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Laila Ali Not Retiring, Just Reloading
By David A. Avila

September 4, 2005
     
   
   

 

   
   
   
   
   

 

   
   
   
   
   

 

   
   
   
   
   

 

   
   
   
   
   

 

   
   
   
(SEPT 4) Rumors of Laila Ali’s retirement are greatly exaggerated.
Ali, the daughter of Muhammad Ali and considered by many the best female fighter Pound for Pound, announced several major changes this week. One change not disclosed earlier is an imminent divorce from husband Johnny “Yahya” McClain who managed and promoted her fights with Absoloot Boxing Promotions from 1999 to the present.
“It’s a big change for me,” said Ali (21-0, 18 KOs) by telephone. “He always did everything for me. He always had my back.”

After five years of marriage, both will be going separate ways and Ali will now be managed by Sports Placement Service Inc., a sports and entertainment marketing firm based in Los Angeles.  “Her success is not just limited to the ring, but to the entire entertainment world as well,” stated Harlan J. Werner, president of SPS.

McClain, who handled all of the day to day activities for Ali, said he will continue promoting boxers from his Las Vegas base. With Absoloot, Ali set several women’s boxing records for attendance and pay-per-view television buys.  “I’m still going to be promoting fights,” McClain said by telephone.

Now, Damon Bingham from SPS, will handle Ali’s daily activities. Former world champion Roger Mayweather will resume as her boxing trainer.

Ali, though not retiring from boxing, said the end is near for her inside
the ring.  “Basically, there’s not much out there in terms of competition,” said Ali, who captured numerous world titles in the middleweight, super middleweight and light heavyweight divisions. “I only see two fighters worth fighting out there.”

Most of the female boxing world knows who those fighters are, but Ali refuses to fight without the right offer. Plus, she seeks a promoter she can trust.  Ali said she hears people claim that she’s afraid of Ann Wolfe and doesn’t want to fight Leatitia Robinson, two heavy-hitting middleweights.

“They see this woman that looks like a man with big arms and think I’m afraid of her,” said Ali of Wolfe. “If they saw us standing side by side they would see she’s much smaller than me.” 

The daughter of the great Muhammad Ali said she will not fight Wolfe under that fighter’s promotional banner.

“I don’t care if they offer me $1 million dollars. I’m not going to sell my soul to the devil,” said Ali, adding that it would have to be a co-promoted fight, not just Wolfe’s promoter Bryan Pardo. “I won’t fight for anybody who disrespects me.”

Ali said she is currently seeking a promoter to stage her fights.
“It’s hard to find someone you can trust,” said Ali, who will live in Los
Angeles.

The 27-year-old beauty also seeks to expand her business horizons in the fashion world.

“We’re working on some things,” she said, adding that further announcements on her new enterprises will be forthcoming.

Ali on Rijker-Martin fight The collapse of the “Million Dollar Lady” fight between Lucia Rijker and Christy Martin was a disappointment to Ali, but she feels the American public is still not ready for female boxing.
“Woman’s boxing is just not there in terms of putting butts in the seats,”  she said. “To actually have people willing to book a hotel and fly to Vegas, that hasn’t happened yet.”

During the past three years Ali has barnstormed throughout the south where fans eagerly pack arenas to see the famous daughter fight. Against Martin last year, more than 9,000 witnessed the fight in Biloxi, Miss.“If I wasn’t for my father’s name people wouldn’t care about Laila Ali,” she said. “They don’t know about my fighting skills.”
Ali credits women like Martin for paving the road. “She’s fought for a long time,” said Ali about Martin, who is fighting on Sept. 9 in New Mexico against Holly Holms. “She got beat up by me but that
wasn’t because she’s not good, she was just too small.”

She speculates that people do not know Rijker, despite her appearance as Billy Blue Bear in the Academy Award-winning film Million Dollar Baby.  “Lucia is talented, but she has never fought anybody,” Ali said of Rijker. “She’s way over-rated.”

Ali doesn’t see any current female prizefighter capable of bringing in large numbers to a boxing match. But she feels someone will come along.  “There’s a lot of fighters that sell themselves cheap,” Ali said. “They’re good fighters but they don’t take the time to make themselves better.”

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