Laila Ali
Encyclopedia
Laila Amaria Ali is a retired American
professional boxer. She is the daughter of boxing legend Muhammad Ali
from his third wife Veronica Porsche Ali
.
April Fowler in the first round. Ali also won her second match by a TKO with only 3 seconds left on the clock. In that match her opponent was Shadina Pennybaker who is from Pittsburgh. They fought at the Mountaineer Race Track in Chester, West Virginia. Ali ran off eight wins in a row and many boxing fans started talking about wanting to see her square off in a boxing ring with George Foreman
's daughter, Freeda Foreman
, or Joe Frazier's
daughter, Jackie Frazier-Lyde
. On the evening of June 8, 2001, Ali and Frazier finally met. The fight was nicknamed Ali/Frazier IV in allusion to their fathers' famous fight trilogy. Ali won by a majority judges' decision in eight rounds. This match by Ali and Frazier was the first pay-for-view match between two black women. During that match, Joe Frazier, Jackie Frazier's father, was there to watch his daughter fight. Muhammad Ali, Laila's father, was not there but her mother Veronica Ali was present to watch the fight.
After a year's hiatus, on June 7, 2002 Ali beat Shirvelle Williams in a six-round decision. She won the IBA title with a second-round knockout of Suzette Taylor on August 17 in Las Vegas. On November 9, she retained that title and unified the crown by adding the WIBA
and IWBF
belts with an eight-round TKO win over her division's other world champion, Valerie Mahfood
, in Las Vegas. Mahfood and Ali met in a long-awaited bout on November 8, 2002. A bloodied Mahfood was stopped by Ali in eight rounds in a fight that unified the IWBF world title with the WIBA title.
On June 21, 2003, Mahfood and Ali had a rematch, this time in Los Angeles. Once again bloodied by Ali, Mahfood lost by TKO in six while trying to recover her world title. But at the same time, for the first time in Ali's boxing career, she suffered a bad cut on her right eyelid and a bloodied nose, something no other female boxer has done to Ali to this day. Ali was left with a permanent scar as a reminder of that tough fight she had with Mahfood. On August 23, 2003, Ali fought Christy Martin, beating Martin by a knockout in four rounds.
On July 17, 2004, she retained her world title, knocking out Nikki Eplion in four rounds. Ali dropped Eplion four times before the fight was stopped. 30 July 2004, she stopped Monica Nunez
in nine rounds, in her father's native city of Louisville
. This fight was part of the undercard for the fight in which Mike Tyson
was surprisingly knocked out by fringe contender Danny Williams
. On September 24, 2004, she added the IWBF Light Heavyweight title to her resume by beating O'Neil (whom she had canceled a fight against) by a knockout in three rounds, at Atlanta, Georgia. Her success led her into a TV show guest star such as in a boxing episode of George Lopez
.
On February 1, 2005 in Atlanta, Ali scored a commanding and decisive eighth-round technical knockout over Cassandra Geigger in a ten-round fight. On June 11, 2005, on the undercard to the Tyson-Kevin McBride
fight, Ali pounded Erin Toughill
into submission in round three to remain undefeated, and won the World Boxing Council
title in addition to defending her WIBA crown. (The Ali-Toughill bout is considered one of the most violent female to female fights in history.) She was the second woman to win a WBC title (Jackie Nava
was the first). Toughill and Ali disliked each other, and prior to the fight Toughill joked about Ali. Ali promised she would punish Toughill, much like her father did with Ernie Terrell
back in 1967. On December 17, 2005, in Berlin
, Ali fought and defeated Åsa Sandell
by TKO in the fifth round. The decision was heavily disputed. The audience booed Ali during her post-fight interview.
While a guest on Quite Frankly with Stephen A. Smith
on June 7, 2006, Ali announced that she would be making a world tour, and said that she was looking forward to fighting Ann Wolfe
on an October 2006 date. The fight with Wolfe never materialized. Instead, on November 11, 2006, Ali fought and defeated Shelley Burton by TKO in the fourth round. Ali was supposed to fight O’Neil again in Cape Town, on August 5, 2006, but she pulled out amid allegations of fraud. In addition, the local promoter could not raise the final $1,325,000 installment of her $1,525,000 purse. The South African government is investigating the fraud allegations, according to an exposé in the Cape Times
.
