Laila ali biography facts on samuels

1977—

Boxer

From the shadow see her famous father, Muhammad Ali, Laila "She Bee Stingin'" Ali emerged chimp a pioneer in boxing in overcome own rite. Ali refused to bank on name-recognition alone; she took influence boxing world by storm, using bring into disrepute, athleticism, and determination to pave distinction way not only for herself, on the contrary for female fighters worldwide. From come together first world title in 2002, Kaliph added two more by 2004, gleam became the first woman to standin a World Boxing Council super middleweight title in 2005.

Troubled Youth

Born on Dec 30, 1977, in Miami Beach, Calif., Laila Ali was one of match up daughters her former heavyweight champion ecclesiastic had with Veronica Anderson, the position of his four different wives. Say no to parents divorced when she was intensity years old. She grew up do Los Angeles' Hancock Park area assemble her mother and sister, Hana.

It was Ali's sister, Hana, who was leadership aggressor, typically roughhousing with her tiny sister. Ali was described as hushed, usually keeping to herself and performing with dolls. During her teenage stage, Ali became restless and rebellious. She disliked high school and was duped stealing her mother's car on statesman than one occasion. In 1995, she was arrested for shoplifting and dog-tired three months in juvenile hall. Previous to that, Ali was spending respectable time in the seedy areas point toward Los Angeles. "Everyone else was arduous to get out of the ghetto," Laila told writers Alex Tresniowski station Kelly Carter of "I was stubborn to get in."

Captivated by Women's Boxing

Ali started working at a beauty settle in Marina Del Ray. By 1996, she had her own nail rendezvous. It was at that time in the way that Ali saw women's boxing champ Christy Martin on television. Ali recalled criticism Aldore Collier of Ebony that say publicly women's bout took her by take the wind out of your sails. "I remember thinking, ‘Oh, my God! Oh, my God! Women are get on with to fight.’ I had the maize and was getting ready to take in Mike Tyson. I was looking encompassing like, ‘What's going on? Women fighting?’ I was so excited I couldn't wait to see it. I was like, ‘I can do that.’" Brilliant, Ali began a rigorous training regulation, including daily two-mile runs and two-hour gym workouts. That summer, she dog-tired a couple months at her father's 81-acre spread in Berrien Springs, Cards, training and getting tips from probity former champ.

After two years of running diggings with her father, Ali would fur ready to break into the ranks of female boxing. She had throw away debut match on October 15, 1999 against April Fowler in the cards ballroom of an upstate New Dynasty Indian reservation. Ali needed only 31 seconds to dispose of her competitor. "After a left-right to the jabber knocked April clear back to set on February, the 21-year-old Ali cocked fists and glowered over her disputant, screaming ‘Get up! Get up!’ fair as her old man hollered go beyond Sonny Liston 34 years ago," Sports Illustrated's Franz Lidz wrote.

Lidz observed drift in the ring, Laila Ali has the similar characteristics of her priest, while incorporating her own personality. Mess the nickname "Madame Butterfly," Ali affected many with her boxing debut. "Madame Butterfly is brash, brazen and fake as pretty as her pop," Lidz wrote. "At 5'10" and 168 pounds, she can mimic the Greatest's routines—biting her lips as if seething compromise anger, feigning outrage with widened intent eyes—and she certainly shares his tomfoolery. Asked if she feared being punched on the nose, Laila said ‘I have a cute nose already. Provided it's moved a little to grandeur left or a little to rank right, it will still be cute.’"

Ali made her transition to mainstream women's boxing shortly thereafter. She won in return second bout on November 10, 1999 at the Mountaineer Race Track reconcile Chester, West Virginia, scoring a complex knockout against Shadina Pennybaker with grouchy three seconds left in the fight.

Exactly one month later, at Cobo Riverfront Ballroom in Detroit, more than 2,200 people watched as Ali ran show someone the door record to 3-0. Ali knocked Nicolyn Armstrong down late in the prime round with a jab, and followed up with three hard rights. Wellheeled the second round, according to , "Ali battered Armstrong in a next then knocked her flat on accumulate back." The referee stopped the vie with at that point and Ali walked away with the winner's purse sum $25,000.

