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Another knockout Ali overpowers Arcand for fourth straight KO
Posted: Wednesday March 08, 2000 12:57 AM
WINDSOR, Ontario (AP) -- Laila Ali knows the time is coming in her budding boxing career when she can't rely on just raw power. It just hasn't happened yet. Ali, daughter of former heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali, remained unbeaten as a pro with a first-round knockout of Crystal Arcand in a scheduled four-round bout Tuesday at Casino Windsor. Ali, 21, a 5-10, 166-pound middleweight, has now won all four of her professional bouts by knockout. Tuesday's fight lasted just 70 seconds and was her second first-round knockout. "I'm stronger than my dad was, comparably as a woman," Ali said. Ali knocked out Arcand, making her pro debut, with a right uppercut that displayed her power. "People just aren't used to it and can't take it," Ali said. "But I don't want to rely on just that. I want to be a boxer. I planned to jab more and work on my feet, but because of my inexperience I just got hyped up and things happened." Ali came out aggressively from the opening bell and floored Arcand with a right jab about 15 seconds into the bout. Arcand got up slowly, then Ali continued the attack and put Arcand on the canvas again with a right to the chin. Arcand, who fights under the name "Brave Heart," got up to one knee but no further as she was counted out. "I guess I underestimated Laila Ali," said Arcand, a 27-year-old mother of three who was 5-0 as an amateur. "She has some power and she can back it up." Ali reportedly received $25,000 and Arcand $5,000 for Tuesday's fight. "I knew she was going to come out after me with a powerful punch," Arcand said. "I should've played it more defensively." This was the second of three Detroit area fights for Ali. She earned a second-round knockout of Nicolyn Armstrong in a Dec. 10 bout at Cobo Arena and will also fight March 25 at Joe Louis Arena on the undercard of Thomas Hearns' bout against Crawford Ashley. Ali's other two pro fights ended in fourth- and first-round knockouts, the latter in just 31 seconds. "I don't think I'm so much better," Ali said. "I'm just so strong." Ali got into the sport two years ago as a form of exercise while operating a nail salon in Los Angeles. She sold the business and turned pro a little more than a year ago. Offers of all kinds, including opportunities in television, have flooded in since she pulled on boxing gloves, she said. "People say I should be a model but that's not what I want to do right now," she said. Daughters of other former world champions are getting in on the act. Jaqui Frazier-Lyde, the daughter of Joe Frazier, has started a boxing career. Freeda Foreman, the daughter of George Foreman, and Irichell Duran, whose father is Roberto Duran, have recently announced plans to take up the sport as well. Johnny McClain, the former boxer who is manager and fiancee to Laila Ali, said there are no plans for a match with Frazier-Lyde. "Jaqui Frazier doesn't have a clue," said McClain, who likes to be referred to as Big Johnny. "We're not in a rush to fight Jaqui Frazier because she's old and just in a rush to make money." This is the start of what McClain describes as a plan to make Laila Ali a pro sports star. In the casino hallways before Tuesday's fight, Laila Ali autographed posters were on sale for $35 while T-shirts and caps sold for $17. "Because she is Muhammad Ali's daughter, people expect her to be a winner quickly," he said. "The thing is not to rush it. We have to take our time and go slow and build Laila correctly."
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