| Align="center" colspan=8|24 Wins (21 knockouts, 3 decisions), 0 Losses (0 decisions, 0 retirement), 0 Draws
|-
{| style="font-size: 85%; text-align: left;" class="wikitable sortable" width="100%"
|-
!style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Result
!style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Record
!style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Opponent
!style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Type
!style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Rd, Time
!style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Date
!style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Location
!style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Notes
|-
| Win
| 24-0-0
|
Gwendolyn O'Neil
| TKO
| 1
| 2007-02-03
| Align=left|
Kempton Park
, South Africa
|
|-
| Win
| 23-0-0
|
Shelley Burton
| TKO
| 4
| 2006-11-11
| Align=left| New York, New York
|
|-
| Win
| 22-0-0
|
Åsa Sandell
| TKO
| 5
| 2005-12-17
| Align=left|
Berlin
, Germany
|
|-
| Win
| 21-0-0
| Erin Toughill
| TKO
| 3
| 2005-06-11
| Align=left| Washington, D.C.
|
|-
| Win
| 20-0-0
| Cassandra Giger
|
| 8
| 2005-02-11
| Align=left| Atlanta, Georgia
|
|-
| Win
| 19-0-0
| Gwendolyn O'Neil
| KO
| 3
| 2004-09-24
| Align=left| Atlanta, Georgia
|
|-
| Win
| 18-0-0
|
Monica Nunez
| TKO
| 9
| 2004-07-30
| Align=left| Louisville, Kentucky
|
|-
| Win
| 17-0-0
| Nikki Eplion
| TKO
| 3
| 2004-07-17
| Align=left| Bowie, Maryland
|
|-
| Win
| 16-0-0
| Christy Martin
| KO
| 4
| 2003-08-23
| Align=left| Biloxi, Mississippi
|
|-
| Win
| 15-0-0
| Valerie Mahfood
| TKO
| 6
| 2003-06-21
| Align=left| Los Angeles, California
|
|-
| Win
| 14-0-0
| Mary Ann Almager
| TKO
| 4
| 2003-02-14
| Align=left| Louisville, Kentucky
|
|-
| Win
| 13-0-0
| Valerie Mahfood
| TKO
| 8
| 2002-11-08
| Align=left| Las Vegas, Nevada
| WIBA, IWBF & IBA title match
|-
| Win
| 12-0-0
| Suzette Taylor
| TKO
| 2
| 2002-08-17
| Align=left| Las Vegas, Nevada
| IBA title match
|-
| Win
| 11-0-0
| Shirvelle Williams
| UD
| 6
| 2002-06-07
| Align=left| Southaven, Mississippi
|
|-
| Win
| 10-0-0
| Jacqui Frazier-Lyde
| MD
| 8
| 2001-06-08
| Align=left| Verona, New York
| First Pay Per View boxing card ever to be headlined by women
|-
| Win
| 9-0-0
| Christine Robinson
| TKO
| 5
| 2001-03-02
| Align=left| Verona, New York
|
|-
| Win
| 8-0-0
| Kendra Lenhart
| UD
| 6
| 2000-10-20
| Align=left| Auburn Hills, Michigan
| First time opponent went the distance
|-
| Win
| 7-0-0
| Marjorie Jones
| TKO
| 1
| 2000-06-15
| Align=left| Universal City, California
|
|-
| Win
| 6-0-0
| Kristina King
| TKO
| 4
| 2000-04-02
| Align=left|
Guangzhou
, China
|
|-
| Win
| 5-0-0
| Karen Bill
| TKO
| 3
| 2000-04-08
| Align=left| Detroit, Michigan
| Ali hit the canvas for the first time in her career
|-
| Win
| 4-0-0
|
Crystal Arcand
| KO
| 1
| 2000-03-07
| Align=left| Windsor, Ontario
|
|-
| Win
| 3-0-0
| Nicolyn Armstrong
| TKO
| 2
| 1999-12-10
| Align=left| Detroit, Michigan
|
|-
| Win
| 2-0-0
| Shadina Pennybaker
| TKO
| 4
| 1999-10-11
| Align=left| Chester, West Virginia
| Pennybaker's pro debut
|-
| Win
| 1-0-0
| April Fowler
| KO
| 1
| 1999-12-08
| Align=left| Verona, New York
| Ali's pro debut
(24-1), Vonda Ward
(23-1), Leatitia Robinson
(15-1 pro; 37-1 am), and Natascha Ragosina
(22-0) have claimed in interviews that they have challenged Ali many times over the years, but Ali found ways of avoiding them. Boxing writers and fans have repeatedly expressed disappointment in Ali's ducking the top contenders throughout her career.
"Deny
" by Canadian hard rock
band Default
. The video gained airplay on music channels including MTV2
and MMUSA
.
