Despite Becoming Aware of Ex-wife’s ‘Evil’ Boyfriend, Muhammad Ali “Didn’t Offer Advice or Help” to Laila Ali

The daughter of boxing legend Muhammad Ali and former female middleweight champion Laila Ali is a perfect example of how to shoulder the expectations of the world. Being the daughter of the former heavyweight champion, ‘SheBeeStingin’ had to go through unimaginable pressure to become a champion. However, despite having one of the most famous people on the planet as her father, life was certainly not easy for her.

Laila was one of Ali’s nine children and had to fight for her father’s love and attention. Moreover, he grew even further apart from her when Ali divorced his second wife and Laila’s mother, Veronica Porche back in 1986. This would eventually turn Laila’s life upside down after her mother got into another relationship where her boyfriend mistreated her and her mother. In addition, she even had to ask her father to help her come out of this dire situation.

Laila Ali had to ask Muhammad Ali to help her mother escape from her boyfriend

In her book Reach!: Finding Strength, Spirit, and Personal Power, Laila revealed that she had asked her father to help Porche. She claimed that her new boyfriend, Walter, was trying to separate her from her mother. In contrast, it was also revealed that hearing this brought tears to Ali’s eyes as he still cared about his ex-wife.

“I was close enough to my father to express my concern about Mom—that she was growing remote, losing weight. looking distressed. I poured out my heart, saying that I thought Walter was evil and taking our mom away from us. Dad listened carefully and then cried. He’s always had a special place in his heart for my mother. He knew she was just a baby when he met her and realized he could have treated her better. It pained him to learn that she was having a hard with another man. His tears touched me. I’ve always been touched by my father’s sweetness,” she wrote.

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However, despite knowing about the troubles of her mother, ‘The People’s Champ’ still refused to do anything about it. Laila also details how Ali didn’t want to help her mother and devoted himself to humanitarian work in his later years.

Muhammad Ali refused to help Laila’s mother despite knowing about her troubles

In the next paragraph, the former middleweight champion stated that Ali did not do anything to help her mother. During this time Ali was going through a lot of changes with his new wife having a lot of influence. Moreover, he got more involved with his religious and humanitarian projects neglecting Porche in the process.

“Yet even though he felt bad, he didn’t offer advice or help. His life was changing well. Lonnie was playing an increasingly larger role, making all the business decisions, while Dad devoted himself to Islam and humanitarian work,” she added.

Following Ali and Porche’s divorce, life for everyone in his family had to go through a major shift. While this was not easy for anyone involved, it made Laila get adjusted to tough situations as a teenager, which eventually did play a part in her success story.

What did you think about Muhammad Ali not helping Laila’s mother despite knowing about her struggles? Let us know in the comments.

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