Going is Kendra tough for Laila

Laila Ali, with father Muhammad Ali watching at ringside, remained unbeaten by scoring a unanimous decision in the toughest match of her eight-bout career. The 22-year-old Ali, who had won her first seven fights by knockout, had her hands full with 34-year-old Kendra Lenhart in a six-round bout Friday night in the Palace of Auburn Hills.

The bout preceded an IBF junior welterweight title defence by Zab Judah of Brooklyn, New York, against Hector Quiroz of Mexico on the undercard of the Mike Tyson-Andrew Golota heavyweight bout.

Lenhart appeared to have the best of the first three rounds before Ali started to come on. But one judge scored the fight 60-54 for Ali, giving her every round. Each of the other two judges scored it 58-56 for Ali.

"I'm disappointed I didn't knock her out and I got hit too much," said Ali. "But she was a big girl. I hit her with some good shots. I should have boxed more."

o Former world featherweight champion Wayne McCullough fears his career could be over after a scan revealed a two-inch cyst on his brain.

The Las Vegas-based Northern Irishman broke down in tears at a news conference announcing his comeback fight against Hungary's Sandor Koczek on Friday had been called off.

The British Boxing Board of Control ordered the scan during the run-up to the fight at King's Hall, Belfast.

The 30-year-old said he travelled to Dublin to get a second set of X-rays which found nothing. "I just want to get to the truth of the state of my health. I am still dreaming. I am waiting to wake up."

McCullough saw the fight against Koczek as a stepping stone towards gaining another world title.

o Former heavyweight champion Tony Tubbs has withdrawn his guilty plea to a charge of trafficking cocaine and has requested a jury trial.

Tubbs pleaded guilty on October 10 to one count of trafficking cocaine. Judge Steve Martin was to have been sentenced Tubbs on Friday.

Tubbs' lawyer had proposed a deal that would have allowed Tubbs to avoid jail and go to a correctional centre for drug treatment.

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