Khalilah Ali, the ex-wife of legendary boxer Muhammad Ali, believes his daughter Laila Ali, whom he shares with ex-wife Verónica Porche Ali, will get “whooped” by decorated boxer Claressa Shields.
Laila Ali And Claressa Shield’s Years-Long Beef Recapped
As we previously shared, boxing legend Laila Ali, 47, and Claressa Shields, 30, have been going back-and-forth online for years. In January 2018, Laila told ‘The Breakfast Club‘ that she wouldn’t return to boxing because she didn’t feel like there was anyone who could give her a good challenge. She even claimed the sport now had Claressa, “a young Black girl from Flint, Michigan who lived a hard life, went through a lot, went to the Olympics, and won twice.”
Then in 2020, after some back-and-forth, Laila demanded $5 million to fight Claressa Shields. However, things really ramped up in January 2025 when Andre Ward asked Laila if she had beef with Claressa. She claimed she had no hard feelings. Following the interview, Claressa took that as a direct shot and responded to all her interview comments.
Claressa called Laila a “bitter old person,” and claimed the legend told her not to turn pro, despite it “working out great” for her. She then took to her social media with a direct message to Laila. She stated, “You’re not gonna fight me, so why you keep brining me up?”
Months after January’s drama, Laila Ali talked rumors of returning to boxing from retirement to face Claressa Shields. While speaking with FightHype after the Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano fight on July 11, Laila was at first asked, “Where did that rumor come from?” She continued to say, “The rumor that I heard was that I said, ‘Unless somebody had $15-$20 million, don’t even call me about this. That’s all I heard.”
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Laila Ali continued:
“Unless somebody calls me and says they have it, we’re not even going to have a conversation. I’m not trying to come back and fight. But, if someone offered that kind of money, I would actually have to think about it. Do I look like I can fight again? I think so too.”
Laila Ali’s latest comments about returning to boxing from retirement to fight Claressa Shields spawned a reaction from the latter. While taking to her official X account, Shields fired off:
“What a great weekend of boxing 🥊! Really motivated! Now @TheRealLailaAli I’m the GREATEST NOW! Be careful what you ask for ! You know I’ve been wanting to make you eat your words! You not a better boxer than me & at 175 I’ll put you on your back! BEEN READY FOR YOU! #GWOAT #ClaressaShields.”
Claressa Shields Secures $15M Deal To Fight Laila Ali, Muhammad Ali’s Ex-Wife Says Laila’s Gonna Get ‘Whooped’
On July 15, Claressa Shields again propositioned Laila Ali, claiming if Mike Tyson, 58, can fight Jake Paul, 27, she shouldn’t be scared to fight her. Then on July 18, Claressa announced that she secured a $15 million deal for her and Laila Ali to fight, leaving the ball in the legend’s court.
On Friday (July 25), Khalilah Ali appeared at a weigh-in featuring Claressa Shields ahead of her fight against Lani Daniels. On Saturday (July 26), Claressa defeated Lani, retaining her undisputed heavyweight champion title. But before the big win, Khalilah was photographed with Claressa and was briefly interviewed by FightHype, who highlighted the fact that she was one of the first people to call for Claressa Shields and Laila Ali to fight.
Khalilah replied, “That’s right! That’s right! I told you. It’s time to come on.” When asked if Laila Ali should make the fight since Claressa Shields came up with the money, Khalilah said, “I don’t care how much money. She gonna get whooped.”
When asked how many rounds she thought Laila and Claressa would last, she said, “I don’t really know. But, I’ll say three or four. Maybe. Three or four, she got to go.” Khalilah Ali went on to explain why she wants to see this fight between Claressa Shields and Laila Ali.
She said, “You know what? It has nothing to do with me and Laila at all. It’s really between me and her mom. So, I’m just like, it’s like a promotional reason. She went with my husband at that time.” Khalilah again stated that she “didn’t care” that $15 million was put up by Claressa, Laila is still getting defeated. She said, “I don’t care how much money she gets, she’s losing. She got to go in four.”
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