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“I See the Spirit of Her Father”: Boxing World Goes Wild After Watching Muhammad Ali’s Daughter Laila Ali Confront Claressa Shields in Resurfaced Interview

Published 05/25/2023, 5:27 PM EDT

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The boxing community was buzzing as a video of Laila Ali talking about Claressa Shields during an interview recently resurfaced. The video which was uploaded by K9Boxing featured Laila Ali recounting Shields turning down a sparring session with her. Ali shared how she casually asked the 2-times Olympic gold winner if she wanted to spar with her. Ali did an impression of Shields and revealed how the latter responded with, ‘You want to spar me?’. She revealed that she then asked Shields to ‘calm down’.

Laila Ali further said that she asked Shields for a sparring session to check and see, “what kinda heart she has”. “Because you should just come whoop me for bragging rights. If Muhammad Ali offers a young upcoming fighter spar you’d be like yes!” she added.

Moreover, she expressed her disappointment and revealed that Shields declined her offer. Then the video switched to the part where the undisputed light middleweight champion clapped back at the retired boxer.

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Shields said, “Let’s not talk about who got heart and who don’t have heart because I’ve never ducked nobody. Look if a girl call me out I answer. And I’m going to fight whoever she is.” 

As soon as the video was posted on Youtube, fans went wild and shared their responses in the comment section.

Boxing fans’ diverse perspectives: Laila Ali vs. Claressa Shields

Boxing enthusiasts around the world went wild as the video resurfaced. The fans’ reactions showcased their diverse perspectives on the matter.

One fan, Shiva Jones expressed his admiration for Laila’s fighting spirit. He complimented Laila Ali and wrote, “Ali’s fighting spirit lives on”. However, he also wrote, “Claressa Shields is the GWOAT though”.

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Another fan, SERIOUSJONES regretted that Shields missed out on the opportunity to learn from Laila Ali while sparring. He wrote, “Just as Kobe did MJ. Clarissa definitely fumbled the bag!”

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Meanwhile, Mark Singer found Laila Ali’s impression of Shields saying “You wanna spar with me?” to be accurate. He wrote, “She sounded just like her”.

Uncle Hotwater Cornbread paid his respects to Muhammad Ali. He wrote, “I see the spirit of her father! RIP TO THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME.”

Lastly, BigHomieMac34 expressed his admiration for Laila Ali. However, he believes that Ali is too old to be a match for Claressa now. He wrote, “2000 Laila Ali yes. 2020 vs Claressa NO.”

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The resurfaced interview sparked a flurry of reactions from boxing fans, with each individual offering their unique perspective on the encounter. What do you think about the video? Who do you think would win in a potential bout, Laila Ali or Claressa Shields? Share your thoughts in the comments.

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Written by:

Chirag Radhyan

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Chirag Radhyan is a Boxing Writer at EssentiallySports. He has authored over 300 articles and loves to talk about the animosity between athletes, leading up to a fight. His coverage of the off-court drama between Jake Paul and Tommy Fury received widespread appreciation from readers.
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Edited by:

Arijit Saha