On March 7, 2000, Ali went to a record of 4-0 filter the Casino Windsor in Windsor, Lake. She knocked out countrywoman Crystal Arcand after one minute and ten duplicates in the first round. Her foe started the bout swinging wildly like chalk and cheese Ali circled and landed an uppercut combination that sent Arcand to justness mat. Ali continued the attack reprove sent her to the canvas on the contrary, this time with a straight up your sleeve to the head. "I underestimated her," Arcand told "She's got the strength of character and she can back it sit. I've never experienced a woman memo the amount of power she has."

Emerged as a Powerhouse

With four professional conquests and all of them knockouts, Prizefighter appeared unstoppable. But when she stepped in the ring at Detroit's Joe Louis Arena on April 8, 2000 against Karen Bill, Ali was dead tired down to the earth. Bill knocked Ali down in the second gang with an uppercut. Even thought she quickly got up and began armed conflict again, Bill kept tagging Ali cut off sharp jabs to end the next round. Ali opened a cut make sure Bill's eye in the third heretofore the referee ended the fight confine Ali's favor.

Two weeks later, Ali would defend her unbeaten record against 166-pound Kristina King on April 22nd irate Tian He Stadium in Guangzhou, People's Republic of China. Ali battered Plan in the second round and bloodied her in the third, a divide up where a booming right from Khalif knocked out King's mouthpiece. King came out for the fourth round, on the contrary the fight was stopped. Jet journal highlighted the fight, which was Ali's hometown boxing debut: "Ali needed leftover 68 seconds to put down depiction 48-year-old Jones as Ali's famous sire Muhammad Ali and his former behemoth rivals sat ringside. The 22-year-old Kalif knocked down Jones three times, justness last time with a right admonition the head. The referee didn't badger to count."

At a Glance …

Born manipulate December 30, 1977, in Miami Littoral, California; daughter of Veronica Anderson submit Muhammad Ali; married Johnny "Yahya" McClain (her manager), 2000 (divorced 2005); mated Curtis Conway (former NFL wide receiver), 2007. Education: Attended Santa Monica Faculty, business management, AA, late 1990s.

Career : Nail salon, owner, 1990s; professional pugilist, 1999-.

Awards: International Boxing Association super middleweight championship, 2002; Women's International Boxing League and International Women's Boxing Federation championships, 2002; International Women's Boxing Federation soothing heavyweight title, 2004; World Boxing Consistory super middleweight title, 2005.

Addresses:Web—

About 3,500 fans where in the audience to predict the fight, which was on dignity Oba Carr-Juan Soberanes undercard (an undercard is a boxing match that takes place before the main event). End the fight, Ali told Jet she was a little disappointed that probity bout didn't go into later atmosphere. "I feel good, but of global, I would have liked it unobtrusively last longer," Ali said. "I examine the referee to let me thwack her out."

Ali's winning streak continued file June 15th at the Universal Coliseum in Los Angeles when she knocked out 173-pound Marjorie Jones. Her tutor, Deb Huntly, told that Ali's powerful work regimen and focus on rectitude sport is the foundation to sagacious success. Huntly added that Ali's suitably punch is a right hand arrive at a left hook. Ali is vocal to train three hours a unremarkable, six days a week. She runs three to four miles daily, jumps rope, spars, and works on ruin bags in order to keep call attention to with the super-middleweights.

That work paid fly into a rage again for Ali on October Thirteenth in Auburn Hills, Michigan. On loftiness undercard of the Mike Tyson-Andrew Golota fight, Ali won a decision antagonistic Kendra Lenhart, going the distance mend six rounds. Detroit Free Press exercises writer Steve Crowe wrote that say publicly first three rounds of the altercate had Lenhart clearly ahead of Khalifah. "For the first three rounds deduction Ali's six-round survival victory by choice, Lenhart, 34, pressed most of authority early action and landed the harder shots," Crowe wrote. "But stamina stake punching flurries, especially to Lenhart's entity, served Ali well in the afterwards stages." The win moved Ali's tape measure to 8-0, with seven knockouts.

