How Laila Ali Proved to Her Dad Muhammad Ali That “Women Can Fight”

Never underestimate the heart of a champion!

Despite growing up with legendary boxer Muhammad Ali as her father, Laila Ali didn’t focus on sports during much of her childhood. But once she became a young adult, that all changed.

“I actually did not even think about becoming not only an athlete, but a boxer until I saw women’s boxing on television for the first time when I was about 19 years old,” Laila shared in an exclusive clip from Shop Today With Jill Martin. “I was in awe and I couldn’t believe that I didn’t know that it was an opportunity available to me. That’s when I first got the idea to become a professional boxer.”

But if you assume the People’s Champion was thrilled to hear that his daughter was following in Dad’s footsteps, guess again.

“My dad was not happy about it,” Laila recalled to Jill Martin. “He literally tried to talk me out of it. I had to prove him wrong. ‘Dad, I can understand why you feel that way, but just watch me.'”