In 2004, Ali appeared on the show George Lopez, where she owned the Gym and had some lines.
In mid-2007, Ali was a participant in the fourth season of the American version of the television show Dancing with the Stars
. She had no previous dancing experience. Her professional dancing partner was Maksim Chmerkovskiy
. The pair were widely praised by the judges, receiving the first "10" from judge Len Goodman
for their rumba
. They came in third place in the competition, losing to Apolo Anton Ohno
(with Julianne Hough
) and Joey Fatone
(with Kym Johnson
).
Ali is hosted on the revival of American Gladiators
alongside Hulk Hogan
. The show premiered in January 2008. Ali and the cast of American Gladiators appeared on the NBC
show Celebrity Family Feud
.
Ali joined the CBS team as a contributing correspondent on The Early Show
with her first appearance in early January 2008. Ali hosted The N's Student Body
, a reality show on The N.
Ali also appeared in a 2007 episode of Yo Gabba Gabba titled "Train" in a brief dance number.
) the book Reach! Finding Strength, Spirit, and Personal Power, meant to motivate and inspire young people.
In this book Ali discusses how she felt isolated at times because of her parents fame. Ali has also spent some time in jail. In the book she describes the physical abuse, stinks and arrests that she experienced in jail. Critics say that Ali book has a good foundation to it but she does not give the readers advice in the book, rather she just talks about her own experiences.
Ali married Johnny "Yahya" McClain on August 27, 2000. She met McClain through her sister Hana at her father's 57th birthday party. McClain became Ali's manager and helped guide her career. In late 2005 Ali and McClain divorced and McClain quit managing Ali. On July 23, 2007, Ali married former NFL
player Curtis Conway
in Los Angeles
. Ali has three stepchildren with Conway, 15-year-old twin sons Cameron and Kelton and 11-year-old Leilani. On August 26, 2008 Ali gave birth to her son, Curtis Muhammad Conway Jr. On September 29, 2010, Ali announced that she and Conway were expecting their second child together. On April 4, 2011 Ali gave birth to her daughter, Sydney J. Conway.
|-
|-
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
professional boxer. She is the daughter of boxing legend Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali is an American former professional boxer, philanthropist and social activist...
from his third wife Veronica Porsche Ali
Veronica Porsche Ali
Veronica Porsche Ali is an American professional psychologist and the former wife of boxing legend Muhammad Ali.Porsche was born in Louisiana on December 16, 1955 to Ethel and Horace Porche and is of Louisiana Creole descent...
.
Boxing career
Ali began her boxing career when she was 15 years old. When she first noticed women's boxing she was watching a Christy Martin fight. She first came out about the news on the morning show Good Morning America when interviewing with Diane Sawyer. On the show Ali quoted "I've been contemplating doing it since I was 18, ever since I found out that women boxed". When she first told her father, Muhammad Ali, that she was planning on pursing a boxing career he was not happy about her going into such a dangerous profession. She explained to her father that she was going to box whether he liked it or not. In her first match, on December 8, 1999, she boxed April Fowler of Michigan City, Indiana. They fought at the Turning Stone Casino Convention Center on the Oneida Indian Nation in Verona, New York. Although this was Ali's first match, many media and fans were there, the main reason being because she is Muhammad Ali's daughter. Ali knocked outKnockout
A knockout is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts, Karate and others sports involving striking...
April Fowler in the first round. Ali also won her second match by a TKO with only 3 seconds left on the clock. In that match her opponent was Shadina Pennybaker who is from Pittsburgh. They fought at the Mountaineer Race Track in Chester, West Virginia. Ali ran off eight wins in a row and many boxing fans started talking about wanting to see her square off in a boxing ring with George Foreman
George Foreman
George Edward Foreman is an American two-time former World Heavyweight Boxing Champion, Olympic gold medalist, ordained Baptist minister, author and successful entrepreneur...
's daughter, Freeda Foreman
Freeda Foreman
Freeda George Foreman is a former American competitor in the sport of Women's boxing, and the daughter of former two-time World Heavyweight Boxing Champion George Foreman.-Career and education:...
, or Joe Frazier's
Joe Frazier
Joseph William "Joe" Frazier , also known as Smokin' Joe, was an Olympic and Undisputed World Heavyweight boxing champion, whose professional career lasted from 1965 to 1976, with a one-fight comeback in 1981....
daughter, Jackie Frazier-Lyde
Jackie Frazier-Lyde
Jacqueline "Jacqui" Frazier-Lyde is an American lawyer and former professional boxer, who is the daughter of former world Heavyweight boxing champion Joe Frazier. In the year 2000, she shocked the boxing world by announcing that at the age of 38, she would begin participating in the sport of...
