Laila Ali, the daughter of legendary boxer Muhammad Ali, had a difficult upbringing but overcame it all to establish her worth. She had a strong mentality and was well-prepared, which eventually led to her becoming one of the top female boxers in the sport. She once shared a memory from her youth that shows the direction she took in her life.

While in conversation with Tom Bilyeu, Laila Ali mentioned how she used to use public transport called the RTD. Her sister would never get on the bus and rather waited for her mom to drive her somewhere. She added she was Muhammad Ali’s daughter, but she didn’t mind using public transport.

“I was like, ‘I need to get where I need to go and I’m not waiting on my mom to take me.’ A lot of times, I would be let down. I’d be waiting…. You say you’re going to take me somewhere and you don’t. I learned at a very young age like, If you want it, you got to go get it,” she added. 

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She even stated in the interview, “I had a really dysfunctional family. My parents divorced. My mom got remarried. She married a man who was abusive not physically but emotionally.”

Similar to her father, Laila never gave up and strutted her way towards excellence. She also got inducted into the Boxing Hall of Fame. She retired from the sport in 2007 with an undefeated record of 24-0. 

Muhammad Ali didn’t want his daughter to pursue boxing 

‘The People’s Champion’ is often regarded as the greatest boxer of all time. Even his daughter dreamed of becoming a boxer like her father, but Ali was against his daughter squaring off inside the ring. The late athlete was once in conversation with Oprah Winfrey, where he mentioned his disregard for his daughter boxing. 

Ali stated, “Women are not physically constructed to take a blow to their breasts.” 

Oprah mentioned that Laila was looking forward to fighting Joe Frazier’s daughter. To which Ali replied, “I won’t go to see it. Laila is only 22. She should be able to beat her, and I’m going to help her. Joe Frazier is going to help his daughter, too.” 

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Although Ali was against his daughter fighting, he played his role as a father and helped Laila to pursue her boxing endeavors. Meanwhile, what do you think about Laila’s remarks? Let us know in the comments below.