Laila Ali facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Laila Ali
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Ali in 2017
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| Born |
Laila Amaria Ali
December 30, 1977 Miami Beach, Florida, U.S.
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| Alma mater | Santa Monica College | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Yahya McClain
(m. 2000; div. 2005)Curtis Conway
(m. 2007) |
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| Children | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Laila Amaria Ali (born December 30, 1977) is an American television personality and a retired professional boxer. She competed from 1999 to 2007 and never lost a fight! During her boxing career, she held several important titles, including the WBC, WIBA, IWBF, and IBA female super middleweight titles, and the IWBF light heavyweight title. Many people in the sport consider Laila Ali to be one of the best female professional boxers ever. She is also the daughter of the famous boxer Muhammad Ali.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Laila Amaria Ali was born on December 30, 1977, in Miami Beach, Florida. Her parents are the legendary boxer Muhammad Ali and his third wife, Veronica Porché. Before she became a boxer, Laila worked as a manicurist when she was 16 years old. She later earned a business degree from Santa Monica College in California. She even owned her own nail salon before she stepped into the boxing ring.
Laila Ali's Boxing Career
Laila Ali started boxing when she was 18 years old. She became interested after watching a fight with another female boxer named Christy Martin. Laila first announced her decision to become a professional boxer on the TV show Good Morning America. Her father, Muhammad Ali, was worried about her entering such a tough sport.
First Fights and Growing Fame
Laila's first professional boxing match was on October 8, 1999. She was 21 years old, about 5 feet 10 inches tall, and weighed 166 pounds. Her opponent was April Fowler. Many journalists and fans came to watch this fight, mostly because she was Muhammad Ali's daughter. Laila won her first match by knocking out Fowler in the first round! She also won her second match by a technical knockout (TKO).
Laila won nine fights in a row. Fans became excited about the idea of her fighting the daughters of other famous boxers, like George Foreman's daughter, Freeda Foreman, or Joe Frazier's daughter, Jacqui Frazier-Lyde.
Ali vs. Frazier: A Historic Fight
On June 8, 2001, Laila Ali finally faced Jacqui Frazier-Lyde. Their fight was called Ali/Frazier IV, a nod to the famous fights between their fathers. Laila won the match by a majority decision from the judges after eight rounds. Frazier-Lyde ended the fight with a swollen eye, while Laila had a fractured collarbone and a bloody nose. This match was a big deal because it was the first time two women were the main event in a pay-per-view boxing match.
Winning Championships and Remaining Undefeated
After a break, Laila Ali continued her winning streak. On August 17, 2002, she won the IBA title by knocking out Suzette Taylor in the second round. She kept that title and also won the WIBA and IWBF belts on November 8, 2002, by beating Valerie Mahfood. Laila stopped a bloody Mahfood in the eighth round. They had a rematch on June 21, 2003, where Laila won again by TKO.
On August 23, 2003, Laila Ali fought Christy Martin, the boxer who first inspired her. Laila won by knockout in four rounds. She continued to defend her titles, knocking out Nikki Eplion in four rounds on July 17, 2004. On July 30, 2004, she stopped Monica Nunez in nine rounds in her father's hometown of Louisville, Kentucky.
Laila added the IWBF Light Heavyweight title to her collection on September 24, 2004, by knocking out Gwendolyn O'Neil in three rounds. She continued to dominate, winning against Cassandra Geiggar in February 2005.
Final Fights and Retirement
On June 11, 2005, Laila Ali defeated Erin Toughill to win the WBC title, in addition to defending her WIBA crown. She was only the second woman to win a WBC title. Laila and Toughill did not get along, and Laila promised to punish her in the ring, just like her father did with Ernie Terrell.
On December 17, 2005, in Berlin, Laila fought and defeated Åsa Sandell by TKO in the fifth round. Her father, Muhammad Ali, was there to watch and kissed his daughter after the win.
Laila Ali announced a world tour in 2006, but some planned fights, like one with Ann Wolfe, never happened. Instead, on November 11, 2006, she defeated Shelley Burton by TKO in the fourth round. Her last professional fight was on February 2, 2007, in South Africa, where she defeated Gwendolyn O'Neil by technical knockout in the first round. Laila Ali retired from boxing undefeated, with a perfect record of 24 wins and no losses.