. On the evening of June 8, 2001, Ali and Frazier finally met. The fight was nicknamed Ali/Frazier IV in allusion to their fathers' famous fight trilogy. Ali won by a majority judges' decision in eight rounds. This match by Ali and Frazier was the first pay-for-view match between two black women. During that match, Joe Frazier, Jackie Frazier's father, was there to watch his daughter fight. Muhammad Ali, Laila's father, was not there but her mother Veronica Ali was present to watch the fight.
After a year's hiatus, on June 7, 2002 Ali beat Shirvelle Williams in a six-round decision. She won the IBA title with a second-round knockout of Suzette Taylor on August 17 in Las Vegas. On November 9, she retained that title and unified the crown by adding the WIBA
Women's International Boxing Association
The Women's International Boxing Association a sanctioning body for women's professional boxing came into existence in July 2000, and quickly grew into a major force in the sport....
and IWBF
International Women's Boxing Federation
The IWBF is, along with the WIBA, WIBF and others, one of the more recognized world championship fight sanctioning organizations in Women's boxing. The organization is based in Huntington, New York....
belts with an eight-round TKO win over her division's other world champion, Valerie Mahfood
Valerie Mahfood
Valerie Rebecca Mahfood is a female boxer who is a former world Super Middleweight and Light Heavyweight champion....
, in Las Vegas. Mahfood and Ali met in a long-awaited bout on November 8, 2002. A bloodied Mahfood was stopped by Ali in eight rounds in a fight that unified the IWBF world title with the WIBA title.
On June 21, 2003, Mahfood and Ali had a rematch, this time in Los Angeles. Once again bloodied by Ali, Mahfood lost by TKO in six while trying to recover her world title. But at the same time, for the first time in Ali's boxing career, she suffered a bad cut on her right eyelid and a bloodied nose, something no other female boxer has done to Ali to this day. Ali was left with a permanent scar as a reminder of that tough fight she had with Mahfood. On August 23, 2003, Ali fought Christy Martin, beating Martin by a knockout in four rounds.
On July 17, 2004, she retained her world title, knocking out Nikki Eplion in four rounds. Ali dropped Eplion four times before the fight was stopped. 30 July 2004, she stopped Monica Nunez
Monica Nunez
Mónica Núñez , is a female boxer who is, as of 2005, one of the world's top ranked fighters in the Super Middleweight division....
in nine rounds, in her father's native city of Louisville
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
. This fight was part of the undercard for the fight in which Mike Tyson
Mike Tyson
Michael Gerard "Mike" Tyson is a retired American boxer. Tyson is a former undisputed heavyweight champion of the world and holds the record as the youngest boxer to win the WBC, WBA and IBF world heavyweight titles, he was 20 years, 4 months and 22 days old...
was surprisingly knocked out by fringe contender Danny Williams
Danny Williams (boxer)
Daniel "Danny" Williams is an English professional heavyweight boxer.-Amateur:As an amateur boxing out of the famous Lynn AC boxing gym in SE London, Williams learned his trade quickly, often sparring with the likes of clubmates Henry Akinwande and Derek Angol...
. On September 24, 2004, she added the IWBF Light Heavyweight title to her resume by beating O'Neil (whom she had canceled a fight against) by a knockout in three rounds, at Atlanta, Georgia. Her success led her into a TV show guest star such as in a boxing episode of George Lopez
George Lopez (TV series)
"The George Lopez Show" redirects here. For the late-night program hosted by the same comedian, see Lopez Tonight.George Lopez is an American sitcom starring comedian George Lopez...
.
On February 1, 2005 in Atlanta, Ali scored a commanding and decisive eighth-round technical knockout over Cassandra Geigger in a ten-round fight. On June 11, 2005, on the undercard to the Tyson-Kevin McBride
Kevin McBride
Kevin Martin McBride is an Irish boxer, who competed for his native country at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain.McBride debuted in December 1992, with a victory against Gary Charlton...
fight, Ali pounded Erin Toughill
Erin Toughill
Erin Young Toughill is a mixed martial artist and former boxer.She began kickboxing at the age of 18 and started training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu soon after....
into submission in round three to remain undefeated, and won the World Boxing Council
World Boxing Council
The World Boxing Council was initially established by 11 countries: the United States, Argentina, United Kingdom, France, Mexico, Philippines, Panama, Chile, Peru, Venezuela and Brazil plus Puerto Rico, met in Mexico City on February 14, 1963, upon invitation of the then President of Mexico, Adolfo...
