looked terribly vulnerable as she reeled away from her foe. Williams would stalk and lunge with hooks as Jane stumbled away for the first minute, but eventually the fight spilled to the ropes where William's pit bull attack savaged Russell at the midway point. Jane defenseless, trying to clinch and palm Esther back - Williams bobbing in front of Jane, coming out of the crouch to land cracking left hooks to the teeth, or a dragging right hand to the pit of the stomach that had Russell groaning in pain. Esther with her hands inside Jane's arms, had no trouble heaving the bigger girl back into the ropes with a shove to the shoulders, opening Jane up for the dreadful midriff punishment. A shattered Jane Russell slid to the neutral corner, draping one arm over the top rope, and soaked up a horrifying series of lefts and rights to her body and jaw as her legs went limp, but refused to give way. Esther paused briefly to allow the ref. to stop the action, but when he refused, she poured it on with gusto, finally landing a crunching hook on the slack jaw of Russell to send her melting down the ropes to lie on her side at the apron. A devastating 10th round stoppage after a gutsy performance by both brawlers.

Afterward: Russell simply ran out of gas after giving Williams the beating of her lifetime over the first half of the fight, but the pace would prove to be lethal as the fight wore on. Although Williams gained notoriety with this excruciatingly hard nosed effort, she was also exposed as too stubborn, and too limited and would be routinely handled by the more sophisticated boxing celebs in later years. For sheer thrills and leather however, these two women never disappointed, and were subsequently thrown in together to enthusiastic receptions whenever they fought.