Women In The Ring

This weekend, boxing fans were treated to two history making, albeit lackluster, bouts in the ring.

Muhammad Ali's daughter, Laila Ali, in her first professional fight defeated a perhaps less than worthy opponent, April Fowler, in 31 seconds. In another history-making match, a man and a woman took to the ring for the first time. The victor was Margaret McGregor, who defeated male opponent Loi Chow in a unanimous decision.

To get an inside look at the recent female boxing frenzy, CBS News This Morning Correspondent Thalia Assuras spoke to boxing analyst Steve Farhood.

"You're my hero, Margaret!" one woman shouted, after Margaret MacGregor, the five-foot-four female boxer, beat Loi Chow, the five-foot-two part-time jockey, in what is believed to be the first professional man-vs.-woman boxing match in U.S. history.

They cheered loudest when MacGregor pummeled Chow, which was pretty often. Screams of "He's a bum" and "Kill him, Margaret!" started in the first round. By the fourth round, the crowd was chanting her name.

But boxing analyst Steve Farhood thinks the bout sends the wrong message. "I care about boxing. I love boxing. It is definitely a sport," he says. "Women's boxing is in its infancy and something like this brings the wrong type of attention to the sport."

Officials with both men's and women's boxing worried the male-female match would set the sport back. One promoter offered MacGregor and Chow $3,000 apiece, double the $1,500 they earned from the bout, to back out.

"It takes the focus away from women's boxing, which is a real sport, and a growing sport," he continues. "There are legitimate athletes out there who work very hard, just as hard as the men. It's a new sport. It needs to focus on the athletes, not on publicity stunts."

While Laila Ali said she would never consider fighting a man, Farhood says the five-foot-ten, 166-pounderÂ's name is enough to bring her recognition.

"In women's boxing the talent pool is pretty much concentrated around 130 to 140 [pounds]," says Farhood. "There's not a lot of competition. But her name is Ali, and that brings instant marketability, credibility. She has a lot of personality. She is going to get a lot of publicity."

"[In] women's boxing, everything is sped up because the talent pool is so thin," he continues. "With her, I think within a year or two, she'll fight someone [worthy], we'll find out if she can really fight and whether the name Ali is all that she has going for her."