title in addition to defending her WIBA crown. (The Ali-Toughill bout is considered one of the most violent female to female fights in history.) She was the second woman to win a WBC title (Jackie Nava
Jackie Nava
Jacqueline Nava Mouett is a Mexican boxer in the Super Featherweight division and is managed by former world champion Erik Morales...
was the first). Toughill and Ali disliked each other, and prior to the fight Toughill joked about Ali. Ali promised she would punish Toughill, much like her father did with Ernie Terrell
Ernie Terrell
Ernie Terrell is an American singer, record producer, and former World Boxing Association heavyweight boxing champion. At , he was very tall, by the standards of the day....
back in 1967. On December 17, 2005, in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, Ali fought and defeated Åsa Sandell
Åsa Sandell
Åsa Maria Sandell is a Swedish journalist and professional super middleweight boxer.Sandell was born in Hovsta in Örebro County, and has a university degree in journalism and literature. As of 2004, she lives in Malmö and works as editor at the Culture section at the newspaper Helsingborgs...
by TKO in the fifth round. The decision was heavily disputed. The audience booed Ali during her post-fight interview.
While a guest on Quite Frankly with Stephen A. Smith
Quite Frankly with Stephen A. Smith
Quite Frankly with Stephen A. Smith was a nightly one-hour television show on ESPN2 hosted by Philadelphia Inquirer columnist and ESPN reporter Stephen A. Smith. The show premiered on August 1, 2005. It was cancelled on January 11, 2007 because of low ratings. Smith called the cancellation a...
on June 7, 2006, Ali announced that she would be making a world tour, and said that she was looking forward to fighting Ann Wolfe
Ann Wolfe
Ann Wolfe is a female boxer who held world titles in four different weight classes simultaneously. Wolfe is regarded by many within the sport as the hardest puncher and best fighter in the history of women's boxing...
on an October 2006 date. The fight with Wolfe never materialized. Instead, on November 11, 2006, Ali fought and defeated Shelley Burton by TKO in the fourth round. Ali was supposed to fight O’Neil again in Cape Town, on August 5, 2006, but she pulled out amid allegations of fraud. In addition, the local promoter could not raise the final $1,325,000 installment of her $1,525,000 purse. The South African government is investigating the fraud allegations, according to an exposé in the Cape Times
Cape Times
The Cape Times is an English language morning newspaper owned by Independent News & Media and published in Cape Town, South Africa. The first edition of the newspaper was published on 27 March 1876 by then editor Frederick York St Leger...
.
Boxing record
|-| Align="center" colspan=8|24 Wins (21 knockouts, 3 decisions), 0 Losses (0 decisions, 0 retirement), 0 Draws
|-
{| style="font-size: 85%; text-align: left;" class="wikitable sortable" width="100%"
|-
!style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Result
!style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Record
!style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Opponent
!style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Type
!style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Rd, Time
!style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Date
!style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Location
!style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3"|Notes
|-
| Win
| 24-0-0
|
Gwendolyn O'Neil| TKO
| 1
| 2007-02-03
| Align=left|
Kempton ParkKempton Park, Gauteng
Kempton Park is a city on the East Rand in the Gauteng province, South Africa. Formerly an independent municipality in the Transvaal, Kempton Park no longer has its own municipal government, and has been part of the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality since 2000...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
|
|-
| Win
| 23-0-0
|
Shelley Burton| TKO
| 4
| 2006-11-11
| Align=left|
New York, New York|
|-
| Win
| 22-0-0
|
Åsa SandellÅsa Sandell
Åsa Maria Sandell is a Swedish journalist and professional super middleweight boxer.Sandell was born in Hovsta in Örebro County, and has a university degree in journalism and literature. As of 2004, she lives in Malmö and works as editor at the Culture section at the newspaper Helsingborgs...
| TKO
| 5
| 2005-12-17
| Align=left|
BerlinBerlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
|
|-
| Win
| 21-0-0
|
Erin ToughillErin Toughill
Erin Young Toughill is a mixed martial artist and former boxer.She began kickboxing at the age of 18 and started training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu soon after....
| TKO
| 3
| 2005-06-11
| Align=left|
Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
|
|-
| Win
| 20-0-0
|
Cassandra Giger|
| 8
| 2005-02-11
| Align=left|
Atlanta, GeorgiaAtlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
|
|-
| Win
| 19-0-0
|
Gwendolyn O'Neil| KO
| 3
| 2004-09-24
| Align=left|
Atlanta, GeorgiaAtlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
|
|-
| Win
| 18-0-0
|
Monica NunezMonica Nunez
Mónica Núñez , is a female boxer who is, as of 2005, one of the world's top ranked fighters in the Super Middleweight division....
