Woman vs. Man In The Ring

On Saturday night, in Washington's Seattle arena, a 36-year-old lightweight will take part in a real battle of the sexes.

Margaret MacGregor will meet Loi Chow in the ring, making boxing history in the country's first officially sanctioned match between a woman and a man.CBS News This Morning reports.

"I believe this is my destiny. I believe God made me for boxing, and so that's what I'm doing," she adds.

She became a champion kickboxer at the Twin Tiger gym in Bremerton, Wash., of her trainer, Vern Miller.

MacGregor has racked up eight victories in her pro career, four of them knockouts. But all those matches were against other women.

The idea of pairing MacGregor with a man started as a joke.

"I mentioned it to Margaret and she said, 'I don't think it's funny; I'll fight him,'" Miller recalls.

Chow of Vancouver, Canada, is MacGregor's age and weight. Both are expected to tip the scale at 125 pounds. But at 5 feet 2 inches tall, Chow is 3 inches shorter than the warrior princess, which, he says, doesn't bother him a bit.

"Am I confident I'm going to win this fight?" asks Chow. "The only thing I'm not confident about is that she might not get seriously hurt from getting hit."

Critics like boxing historian Burt Sugar say Washington state officials never should have sanctioned the match, but state rules rely on equal skills and physical attributes, not gender.

Still many are asking if this is a real showdown or a freak sideshow?

"There have been comments about abuse problems, equal rights problems, but that's another agenda and this fight isn't going to change anything," notes Miller.

In boxing circles, Chow is the one with the least to gain, Chow says.

"It's a lose-lose situation: If I win, I beat a woman and I get no pride and no joy. And if I lose, a woman will make me look like something I don't want to look like," he says.

Chow says a fight is a fight and he can't afford to put any less than his best fist forward.

"I have been specifically warned by the linesman, the chief referee, that if he sees that at any given time I am not fighting my absolute 100 percent, he will withhold my purse and ban me from boxing," he notes.

The match will have four two-minute rounds. A normal men's round is three minutes but that's the only rule change.

Will all these equal rights and lefts change the playing field forever?

"I see more between men and women coming and hope I am paving the way for those who chose to fight [whomever]," MacGregor says.

Maybe Chow is just talking some prematch trash, but he says the outcome of this fight will actually prevent a trend of guys and girls in the ring together.

"She will get so hurt by me in this fight I don't think any commission in their right mind will authorize another one, says Chow.

Winning isn't everything for MacGregor, but it will help give her message a one-two punch in the big locker room of life.

Two can always play at the same game, she says. "A lot of people will say you can't do that; no way can you do that: You're a girl."

"That's not true. You can do anything you want to do because we live in a land of opportunity," she adds. "Grab it while you can."

©1999 CBS Worldwide Inc. All Rights Reserved