Motivational speaker for hire Laila Ali is the daughter of famous boxer Muhammad Ali. She began boxing at 15 years old and retired an undefeated champion. Her father was not happy about her career choice, but Laila was going to do it whether he liked it or not. Her first boxing match was on December 8, 1999 against April Fowler. The venue was packed and there were swarms of media. Laila knocked out April Fowler in the first round.
The talk around town was about fans wanting to see her square off between either George Foreman’s daughter or Joe Frazier’s daughter. On June 8, 2001 Laila and Jackie Frazier-Lyde finally met. In an allusion to their fathers’ famous fighting trilogy, the match was named Ali/Frazier IV. After eight rounds, Laila won by a majority judges’ decision. On August 17, 2002 she won the IBA title knocking out Suzette Taylor. On November 9th, she retained the title by adding the WIBA and IWBF belts with an eight round TKO win over Valerie Mahfood. Two years later, she defended her world title, knocking out Nikki Eplion.
Laila Ali made a guest appearance on Quite Frankly with Stephen A. Smith and announced she would be making a world tour. She would have her first fight against Ann Wolfe but the fight would never happen. Instead on November 5, 2006, Laila fought and defeated Shelly Burton by TKO in the fourth round. Laila’s last professional fight took place the following year when she defeated O’Neil in the first round by technical knockout.
She was on the fourth season of Dancing with the Stars and came in third place with partner Maksim Chmerkovskiy. Laila has appeared in many television shows like The Biggest Loser, Fashion Police, Chopped: All Stars, American Gladiators, and Late Night Chef Fight. Celebrity Speaker Laila supports the American Diabetes Association, A Place Called Home, Diamond in the RAW Foundation, Feeding America, Leeza’s Place, Milagro Foundation, National Stroke Association, Olivia Newton-John Cancer Centre, ONE Campaign, P.A.D., Spirit of Women Health Network, and the Women’s Sports Foundation. Laila Ali is available for speaking engagements, public relations tours, and product promotion.
APPEARANCES: Are We There Yet?, Celebrity Family Feud, Emeril Live, George Lopez, GMA, Ellen DeGeneres Show, Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire
BOOKS: Reach! Finding Strength, Sprit, and Personal Power
TO WORK WITH LAILA ALI: Celebrity Speaker for hire Laila Ali can be hired for paid endorsements and events in roles such as public speaker, autograph signings, SMT’S, and public relation campaigns.