| TKO
| 9
| 2004-07-30
| Align=left|
Louisville, KentuckyLouisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
|
|-
| Win
| 17-0-0
|
Nikki Eplion| TKO
| 3
| 2004-07-17
| Align=left|
Bowie, MarylandBowie, Maryland
Bowie is a city in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The population was 54,727 at the 2010 census. Bowie has grown from a small railroad stop to the largest municipality in Prince George's County, and the fifth most populous city and third largest city by area in the state of...
|
|-
| Win
| 16-0-0
|
Christy Martin| KO
| 4
| 2003-08-23
| Align=left|
Biloxi, MississippiBiloxi, Mississippi
Biloxi is a city in Harrison County, Mississippi, in the United States. The 2010 census recorded the population as 44,054. Along with Gulfport, Biloxi is a county seat of Harrison County....
|
|-
| Win
| 15-0-0
|
Valerie MahfoodValerie Mahfood
Valerie Rebecca Mahfood is a female boxer who is a former world Super Middleweight and Light Heavyweight champion....
| TKO
| 6
| 2003-06-21
| Align=left|
Los Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
|
|-
| Win
| 14-0-0
|
Mary Ann Almager| TKO
| 4
| 2003-02-14
| Align=left|
Louisville, KentuckyLouisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
|
|-
| Win
| 13-0-0
|
Valerie MahfoodValerie Mahfood
Valerie Rebecca Mahfood is a female boxer who is a former world Super Middleweight and Light Heavyweight champion....
| TKO
| 8
| 2002-11-08
| Align=left|
Las Vegas, NevadaLas Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
| WIBA, IWBF & IBA title match
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| Win
| 12-0-0
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Suzette Taylor| TKO
| 2
| 2002-08-17
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Las Vegas, NevadaLas Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
| IBA title match
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| Win
| 11-0-0
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Shirvelle Williams| UD
| 6
| 2002-06-07
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Southaven, MississippiSouthaven, Mississippi
-Households And Families:As of the census of 2000, there were 28,977 people, 11,007 households, and 8,134 families residing in the city. The population density was 857.9 people per square mile...
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| Win
| 10-0-0
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Jacqui Frazier-Lyde| MD
| 8
| 2001-06-08
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Verona, New YorkVerona, New York
Verona is a town in Oneida County, New York, United States. The population was 6,425 at the 2000 census. The source of the town name is unknown, though it's possibly named after Verona, Italy....
| First Pay Per View boxing card ever to be headlined by women
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| Win
| 9-0-0
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Christine Robinson| TKO
| 5
| 2001-03-02
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Verona, New YorkVerona, New York
Verona is a town in Oneida County, New York, United States. The population was 6,425 at the 2000 census. The source of the town name is unknown, though it's possibly named after Verona, Italy....
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| Win
| 8-0-0
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Kendra Lenhart| UD
| 6
| 2000-10-20
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Auburn Hills, MichiganAuburn Hills, Michigan
Auburn Hills is a city in Metro Detroit, Oakland County, in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 21,412 at the 2010 census. The city was formed in 1983 when Pontiac Township became the City of Auburn Hills.-Economy:...
| First time opponent went the distance
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| Win
| 7-0-0
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Marjorie Jones| TKO
| 1
| 2000-06-15
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Universal City, CaliforniaUniversal City, California
Universal City is a community in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles County, California, that encompasses the 415 acre property of Universal Studios...
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| Win
| 6-0-0
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Kristina King| TKO
| 4
| 2000-04-02
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GuangzhouGuangzhou
Guangzhou , known historically as Canton or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of the Guangdong province in the People's Republic of China. Located in southern China on the Pearl River, about north-northwest of Hong Kong, Guangzhou is a key national transportation hub and trading port...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
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| Win
| 5-0-0
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Karen BillKaren Bill
Karen Bill is an American multi-sports athlete who from 1999 to 2002 was a professional boxer. She participated in Olympic Games trials for the 1996 Olympics.- Life and career :...
| TKO
| 3
| 2000-04-08
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Detroit, MichiganDetroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
| Ali hit the canvas for the first time in her career
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| Win
| 4-0-0
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Crystal Arcand| KO
| 1
| 2000-03-07
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Windsor, OntarioWindsor, Ontario
Windsor is the southernmost city in Canada and is located in Southwestern Ontario at the western end of the heavily populated Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. It is within Essex County, Ontario, although administratively separated from the county government. Separated by the Detroit River, Windsor...
