Gerrie Coetzee's niece for pro boxing

Paul Martin Cainer  in Johannesburg

A beauty queen who is the niece of former World heavyweight champion Gerrie Coetzee is set to join the ranks of professional women boxers.

She is Ciska van Aswegen, whose mother Gerda is Gerrie Coetzee's sister. She was chosen as Second Princess in the Face of the Future competition two years ago.

She's oh, so beautiful, but oh, so tough.

Last week a young man at the gym asked Ciska to spar with him. Within two rounds he had been flattened and dazed by Ciska's left hook -- her most potent weapon. She says she's been inspired to turn pro by seeing Mohammad Ali's daughter bashing her way to the top.

But right now, South Africa's law has knocked her out of the South African fight scene: women are banned from boxing professionally. Two weeks ago a bill that would have allowed women to earn cash with their fists was rejected as inadequate by South Africa's parliament. The only way out for Ciska to follow in her Uncle Gerrie's bootsteps, to fight in the UK or the United States.