By Patrick Omorodion

•Fights O’Neil

United States- based Nigerian female light heavyweight world boxing champion, Ijeoma Egbunine has thrown a big challenge to boxing great, Mohammed Ali’s daughter, Laila to do more talking with her fists in the ring than with her mouth.

Egbunine, who is visiting home solely to fight a Guyanese counterpart on December 22, in Owerri spoke on Top Radio sports programme during the week, challenging Laila Ali, who she disclosed has dodged fighting her on three occasions.

According to the female boxing wonder who goes by the sobriquet The Praise, the camp of Laila kept postponing their fight with flimsy excuses because “they know I can upset Laila”, adding however that she knows “Laila must be training

Egbunine (l) throwing a left punch at an opponent.

secretly and would want to catch me unaware when she knows I’m not prepared but I won’t be caught unaware.”

One of her proposed fights with Mohammed Ali’s daughter was to have taken place in 2006 but it was put off for inexplicable reasons, according to Egbunine. She had earlier lost to Laila by a knock-out in round five in December 2005 but her request for a re-match has not been successful.

For the December 22 fight, Egbunine, 30 said everything has been concluded for her to contest the vacant WBC female heavyweight title against Guyana’s Gwendolyn O’Neil, 42 as she called on Nigerians to support her morally and in prayers.

“I have been boxing in the US for about 10 years now and I feel I should come home to showcase my skills, to let my people see what I have been doing,” she said.

Her opponent for the fight, O’Neil who is incidentally the number contender behind her for the vacant WBC female heavyweight title lost to her when both of them met in May this year at the Action Academy Sports in Georgia, United States.

The Guyanese who is also the Women International Boxing Association, WIBA world heavyweight champion is of the same height, 5 feet 9 inches with Egbunine.

Egbunine who has a stunning record of 18 fights with 16 victories, six via technical knock-out, two direct knock-outs and seven ending in unanimous decisions with only two defeats, is the current WBE and WIBF light heavyweight world champion