Laila Ali stops Sweden's Sandell

Berlin:

Laila Ali stopped Sweden's Asa Sandell in the fifth round Saturday in a non-title bout with her famous father, former men's world heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali, watching. Ali caught the taller Swede with a left hook late in the round, then knocked her backwards with several punches before the referee stepped in. Muhammad Ali, in Berlin to collect a peace prize, walked ringside to kiss his daughter after she ran her record to 22-0 with 19 knockouts. Ali fought on the undercard of WBA heavyweight title fight between John Ruiz and Russian challenger Nikolay Valuev. Ali, the women's WBC champion, had a tough time during the first two rounds from the little-known Swede, who used her height to connect several times. "I expected the fight to be a little tougher than usual,'' Ali said. "I had a game plan. They stopped the fight too early, but they do that in women's boxing.'' Sandell's record fell to 3-2 with one draw. The 37-year-old is a former amateur European champion who now works as a journalist. (AP)