People like to see me fight. A name can only take you so far. There are only a few fighters out of the thousands of boxers out there that have name recognition. I’m definitely not upset by that. – Laila Ali
I was never offended that people underestimated me because of my appearance or that they thought I was pretty and discouraged me from fighting because they didn’t want me to risk hurting my looks. – Laila Ali
My kids know the importance of being active – and that’s why teaming up with the USTA was such an organic fit for me. They are making strives to get families outside – and using tennis as a way to get kids to stay active. – Laila Ali
You have to fight for your health and stay on top of it. Our bodies are meant to be healthy. – Laila Ali
I’m a professional world champion. Of course if you’re a world champion, you’re working harder than everybody else. You’re making the commitment, and you’re making the sacrifices. If it were easy, everybody would be able to do it. Everybody would be able to be world champion, but everybody can’t be. Everybody doesn’t have it in them. – Laila Ali
All fighters run. The constant motion prepares you for being in the ring. And running strengthens your legs. Punching power comes from your lower body. – Laila Ali
My dad is a comedian, entertainer, you know. He always likes to make people laugh. With me, it just depends on what mood I’m in. You get what you get. – Laila Ali
I’m private in the sense that I like my personal space and only want people in the parts of my business that I choose to share. Anything I feel is too personal to share publicly, I keep to myself. – Laila Ali
I don’t really try to tell people whether they should fight. It’s definitely not for everybody. – Laila Ali
I saw women’s boxing on television for the first time when I was 18, and that’s when I wanted to do it. So, it didn’t come from me watching my father. I didn’t know the sport existed; therefore, I wasn’t really interested in it until I saw it. – Laila Ali
I have to get a workout in in the morning. Once my day starts, I’ll have the best intentions, and it still won’t happen: one of the kids needs to be picked up somewhere, I have to hop on a conference call, or I’m just tired. So I get it done in the A.M. – Laila Ali
I’m Muhammad Ali’s daughter, but my father and I are very different in that area. I don’t necessarily try to put on a show. That’s what my father’s thing was, and he was great at it. Everything I say is because I feel it, and it comes out of my mouth. It’s not scripted. – Laila Ali
I do my best to work out 5 days a week. There are times when I can only get in 3 days a week because I am traveling or just need rest due to a hectic schedule. But working out is always a priority, and if I fall off due to my schedule, it is not long before I get back on track. – Laila Ali
Running is my time for myself. I’m like, ‘I’m going for a run!’ and my husband knows I’m out of there. – Laila Ali
I think that the greatest lesson I learned from my father is just having compassion towards people. – Laila Ali
I never ran with my dad. He was old-school. He had a whole different idea of training. He ran in steel-toed boots! But, of course, he’s proud of me and proud of the boxer that I became. – Laila Ali
I love engaging in conversation with other moms because we can relate to one another, and we swap valuable insight and information. – Laila Ali
I think that if you do want to be a fighter, then you need to work harder than everybody else and make sure that you surround yourself with good people, especially if you’re a woman. You’ve got to find a team that takes you seriously as a female fighter and is not going to rush you into the ring before you’re ready. – Laila Ali
My dad lived by example. I lived by watching him. I watched all the great things he did and said. I try to walk that talk for my children. – Laila Ali
While I was boxing professionally, I never thought about my looks. The furthest thing from my mind was ‘messing up my pretty face’ when I was on my way to the ring to meet my opponent. Yet, people I’d meet along the way would always ask me if I was worried about my looks. Then they would go on to say that I was ‘too pretty to box.’ – Laila Ali
People who are fit are the same as anyone else. The only difference is their level of commitment. If looking good and being fit was easy, everyone would do it! Most people don’t want to put in the work or make the sacrifices needed in order to be fit. – Laila Ali
My father loves people. No matter what their race, no matter what their position in life, he treated everyone with kindness and love and respect. And that was instilled in me just by watching him. – Laila Ali
