World acclaimed female boxer Laila Ali is looking for male sparring partners to help her prepare for her world super middleweight title defence against Gwendolyn O’Neill at Emperor’s Palace, east of Johannesburg, on February 3.
This was disclosed by the promoters of the fight, Golden Gloves Promotion (GGP), after Ali arrived in the country on Tuesday amid fanfare and a heavy media contingent.
Ali was accompanied by trainers Cassius Green and BB Hudson who will work her corner during the fight.
The two trainers are assistants to world-famous trainer Floyd Mayweather Snr, who will not be coming to the fight despite earlier promising to do so.
GGP publicist Terry Pettifer said Ali, the daughter of the greatest fighter in the world, Muhammad Ali, would make use of South African male sparring partners as she did not bring sparring partners with her.
Ali prefers male sparring partners when preparing for her fights.
But her failure to bring her own sparring partners has thrown into doubt her serious commitment to the fight following her aborted fight with the same O’Neill in Cape Town last August.
That fight never took place due to a contractual dispute with the promoters Star-Trade Promotions (STP), led by controversial Eastern Cape promoter Joe Manyathi.
It was reported that an official from STP would wait for Ali at the OR Tambo International Airport to serve her with a summons demanding the repayment of the money with which she was advanced when she was in Cape Town.
However, during the media conference at Emperor’s Palace, the media were not allowed to ask Ali’s entourage about the details of her aborted fight.
Pettifer said the 29-year-old had done most of her training in America where she had a camp.
”I think she will mostly concentrate on exercises just to relax her body because I am told she did most of the training back in America,” Pettifer said.
Pettifer’s remarks are contrary to Mayweather Snr’s utterances that Laila only started training about a week ago.
Asked why Mayweather Snr had decided not to come to the fight, Pettifer said the famous trainer was scared of flying.
”I am told he only flies when he has to and because he has confidence in Green he opted not to come,” he said.
Ali will engage in several community projects on Wednesday and Thursday before getting down to serious preparations of the fight.
The fight will be a rematch of their September 2004 bout when Ali knocked out the Guyanese lass in three rounds.
O’Neill, the mother of five, is expected to arrive in South Africa on Thursday.
Ali will use Collin Nathan’s gymnasium in Johannesburg to prepare for the fight. — Sapa