“They Were Beneath Me”: Muhammad Ali’s Daughter Laila Ali Revealed Real Reason Why She & Her Mother Argued After ‘Confrontations’ With Boys

Former female middleweight champion Laila Ali had a troubled childhood filled with hardships. Despite being the daughter of boxing legend Muhammad Ali she failed to garner the love and attention of her father. Moreover, this resulted in her being compelled to attack her step-siblings with whom she often got into fights. Her situation only worsened after Ali decided to divorce her mother in 1986 when Laila was nine years old leaving her in an emotionally vulnerable state.

Furthermore, this transitioned into her school days where she was bullied by other children often. However, she proved that she was indeed her father’s daughter after beating up a bunch of bullies who tried to pick a fight with her in elementary school.

Laila Ali details how she fought two bullies in elementary school

In her book, Reach!: Finding Strength, Spirit, and Personal Power, Laila detailed how two of her elementary school fights involved boys. Moreover, the reason she fought the first one was that he spit on her while the second child was beating up a smaller kid. Laila claimed that she was able to strike enough fear in them to not mess with her again.

“My two little fights in elementary school both involved boys. One spit on me, and, without thinking, I threw him down on the ground and kicked his butt. Another boy was beating up on someone smaller. The predator was about my size, so I figured it was a fair fight. We slugged it out. I landed enough blows where he never fooled with me again,” she wrote.

However, while she was able to stand up for herself and never back from fights, her mother would get concerned over her safety. This was also the reason why she and her mother constantly argued about her getting into fights with the opposite sex.

Laila reveals why she and her mother argued over her getting into fights

In the next paragraph, Laila stated that she never backed down from fights with her mother advising against it. She also revealed that according to her mother, the boys she picked fights with were beneath her and didn’t need to be confronted.

Read More: First-Ever Picture of Laila Ali With Muhammad Ali Resurfaces

“Early on, I never backed away from fights. My mother was always trying to get me to avoid confrontations, arguing that they were beneath me,” she added.

Although Laila was always ready to dish it out with anyone who stood in her way, her mother was completely against it. However, getting in fights might have been the best thing to have happened to a young Laila who would dominate the sport of boxing and follow in her father’s footsteps to become a champion as well.

What did you think about Laila’s mother not wanting her to fight boys? Let us know in the comments.

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