Potential Foe For Ali Hails From China

The undefeated WIBA middleweight titlist Yanan “Chinese girl” Wang successfully defended her title and bagged a vacant WBC female middleweight belt in the process by winning a unanimous decision against the American contender Janaya Davis in a 10-round duel on January 26, 2008 at the Venetian in Macao, China.

“My next goal is to move up in weight and challenge the famed American female boxing legend Laila Ali,” the newly-crowned Chinese Queen said.

Yanan Wang, the 23-year-old Chinese female boxer, acquired her WIBA belt last year in Shanghai by besting the world's No.2 middleweight female fighter American Laura Ramsey in a 10-round battle. The bout held in Macao was her first title defense.

While Yanan Wang was currently ranked No.2 worldwide, Janaya Davis was billed as the best in America.

“It was said that she's matchless in the U.S.,” Yanan Wang said in a breezy tone before the fight. “Let's just fight and see who'll finish off as the stronger one in the ring.”

The Black Jewel, who held a professional record of 6-2, is no fake. She started off strong, hoping she could take the lead by way of outclassing the much younger Chinese girl in the early going.

Although the 35-year-old veteran executed the right strategy, backing her Chinese opponent several times, it was the younger, quicker and more durable Chinese fighter who finished up with a lead on the scorecards. The final scores were 97-93, 97-93 and 98-93. Wang improved her pro record to 5-0, 2 KOs, with two world titles – WBC and WIBA- under her belt.

Wang, from Dalian, standing at 5'9″ and weighing 160Ibs, was once a MMA fighter before converting to boxing. After a period of hard training, the diligent Chinese girl soon showed her talent. She allegedly garnered an amateur record of 12-1.

Turning pro in 2006, Wang fought three time this year and registered a record of 3-0, 2 KOs. By the turn of the Chinese New Year, she added another world title to her illustrious career, having won Women's Junior World Boxing Championship twice, one PABA title, one WIBA title and a WBC female middleweight title.

Wang has grown from a little-known Chinese girl to a promising world star. But in her mind, there's still one dream she hasn't fulfilled – fighting the world's pound for pound best female boxing champion Laila Ali.

“I wanna challenge Laila Ali!” Wang proclaimed after the fight.

“She Bee Stingin'” has been Wang's role model since she laced up her first pair of boxing gloves. Studying the videotape of Ali's past performances becomes one of Wang's hobbies. The 23-year-old Chinese girl has always dreamed of finishing her idol off single handedly in the ring.

Now, Wang's chance has come. Beating Laura Ramsey not only secured her a vacant WBC title, but also earned an opportunity for her to land a potential super middleweight title fight with Laila Ali. Whether her dream would come true remains to be seen.

Another main event:

In the co-featured bout, Puerto Rican heavyweight Derric Rossy outclassed the former WBO heavyweight titleholder Ray Mercer over twelve rounds by winning a unanimous decision of 117-111, 117-111 and 115-113 on the three judges' cards.

Rossy boosted his record to 18-1, 10 KOs, capturing the WBO NABO, WBC Asian Boxing Council and the WBF International heavyweight titles.

Ray Mercer was once an Olympic gold medalist and wrested the WBO belt in 1991, but the 46-year-old heavyweight has long passed his prime. The 27-year-old Puerto Rican took total control in most of the rounds and caused Mercer in serious trouble on multiple occasions.

Rossy is a former football defensive end in Boston College. He is just two credits short of a master's degree. His only loss was to the top-rated American heavyweight prospect Eddie Chambers in February, 2006 in a bid for the vacant USBA heavyweight title. He scored two victories to close out the year 2007 and got off to a good start in 2008. Some believe that he has the potential to be a world champion in the near future.

Zhenyu Li is the columnist for People's Daily online and a member of the International Boxing Research Organization (IBRO). He can be reached at zhenyuli_cn@sina.com.