10 Things You Didn’t Know about Laila Ali

laila ali

She might be only 37, but she’s already retired. Laila Ali is a retired professional boxer, and she is the daughter of the world famous Muhammad Ali. This makes her the youngest girl in the family and the 8th of 9 children fathered by her famous boxing dad. She belongs to her dad and his third wife, meaning many of her siblings are half-siblings. When she was only 18, she made it her public mission to become a professional boxer like her father, and announced her decision first to Diane Sawyer when she did an interview for Good Morning America. Her first match was very public. The world wanted to see how Laila Ali, daughter of one of the most famous boxers in the world, would do in the ring. Since her days boxing, however, Ali has really made a name for herself. She’s appeared on Dancing with the Stars, she’s appeared in numerous infomercials and as the spokesperson for several major brands, and she’s a mother. Despite the fact that she is a famous face with many jobs under her belt, there are so many things we simply do not know about Laila Ali, and some of the things we’ve learned about the lovely former boxer are shocking.

She Always has Fresh Fruit on Hand

There is never a time in which Laila Ali does not have fresh fruit in her home. She loves it, loves that her kids love it and she’s certain that it’s something you cannot live without. On this parenting obsession, I agree. My kids always have to have grapes, apples and strawberries in the house. They cannot seem to live without these things at breakfast and snack time, and I’m perfectly okay with that.

She’s Credited with Saving Hulk Hogan’s Life

It’s not a big secret that wrestler Hulk Hogan’s life is in turmoil. His son drove a car that killed his friend. His wife left him for a man about half his age, some of his former girlfriends are younger than his daughter and his life is a mess. He says that there was a time in which he was so depressed that he was suicidal, but Ali called him and saved his life. It’s not something she has ever discussed with anyone in her life.

She Leads by Example

Laila Ali watched her dad teach her through example, and she likes to do the same for her kids. She finds it is far more effective for her to show her kids how to live a healthy life than it is her for to tell them to do it. It’s actually a great lesson and we could all use a bit of that example in our own lives.

She’s the Mother of Six

With her second husband, Laila Ali has three biological children and three step-children, including twins. She and her husband, who is a former NFL star, are both athletes and sports are a big part of their house and their life with their kids. With six kids at home, there is a lot of activity on the sports field for this family.

She Used to be a Manicurist

Laila Ali is a driven and motivated young woman. She decided to become a famous boxer when she was 18, but she already had a job before that. She was a manicurist. She began doing this as a career when she was only 16-years-old, which is quite young for a woman to have already had a career. She decided that is what she wanted to do at the time, so she did it.

She Owned a Salon

Before she began boxing at 18, Ali also owned her own salon in which she gave manicures and offered other services to her clients. It was a pretty big deal for her considering her age at the time, and it was just a good example of how well she manages her finances and her personal life.

She Always Washes her Makeup off Before her Work Out

If you’ve ever looked at Laila Ali, you understand that she is absolutely stunning. She has gorgeous skin that’s just to-die-for. And that’s because she takes care of it. Not only does she drink plenty of water, the athlete never, ever wears her makeup to the gym. Even if she works out at the end of the day, she makes it a point to remove her makeup before she works out. She does not want it sweating into her pores and ruining her skin. Though she does hate not looking cute when she works out (her words, not mine).

Her Father Did not Want her to Box

When she told Mohammad Ali that she would become a professional boxer, her father told her no. He did not want her in the ring, and he did not want her fighting. She likes to tell the world that she told her father that she wanted to do this and that boxing was in her blood. She is her father’s daughter, after all. And then she had to point out to her father that she would not be boxing men, she would be boxing women. That seemed to do the trick and he began to feel a little more kindly for her fondness for the sport.

She’s Never Lost

Laila Ali’s boxing career is stellar. I mean, it’s pretty perfect. She was in 24 fights throughout her career. She won all of them. Literally, all 24 fights are hers for the win, and she won 21 of those by knocking out her opponent. She has never lost in the ring. Perhaps that was part of her decision to retire. It’s always a good idea to go out on top, and she certainly did that in her career. We can’t say that we blame her for retiring when she was at the top of her game.

She can Only Workout in the Mornings

She once told Shape Magazine that as a mother, the only time she has to exercise is first thing in the morning. She said that her best intentions are never good enough if she does not get up and get moving. As a mother of four, I can attest to that myself. If you really want something done, you have to get up early and get it done because kids have this magical way of derailing everything that you have planned – even when your plan is very loose.

Photo by Imeh Akpanudosen/Getty Images for CP3 Foundation

Similar Posts