Paul Bettany and Jennifer Connelly probably thought they'd invented a novel technique for dealing with the pap crush outside of the Waverly Inn last night -- namely, to have Paul come out swingin' with a giant pair of boxing mitts.

Well, it didn't exactly work, as the couple still got fully mobbed -- though it was a photog's equipment that got KO'd along the sidewalk.

But the much more pressing question was -- how would Bettany hail a cab?