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| Win
| 3-0-0
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Nicolyn Armstrong| TKO
| 2
| 1999-12-10
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Detroit, MichiganDetroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
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|-
| Win
| 2-0-0
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Shadina Pennybaker| TKO
| 4
| 1999-10-11
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Chester, West VirginiaChester, West Virginia
Chester is a city in Hancock County, West Virginia, United States, along the Ohio River. It is part of the Weirton–Steubenville, WV-OH Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 2,592 at the 2000 census. Chester was established in 1896, but not incorporated until 1907. The city is...
| Pennybaker's pro debut
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| Win
| 1-0-0
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April Fowler| KO
| 1
| 1999-12-08
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Verona, New YorkVerona, New York
Verona is a town in Oneida County, New York, United States. The population was 6,425 at the 2000 census. The source of the town name is unknown, though it's possibly named after Verona, Italy....
| Ali's pro debut
Awards
Ali was named Super Middleweight Champion by the International Boxing Association in 2002 and Super Middleweight Champion by International Women's Boxing Federation in 2005.Criticism
Other top women's boxing champions such as Ann WolfeAnn Wolfe
Ann Wolfe is a female boxer who held world titles in four different weight classes simultaneously. Wolfe is regarded by many within the sport as the hardest puncher and best fighter in the history of women's boxing...
(24-1), Vonda Ward
Vonda Ward
Vonda Ward is an American female boxer who was also a well known NCAA basketball player.-Before boxing:Ward grew up in a sports-oriented family, as her father, Larry Ward, is a famous harness racer....
(23-1), Leatitia Robinson
Leatitia Robinson
Leatitia "Baby Girl" Robinson is the undefeated WIBA Middleweight Champion of the World in women's boxing.-Amateur career:...
(15-1 pro; 37-1 am), and Natascha Ragosina
Natascha Ragosina
Natalia Yurievna Ragozina , better known as Natascha Ragosina, is an undefeated professional boxer currently ranked as the top female super middleweight in the world. Though born in Kazakhstan and currently residing in Germany, she competes professionally for Russia and is of Russian descent...
(22-0) have claimed in interviews that they have challenged Ali many times over the years, but Ali found ways of avoiding them. Boxing writers and fans have repeatedly expressed disappointment in Ali's ducking the top contenders throughout her career.
Television
In spring 2002, Ali appeared in a boxing role for the music videoMusic video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
"Deny
Deny (Default song)
"Deny" is a song by Canadian post-grunge band Default and the second single from their 2001 debut album, The Fallout. It reached #7 on the U.S. Mainstream Rock chart and was featured on the video game NHL 2003. "Deny" is recognizable for its aggressive, hard-hitting style in contrast to the more...
" by Canadian hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
band Default
Default (band)
Default is a Canadian post-grunge/alternative rock band from Vancouver, British Columbia. Since forming in 1999 they have released four albums, and have sold more than a million records...
. The video gained airplay on music channels including MTV2
MTV2
MTV2 is a cable network that is widely available in the United States on digital cable and satellite television, and is progressively being added to analogue cable lineups across the nation...
and MMUSA
Fuse TV
Fuse is an American national television network dedicated exclusively to music. It features original series and specials, exclusive interviews, live concerts and video blocks....
.
In 2004, Ali appeared on the show George Lopez, where she owned the Gym and had some lines.
In mid-2007, Ali was a participant in the fourth season of the American version of the television show Dancing with the Stars
Dancing with the Stars (US TV series)
Dancing with the Stars is a reality show airing on ABC in the United States, and CTV in Canada in 2011. The show is the American version of the British BBC television series Strictly Come Dancing...
. She had no previous dancing experience. Her professional dancing partner was Maksim Chmerkovskiy
Maksim Chmerkovskiy
Maksim Aleksandrovich Chmerkovskiy is a Ukrainian-American Latin Ballroom dance champion, choreographer, and instructor. He is best known as one of the professional dancers on the American television series Dancing with the Stars, on which he first appeared in season two...
. The pair were widely praised by the judges, receiving the first "10" from judge Len Goodman
Len Goodman
Leonard Gordon 'Len' Goodman is a British professional ballroom dancer, dance judge, and coach. He is a leading personality on television dance programmes such as Strictly Come Dancing and Dancing with the Stars and runs a ballroom dance school in Dartford, Kent.-Early life and career:Goodman was...
for their rumba
Rumba (dance)
Rumba is a dance term with two quite different meanings.In some contexts, "rumba" is used as shorthand for Afro-Cuban rumba, a group of dances related to the rumba genre of Afro-Cuban music. The most common Afro-Cuban rumba is the guaguancó...