Professional Boxing Record Summary
| 24 fights | 24 wins | 0 losses |
| By knockout | 21 | 0 |
| By decision | 3 | 0 |
Championships and Awards
- 2012: AOCA Awakening Outstanding Contribution Award
- 2005/2007: WBC World Super Middleweight title (two defenses)
- 2002/2007: WIBA World Super Middleweight title (five defenses)
- 2004: IWBF Female Light Heavyweight title
- 2002/2004: IWBF Female Super Middleweight title (two defenses)
- 2002/2004: IBA Female Super Middleweight title (four defenses)
Television and Media Work
After her boxing career, Laila Ali became a well-known television personality.
Early TV Appearances
In 2000, Laila played herself in an episode of The Jersey. In 2002, she appeared on the UPN sitcoms One on One and Girlfriends. She also appeared in the music video "Deny" by the band Default. In 2004, Laila was on the George Lopez show and Real Husbands of Hollywood.
Dancing with the Stars
In 2007, Laila Ali joined Dancing with the Stars for its fourth season. She had no dancing experience before the show. Laila and her dance partner, Maksim Chmerkovskiy, were very popular with the judges. They even received the first perfect "10" score from judge Len Goodman for their rumba dance. They finished in third place in the competition.
Dancing with the Stars performances
| Week # | Dance / Song | Judges' scores | Result | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inaba | Goodman | Tonioli | |||
| 1 | Foxtrot / "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)" | 7 | 8 | 8 | No Elimination |
| 2 | Mambo / "Maracaibo Oriental" | 9 | 9 | 9 | Safe |
| 3 | Tango / "Goldfinger" | 7 | 7 | 7 | Safe |
| 4 | Paso Doble / "Les Toreadors" | 7 | 7 | 7 | Safe |
| 5 | Rumba / "Put Your Records On" | 9 | 10 | 9 | Safe |
| 6 | Cha-Cha-Cha / "Hold on, I'm Comin'" | 9 | 9 | 10 | Safe |
| 7 | Quickstep / "Part-Time Lover" Samba / "Brazil" |
10 10 |
9 10 |
10 10 |
Safe |
| 8 | Waltz / "May Each Day" Jive / "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown" |
9 9 |
9 8 |
9 9 |
Safe |
| 9 Semi-finals |
Quickstep / "Walk Like an Egyptian" Cha-Cha-Cha / "She's a Lady" |
10 10 |
10 10 |
10 10 |
Safe |
| 10 Finals |
Paso Doble / "España Cani" Freestyle / "Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)" Mambo / "Maracaibo Oriental" |
10 9 10 |
9 8 10 |
10 9 10 |
Third Place |
Hosting and Other Appearances
Laila Ali co-hosted the revival of American Gladiators with Hulk Hogan in 2008. She also became a contributing correspondent for The Early Show on CBS. She hosted The N's Student Body, a reality show, and appeared on Yo Gabba Gabba! and Love That Girl.
In 2012, Laila co-hosted Everyday Health on ABC. She also appeared in a Kohl's commercial and was a contestant on the NBC reality competition Stars Earn Stripes. In 2013, she appeared on The Biggest Loser and co-hosted several episodes of the E! talk show Fashion Police.
In 2014, Laila Ali participated in Celebrity Wife Swap, where she tried to encourage healthier habits in another family. She also competed on Chopped: All Stars for charity. She began hosting All In with Laila Ali on CBS and Late Night Chef Fight on FYI. She appeared in the film Falcon Rising and was a contestant on The New Celebrity Apprentice.
Since 2017, Laila Ali has hosted the DIY series Home Made Simple on the Oprah Winfrey Network. In 2019, she was a contestant on The Masked Singer as "Panda." In 2020, she voiced herself in an episode of Scooby-Doo and Guess Who?.
Personal Life
In 2002, Laila Ali wrote a book called Reach! Finding Strength, Spirit, and Personal Power with co-author David Ritz. In the book, she shared that she sometimes felt isolated because of her father's fame.
Laila Ali married Johnny "Yahya" McClain on August 27, 2000. He became her manager. They divorced in late 2005.
On July 23, 2007, Laila married former NFL player Curtis Conway in Los Angeles. They have two children together: a son born in August 2008 and a daughter born in April 2011. Laila is also the stepmother to Conway's three children from a previous relationship. Professional wrestling legend Hulk Hogan has said that Laila Ali helped him during a difficult time by calling him when he was feeling down. Laila Ali's sister, Hana, is married to professional mixed martial artist Kevin Casey, making him her brother-in-law.
Images for kids
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Ali modeling at the 2011 Heart Truth fashion show
See also
In Spanish: Laila Ali para niños
