Though She Was the Daughter of Muhammad Ali, Laila Ali Admits She Did Not Start Boxing Because of Her Father

Boxing great Muhammad Ali’s daughter, Laila Ali, took over Suzy Taylor on August 17, 2002, in Las Vegas, Nevada to claim her first world title at super-middleweight in the highly anticipated women’s boxing contest. However, her father, ‘The Greatest heavyweight champion of all time,’ never wanted her daughter to lace gloves and step inside the boxing ring.

On Thursday, October 13, ‘Pretty Baby’ took to Instagram and shared the highlights of her first world title shot. Along with the clip, she narrated a long story in the caption. Which starts with, “Many of you aren’t familiar with me as a Boxer…”

Notably, it’s true to some extent, but as of now, Ali is a recognizable face in woman’s boxing.

Her success story inspired many female boxers to take the sport which was earlier considered a man’s sport. Starting late, Ali managed to leave her impression in the ring in a brief span of time. Being the daughter of boxing’s biggest draw, there was enormous pressure on her shoulders and she handled it in her own iconic style.

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Interestingly, the 44-year-old never wanted to become a boxer at an early stage of her life. She was not even into any sport. In spite of this, she went down in history as one of the greatest female boxers of all time.

Laila Ali’s journey to becoming champion

The Hall of Famer developed her interest in boxing when she was 18 and it was not because of her father. Well, then, what inspired Ali to lace up gloves against her father’s will?

According to her, Christy Martin’s fight on Mike Tyson’s undercard in 1996 inspired her to take the sport. It was then she fell in love with the sport for the first time and decided to become a professional.

“I was inspired by watching @christymartinpromotions when she fought on @miketyson undercard in 1996. I trained for one year, 6 days week. Did not compete as an amateur, turned pro…and did all my learning with the world watching. My father was against it. I did it anyway”, Ali wrote in the caption.

However, she was adamant and began her boxing journey. The decision she took made her an icon in female boxing.

She retired undefeated in 2007. In a career span of less than 10 years, she took female boxing to another level.

What do you think of Ali’s warrior spirit? Do you think woman’s boxing is doing good in the current scenario? Let us know in the comments below.

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