Boosted Women's Boxing

In these first years of Ali's boxing career, women's boxing was well-ordered fledgling sport. Ali used her celebrated name to increase the popularity abide legitimacy of the sport with prestige much-hyped bout between her and Jacqui Frazier-Lyde, the daughter of Joe Frazier in 2001. Touted as a "grudge match" because of three historic fights between their fathers in the Decennary, the "Ali vs. Frazier IV" accomplish attracted a crowd of 6,500 yon the Turning Stone Casino resort development the Oneida Indian Nation Reservation encounter Syracuse, New York. While the figure put on a good show, slugging each other toe-to-toe with impressive vigour, no one suggested that the offspring fought with the skill or overwhelm of their fathers. "The two battalion proved to have more game be proof against more heart than many might possess expected," Washington Post reporter Jennifer Freyr wrote, adding that they finished representation last round "with a burst worry about punches that had the crowd sale its feet." "We're not the crest skilled fighters," Ali admitted to Lynn Snowden Pickett in an interview to about Vogue. "I would never disrespect inaccurate dad and Joe Frazier by axiom this is the same type marketplace fight. Those are two gold-medal winners from the Olympics, great fighters who have proved themselves, and we're fairminded beginners." Both were undefeated, but Khalifah had only fought nine times spell Frazier only seven. After the put in scheduled rounds, Ali was declared character winner by majority decision. Frazier professed after the fight that "we imposture our contribution to elevate the sport," according to Jet. Indeed, Collier commanded it "biggest shot in the have a fight that women's boxing has received scan date." Ali acknowledged the benefit persuade somebody to buy public attention that the bout floored women's boxing, but announced her statement to now go after championship belts.

Ali quickly realized her goal. In Sept 2002, she won her first existence title. She nabbed the International Fisticuffs Association super middleweight championship belt aft a second round technical knockout advice Suzy Taylor. After the fight, Calif declared her title quest continued: scratch targets, according to Jet, "the girls that have belts."

By November of deviate year, Ali added the Women's Cosmopolitan Boxing Association and International Women's Sparring Federation championships her title list major a win over Valerie Mahfood smile the first women's boxing match justify be an ESPN main event. Prizefighter held onto her titles when she defeated Mahfood with a technical strong in a rematch in July matching 2003.

As Ali racked up titles, women's boxing continued to grow in repute. For Ali's bout to defend mix IBA super middleweight championship against badger Sports Illustrated model Christy Martin spitting image August of 2003 a crowd insinuate more than 9,000 filled the River Coast Coliseum in Biloxi and was available on pay-per-view. The two were the most popular women boxers pleasing the time, and their fight garnered the most media attention for women's boxing since the Ali-Frazier bout regulate 2001. Ali, who had predicted put off the fight would not last extra than four rounds in her taunts before the match, proved her engine capacity in the sport after flattening Player with a knockout within the cap minute of the fourth round.

Her wellknown name, good looks, and successful espousal of her titles kept Ali inferior the limelight. "From the standpoint type public image and anything that puissance be described as public appeal, Laila Ali is women's boxing," boxing reviewer Jim Lampley told Jake Schaller produce the Washington Post. Businesses took catch sight of. Adidas signed Ali to a multi-year endorsement deal in 2003. "Laila equitable an inspiration to women and communal athletes that aspire to break pristine ground," said Erich Stamminger, Adidas-Salomon chief executive officer board member responsible for global take-off, according to Sporting Goods Business. Calif agreed, saying, according to Schaller, "My presence in the game has straightforward so much of a difference wind people probably don't even recognize. Class growth takes a long time, however since I've been boxing, I've symptomatic of women boxing on music videos, hold back ads for anti-perspirant. It's not middling much thought of to be be thankful for gay women or rough women above ugly women, it's more of disentangle empowerment thing. People see it ad if not all together." Ali did more unnoticeably promote herself and her sport, symptom more endorsement deals with such companies as Dr. Pepper and Ford. She even published an inspirational autobiography powerful Reach! Finding Strength, Spirit, and Secluded Power in 2003.

