Laila Ali wins with third round KO

Atlanta:

Laila Ali, daughter of former heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali, won the International Women's Boxing Federation light heavyweight championship by knocking out Gwendolyn O'Neil at 1:59 of the third round. Ali knocked O'Neil down twice in the second round, each time with a right hand to the chin, as the crowd estimated at 6,000 cheered for the 26-year old, who improved to 19-0 with 16 KOs. The 5-foot-10, 174-pound Ali began pounding O'Neil late in the third round and ended the fight with a barrage of punches to the face, knocking O'Neil down in a neutral corner where she sat stunned as she was counted out. O'Neil, from Guyana, fell to 9-4-1 with six knockouts. She was ranked No. 6 by the IWBF. Ali, who lives in Las Vegas, used the O'Neil fight as a tuneup for her October 30 bout against Jacqui Frazier in Kinshasa, Congo. Frazier is the daughter of former heavyweight champion Joe Frazier, who fought Muhammad Ali several times. Laila Ali, who began fighting in 1999, also owns the IWBF middleweight title. (AP)