‘If You Were My Woman…’: Laila Ali Once Brilliantly Muzzled Stephen A. Smith Who Stands Against Women in Combat Sports

Published 01/02/2023, 11:00 AM EST

Laila Ali, who held WBC, WIBA, IWBF, and IBA female super middleweight titles and went down in history as one of the greatest female fighters of all time faced a lot of struggles as an up-and-coming boxer. With a high number of people voicing out against women competing in combat sports, Laila Ali’s career wasn’t a smooth ride. Notably, her father, the great Muhammad Ali, was also against his daughter’s career in boxing. However, Laila didn’t seem to be bothered by the haters.

From the beginning, like her father, Laila was rebellious in nature and she presented an example of it in an interview with the renowned journalist Stephen A. Smith. She made it clear that she never paid heed to her father’s words and how she could listen to him taking a stand against women’s boxing.

How did Laila Ali shut Stephen A. Smith’s mouth?

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There is no doubt, Ali was too pretty to be a boxer. Therefore on several occasions, people questioned her decision to turn into a professional fighter. Because if she had tried modelling or something of that sort, she could certainly make it to the top, without getting hurt.

Smith’s opinion was also similar. He said, “If you were my woman and you wanted to go into the ring, I’m saying I’m not gonna lie to you. I can’t decide what. Because if you hit the body that commences with stuff right if you hit the face that’s gonna mess with me. I’m trying to get out, I’m sure I can support that.”

Interrupting Smith, Ali narrated her first marriage that ended in divorce. According to the 45-year-old, her first husband Johnny McClain was a fighter. He knew the sweet science of boxing but despite promoting her, he never liked it and as a result, she parted ways from him.

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Through this story, she wanted to clarify to Smith that she doesn’t want to put up with the people who think women are not fit for combat sports.

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Next, she told about her new boyfriend Curtis Conway and clarified that she would like to whoop certain people just for the bragging rights. She said, “There are couple people out there I know they ain’t nothing but the public seems to think they can do something yes I would never retire without taking care of these people well I’m just talking about that.”

What do you think of Ali’s response? Let us know in the comments below.

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Watch Out for More: Laila Ali shared her journey to becoming a successful athlete

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Written by:

Abhishek Singh is a Boxing writer at EssentiallySports. Following the completion of his training as an amateur boxer, he is currently preparing to appear for trials at the state and national levels. With over 3 years of experience in playing the sport, Abhishek is also the holder of a Bachelor's in Arts degree from the University of Delhi.

‘If You Were My Woman…’: Laila Ali Once Brilliantly Muzzled Stephen A. Smith Who Stands Against Women in Combat Sports

How did Laila Ali shut Stephen A. Smith’s mouth?

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