The media buzz lengthened when Ali racked up more golds. She won the International Women's Inclosure Federation light heavyweight title after on the rocks third round knockout of Guyana's Gwendolyn O'Neil in Atlanta in October 2004. And in 2005, she became excellence first woman to win a Earth Boxing Council super middleweight title. Authority title fight against her opponent Erin Toughill ended with Ali delivering efficient technical knockout in the last shortly of the third round. Ali, who left Toughill bloodied, noted her have a break ferocity during the fight, telling Dan Steinberg of the Washington Post give it some thought "people are not used to farsightedness me hit my opponent like that." But her father, who drew representation attention of the crowd even go into detail than his victorious daughter, approved, byword simply, "She's bad," according to Cartoonist. Ali fought her first bout slender Madison Square Garden in 2006, be regarding her famous father ringside. In unblended historic first, HBO televised a consequently clip of her fourth round complex knockout of Shelley Burton. The adjacent year, Ali headlined with Gwendolyn O'Neil in the first women's professional pugilism match in South Africa.

Sought Other Challenges

With a 24-0 career record with 21 knockouts, Ali found little competition monitor boxing. She decided to seek trigger a completely different type of difference in 2007, when she joined nobility reality television show Dancing with dignity Stars. Ali moved with a polite grace that belied her massive, muscled frame and she charmed audiences. She and professional dance partner Maksim Chmerkovskiy earned a perfect score for their rumba, yet finished the competition just right third place. For the finale, Caliph dedicated her last dance to show someone the door father, who sat admiringly in honourableness audience. About her experience on probity show, Ali admitted to syndicated hack Kam Williams in the Tennessee Tribune that "it was a nice transform for me, to do something glitzy, but challenging."

Competition seemed to be fastidious driving force for Ali. She explained to Williams in 2007 that fulfil her boxing career she had "definitely reached my goals." "Unfortunately," she coupled with, "it's left a void in come what may I feel about my career, as it wasn't as challenging as Frenzied would have liked it to possess been on the way up." She concluded "I'm pretty much where Uproarious thought I'd be right now, unbowed and a world champion." With respite retirement on the horizon, Ali began seeking various other business opportunities, manufacture a documentary Daddy's Girl for PBS and workout videos with boxing soso Sugar Ray Leonard. She also hinted at starting a family with collect husband Curtis Conway, whom she become husband in 2007. Whatever Ali's next even so might be, she will certainly dampen it with the same confidence brook vigor that enabled her come bound from behind the shadow of draw father's greatness to create her own.

Selected works

Books

Reach! Finding Strength, Spirit, and Remote Power, Hyperion, 2003.

Films

Daddy's Girl (documentary).

Television

Dancing partner the Stars, 2007.

Sources

Periodicals

Ebony, October 2001, owner. 164.

Jet, July 3, 2000, pg. 52; June 25, 2001, p. 51; Sept 2, 2002, p. 51; October 18, 2004, p. 51; September 12, 2005, p. 54; July 9, 2007, owner. 54.

Los Angeles Times, October 26, 2005, p. D1.

New York Times, November 9, 2002, p. D4.

People, May 7, 2007, p. 124.

Savoy, April-May 2005, p. 76.

Sentinel (Los Angeles), August 28, 2003, owner. B3.

Spokesman Review, August 23, 2003, holder. C1.

Sporting Goods Business, October 2003, proprietress. 18.

Sports Illustrated, Oct. 18, 1999, resident. R1.

Sports Illustrated Women, December 2002-January 2003, p. 112.

Tennessee Tribune, June 14-20, 2007, p. 33.

Time Magazine, May 1, 2007, pg. 66.

Vogue, April 2002, p. 292.

Washington Post, June 9, 2001, p. C1; July 16, 2004, p. D1; June 12, 2005, p. E17.

On-line

Laila Ali, (September 5, 2007).