Laila Ali
Laila Ali
Laila Amaria Aliis an American former professional boxer who competed from 1999 to 2007. She is the daughter of the late heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali with his third wife, Veronica Porsche Ali, and is the eighth of her father's nine children. During her career, from which she retired undefeated, she held the WBC, WIBA, IWBF and IBA female super middleweight titles, and the IWBF light heavyweight title...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionBoxer
Date of Birth30 December 1977
CityMiami Beach, FL
CountryUnited States of America
I was never offended that people underestimated me because of my appearance or that they thought I was pretty and discouraged me from fighting because they didn't want me to risk hurting my looks.
You have to fight for your health and stay on top of it. Our bodies are meant to be healthy.
People like to see me fight. A name can only take you so far. There are only a few fighters out of the thousands of boxers out there that have name recognition. I'm definitely not upset by that.
I saw women's boxing on television for the first time when I was 18, and that's when I wanted to do it. So, it didn't come from me watching my father. I didn't know the sport existed; therefore, I wasn't really interested in it until I saw it.
I don't like crazy names. I don't like them. I don't think it makes any sense. You have to think about the child and, as they get older, what they have to deal with. A lot of people do things as a fad, and they want to get some attention, but it's like, this is your child.
I do my best to work out 5 days a week. There are times when I can only get in 3 days a week because I am traveling or just need rest due to a hectic schedule. But working out is always a priority, and if I fall off due to my schedule, it is not long before I get back on track.
I've always like watching competition and athleticism. Just seeing the average person going up against Gladiators, is always something I enjoy. I'm not really a big sports fan, but I do enjoy the show.
I am thrilled and honored to have a seat at the table for meaningful conversation with so many accomplished women in the sports world.
Sometimes if you don't physically attempt something, you don't realize how sick to your stomach or how hard it is.
I don't get the action... well, I never did get the big action hero parts. I was always locked into making the kids movies, which were a lot of fun.
I was one of those people who wasn't getting a lot of milk, so I had to pump forever to just get two ounces of milk. But, you know, I wasn't going to give up or stop.
My dad is my dad. I love him, and I realize that he's as famous as he is. Of course, I don't look at him like everybody else does. Because I know his little faults, I know his weaknesses. Nobody's perfect. But he's my dad. Just like your dad is to you.
Maybe if I completely shaved my head and get the frost out of my moustache, maybe I could get one of those serious acting jobs.
The wrestling, even though I would only wrestle for 15 or 20 or 30 minutes at a time, and it would look like that was the only time I was in it, was really a 24-hour job. Keeping yourself alive, reinventing yourself, staying physically in shape, the traveling, all the other commitments with being a wrestler, it was a crossover situation where it became sports entertainment and you actually became a media star, so it was very demanding.