|
|
(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.”
#
# #
#
For Online IWBHF Tickets for
Next Event!
Check Our Next Annual International
Women's Boxing Hall of Fame Event that we have to celebrate hour IWBHF
Inductees and Special Award Recipients!
Next Event, Go Here!
Our Online
WBAN/IWBHF Online Store
Proceeds from the Online Store is to
continue our mission to support the INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S BOXING HALL OF
FAME. The Official collection includes IWBHF and WBAN Merchandise and
Memorabilia from the WBAN Boxing Collection. We will continue to list
items from the collection and merchandise.
|
|
|
|
