Laila Dominates Bout over King

Muhammad Ali's daughter Laila continued her unbeaten run of wins by knockout on Saturday with a powerful win over women's boxing veteran Kristina King.

Fighting in the first ever professional bout in China, Laila, 22, found her range from the opening bell and unleashed a flurry of left and right jabs to King's face.

Ali kept up the onslaught through the four-round bout, cutting King below the left eye and leaving blood pouring from her nose.

Referee Bernie Profato called a halt with 30 seconds gone in the fourth and final round after King was left staggering by another round of blows.

The decisive technical knockout moved Ali to six wins and no losses since her debut on October 9 last year, with three knockouts and TKOs

"That's for you dad," Ali said after her easy win played out in front of 2,500 curious spectators at the Tianhe Sports Complex in this southern Chinese city.

"It was a pretty easy fight," she said. "I did not feel relaxed, in fact, I was nervous in front of my first ever worldwide TV audience but the fighting was easy."

Ali lost no time in announcing her next fight, to be in her hometown of Los Angeles on June 15, against an opponent to be announced.

Asked about the use of her and her father's name to open pro boxing in China she said: "I realize why I get so much attention, for my father. But a name does not mean anything if it doesn't stand for something."

King, 30, a prison officer in a men's jail in Michigan paid tribute to her conqueror. "You've got a great right, you're going to be a world champion and I'm not a person who is intimidated very easily," she said.

In a world-title men's bout on the Guangzhou card, Chicago's Montell Griffin, 29, beat Jose Luis Rivera, 33, of Cleveland, Ohio to take the International Boxing Council super-middleweight world title

Winning by unanimous decision after 12 rounds, Griffin dominated throughout holding back but making his punches count.

Rivera by contrast, landed some blows but missed more and was troubled by two cuts to his left cheek and a swollen left eye from early in the match.



Please visit People's Daily Online --- http://www.peopledaily.com.cn/english/