Laila Ali Answers Lucia Rijker and Others – By David A. Avila

(MAR 11, 2005) Rumors are flying that Lucia Rijker has signed a contract with a promoter to fight Laila Ali.  Problem is that Team Ali won’t bite.  “That’s insulting,” said Johnny McClain, Ali’s husband and promoter. “I haven’t even received a phone call.”

Ali won’t be fighting Rijker, but hopes to fight again against one of the top super middleweight or light heavyweight contenders in the next few months.

“I’m not going to fight Lucia Rijker,” said Ali before her last fight against Cassandra Geigger a month ago in Atlanta, that she won by technical knockout. “I’ve done that already.”

Two years ago Ali beat Christy Martin, a smaller but legendary fighter who fans felt had a shot at beating the best-known female fighter on the planet. But for the daughter of Muhammad Ali, it was a mismatch that she predicted.

“It won’t prove a thing,” said Ali of meeting Rijker, who regularly fights at 140, while Ali fights at 168. “Fans are going to say I should have won anyway.”

Another who doesn’t like the fight is McClain.

“To me to Lucia has one line in a movie and because of that she should get equally paid? They are completely bonkers,” said McClain who is president of Absoloot, the company promoting Ali and the movie he alludes to is Million Dollar Baby, a film Rijker worked in. “Laila annihilated Christy Martin, she was just too big and just to strong. Why would Laili turn around and do the same thing with an even smaller woman?”

Ali said she admired Rijker in the beginning, but now she realizes her motives.

“It’s just about the money,” Ali said. “Why won’t Rijker fight Sumya Anani who’s been calling her out for years?”

The fights most boxing fans would love to see is Ali facing Ann Wolfe and to a lesser extent against Leatitia Robinson. Not Rijker.

Ann Wolfe

Wolfe, who boxes out of Texas, is a middleweight world title-holder with power that enabled her to knockout a much taller light heavyweight title-holder Vonda Ward in one round. That single punch brought her much needed recognition.

“Don’t go around saying you’re the best unless you fight the best,” said Wolfe by telephone. “I’m a junior middleweight. I moved up and I fight anybody and everybody.”

Wolfe’s team has said they offered a contract that would guarantee Ali $330,000 to Wolfe’s $150,000.

McClain said he had Wolfe under contract and that she asked to depart. He let her leave.

“They turned down two fights,” McClain said.

It’s not just a matter of money, McClain said, it’s the build up that concerns him.

“You can’t just put on a fight and expect to sell 100,000 buys on pay-per-view,” said McClain whose promotions with Ali and Jacqui Frazier-Lyde and and the other between Ali and Martin exceeded 100,000 buys. “It takes time to build up a fight.”

Wolfe doesn’t care who she fights any more. Though Ali is the most recognized fighter in the world, it’s fighting regularly that pleases her.

“I don’t just box, I fight with my soul,” said Wolfe.

Another power puncher who was set to fight Ali but spurned the latest offer is Robinson. The Chicago fighter signed a contract with Absoloot and proceeded to knockout Monica Nunez with the first left hook she landed.

“I put her on TV twice. Nobody knew her,” said McClain about Robinson. “Now they (Team Robinson) want $100,000.”

McClain said building up a fighter is the most important thing and is needed to make a fight that would equal the purses being talked about.

Other prizefighting experts agree like Mia St. John.

“You absolutely need to build up a fight or have some kind of gimmick,” St. John said, who has fought more than 45 pro bouts. “A lot of fighters don’t realize that unless you’re Laila Ali the average boxing fan doesn’t know female boxers.”

But Wolfe’s team says the fight can be made, but it’s in Team Ali’s yard.

“How about all of us talking together,” said Dana.  Right now Team Ali seeks an opponent and is willing to travel to Japan to find the right audience. But bring up Rijker’s name and the conversation turns sour.

“That fight will never happen,” said McClain by phone on Wednesday. “For Bob Arum to come along saying he’s making this fight with my fighter without speaking to me, that’s not going to happen.”