. They came in third place in the competition, losing to Apolo Anton Ohno
Apolo Anton Ohno
Apolo Anton Ohno is an American short track speed skating competitor and an eight-time medalist in the Winter Olympics. He is the most decorated American Winter Olympic athlete of all time....
(with Julianne Hough
Julianne Hough
Julianne Alexandra Hough is an American professional ballroom dancer, country music singer and actress. She is most widely known for being a two-time champion of ABC's Dancing with the Stars. She earned a Creative Arts Primetime Emmy nomination in 2007 for choreography...
) and Joey Fatone
Joey Fatone
Joseph Anthony "Joey" Fatone, Jr. is an American singer, dancer, actor and television personality. He is best known as a member of the boyband, 'N Sync, in which he sang baritone. In 2007, he came in second place on the ABC reality show Dancing with the Stars...
(with Kym Johnson
Kym Johnson
Kym Johnson is an Australian former professional ballroom dancer, model, and television celebrity. She lives in Sydney NSW, Australia but is currently based in America for Dancing with the Stars.-Dance biography:...
).
Ali is hosted on the revival of American Gladiators
American Gladiators (2008 TV series)
American Gladiators is an American competition TV show that aired on NBC and Citytv in Canada. Hosted by Hulk Hogan and Laila Ali, the show matches amateur athletes against each other and the show's own "gladiators" in contests of strength, agility, and endurance...
alongside Hulk Hogan
Hulk Hogan
Terrance Gene "Terry" Bollea , better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American Semi-retired professional wrestler, actor, television personality, and musician currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ....
. The show premiered in January 2008. Ali and the cast of American Gladiators appeared on the NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
show Celebrity Family Feud
Celebrity Family Feud
Celebrity Family Feud is a spin-off game show created by NBC, and hosted by television weather anchor Al Roker. The announcer was Burton Richardson. Celebrity Family Feud pitted two families against each other in a contest to name the most popular responses to a survey-type question posed to 100...
.
Ali joined the CBS team as a contributing correspondent on The Early Show
The Early Show
The Early Show is an American television morning news talk show broadcast by CBS from New York City. The program airs live from 7 to 9 a.m. Eastern Time Monday through Friday; most affiliates in the Central, Mountain, and Pacific time zones air the show on tape-delay from 7 to 9 a.m. local time. ...
with her first appearance in early January 2008. Ali hosted The N's Student Body
The N's Student Body
The N's Student Body is an eight-episode reality television series that first aired on The N on July 11, 2008 that takes twelve students from high schools MacArthur and Eisenhower in Decatur, Illinois.Tagline: Competition is tough...
, a reality show on The N.
Ali also appeared in a 2007 episode of Yo Gabba Gabba titled "Train" in a brief dance number.
Personal life
In 2002 Ali wrote (with co-author David RitzDavid Ritz
David Ritz is an American author, most of whose books are biographies of soul music and R&B legends such as Ray Charles, Smokey Robinson, Aretha Franklin, Marvin Gaye, and Janet Jackson. On four occasions, his co-authored autobiographies of musicians have been awarded the Ralph J...
) the book Reach! Finding Strength, Spirit, and Personal Power, meant to motivate and inspire young people.
In this book Ali discusses how she felt isolated at times because of her parents fame. Ali has also spent some time in jail. In the book she describes the physical abuse, stinks and arrests that she experienced in jail. Critics say that Ali book has a good foundation to it but she does not give the readers advice in the book, rather she just talks about her own experiences.
Ali married Johnny "Yahya" McClain on August 27, 2000. She met McClain through her sister Hana at her father's 57th birthday party. McClain became Ali's manager and helped guide her career. In late 2005 Ali and McClain divorced and McClain quit managing Ali. On July 23, 2007, Ali married former NFL
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
player Curtis Conway
Curtis Conway
Curtis Lamont Conway is a former National Football League wide receiver and was a first round 1993 NFL Draft choice out of the University of Southern California...
in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. Ali has three stepchildren with Conway, 15-year-old twin sons Cameron and Kelton and 11-year-old Leilani. On August 26, 2008 Ali gave birth to her son, Curtis Muhammad Conway Jr. On September 29, 2010, Ali announced that she and Conway were expecting their second child together. On April 4, 2011 Ali gave birth to her daughter, Sydney J. Conway.
External links
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