China

My Trip to Guangzhou, China
by Pamela Barker

On April 16^th I left Las Vegas to start what was going to be a long and interesting trip to Guangzhou, China. I was going as a female boxing spokesperson for American Champion Entertainment, Inc.

The trip started with a canceled flight from Las Vegas to San Francisco. An alternate flight got booked and I was on my way. After thirteen hours of flying and an additional two-hour flight, I arrived….so I thought. I now had a four hour bus ride that involved stops along the way, including a Customs stop.

After an exhausting trip I finally arrived and proceeded to get a nights sleep. The next day I started what was going to be a mostly pleasant experience in China.

I had fun and enjoyed every day and night. I met plenty of locals that were so nice and helpful. The people involved with the promotion and the Showtime group was terrific. Each day was a new experience, whether working with the media or just talking with the locals.

An experience that will forever haunt me was when I visited the downtown markets in Guangzhou. Most foods that could be displayed in its living form were done that way. Without getting “graphic” I can say that anything that we might consider as domestic animals, were on display, for sale, as food. Enough said about that.

The fights were very exciting, although somewhat bloody. Laila Ali is a much better fighter than people realize. She is great considering she has only six fights. Laila pummeled Kristy to a bloody mess. She seemed to be a really focused fighter and should be taken seriously. I believe the fans and her opponents should take a good look at her, because she is definitely not a fraud or just riding on the Ali name……..She can box.

The other fights were very good but having some slow moments. They too had blood running from various places on the fighters.

The trip was an exciting adventure. I experienced part of a culture that was foreign to me but now I come away with a better understanding of their way of life. I met and worked with very nice people and will share the memories of this trip with them. I am very honored to be part of it.