Former middleweight champion Laila Ali had every material thing she possibly could being the daughter of boxing legend Muhammad Ali. However, she couldn’t get the love and affection needed from her father who was a strict and devout person. In addition, she had to fight for his attention along with her other stepsiblings with whom she had a very rocky relationship.

Ali was married to four different women with Laila’s mother, Veronica Porsche being his third wife. However, the two would break up in 1986 getting a divorce. For many children, this would be a devastating blow but for Laila, it was a blessing in disguise.

Laila Ali wasn’t affected much by her parent’s divorce

In the third chapter of her book, Reach!: Finding Strength, Spirit, and Personal Power, she revealed that her parents getting divorced didn’t affect her mentally. In addition, she didn’t have any attachment to their mansion with a smaller house now bringing in the possibility of a much closer family.

“I also didn’t mind when my parents broke up for good. Besides, I had no love for the mansion. It was too big, too cold, too fancy. A smaller house brought the promise of a closer family maybe even warmth and togetherness. So, when we moved only a few blocks away on Longwood Avenue, I was happy,” she wrote.

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While living in a smaller house certainly brought her mother and her closer than ever before, there was also another silver lining that Laila got after her parents separated.

Laila gets a cat after her parents separated

In the next line, the former champion revealed that she even got a cat following her parent’s divorce. This was an added bonus for her along with the smaller house. Moreover, she even disclosed that the cat was named after one of her favorite singers, Madonna.

“Besides getting to live in a cozier house, I’d get to have a cat. I named her Madonna. (Madonna and Whitney Houston were my two favorite singers),” she added.

For Laila, a large mansion and material possessions were not important, but rather the love and affection of her father. However, ironically her parents getting separated didn’t make her unhappy, and she even made a new friend in the process.

What did you think about Laila naming her cat after her favorite singer? Let us know in the process.

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