SOUTH AFRICA: BOXING - Johannesburg press conference by Laila Ali, ready for her second attempt to fight Gwendon O'Neil in South Africa

Record ID: 452349

  • Title: SOUTH AFRICA: BOXING - Johannesburg press conference by Laila Ali, ready for her second attempt to fight Gwendon O'Neil in South Africa
  • Date: 25th January 2007
  • Summary: JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA, (JANUARY 23, 2007), (REUTERS) BILLBOARD READING " EMPERORS PALACE PRESENTS LAILA ALI "
  • Embargoed: 9th February 2007 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: South Africa
  • Country: South Africa
  • Topics: People,Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVA2SXYA0H0EHMESDYIY8PG9U4J6
  • Story Text: STORY : Laila Ali flew to Johannesburg on Tuesday (January 23), ready for her second attempt to fight Gwendon O'Neil in South Africa. The fight is scheduled for February 3 at Emperor's Palace.
    Laila Ali, the daughter of boxing legend Muhammad Ali, made her boxing debut in 1999 and was successful from the outset. She is the current world super-middleweight champion.
    Her fight against the 36-year-old mother of five, O'Neil, will provide her with the chance keeping her world championship record intact.
    The match comes after Ali flew out of the country in anger last July after a controversial local promoter failed to come up with the fight money she was promised.
    At the time, she indicated that her involvement in a fight in South Africa would somehow honour a one-time wish of her father.
    The embarrassing affair saw another local promoter, Rodney Berman, try to salvage the situation with a promise to ensure that Ali made it into the ring in South Africa this year.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2011. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register