Laila Ali

Laila Ali: I don't want my child wanting to fight. Hopefully the boxing ends with me in this family. If he's going to play sports, he'll play something else. No boxing.

Laila Ali: I have never experienced [pregnancy] for myself, but I see all of these other women that I know are nowhere near as strong as I am physically, emotionally, mentally. So if they can do it, so can I.

Laila Ali: I'm on Dancing With the Stars, which is exciting because unlike in boxing, I'm not in control--it's up to the judges and the public. I can't just go out there and knock all the other dancers off the floor. I have to use my skill and what I've learned. But if for some reason I don't win, it'll be a fun experience.

Laila Ali: I used to think I was invincible, but then I got hit hard by a male sparring partner. I was literally seeing stars! Now I realize that no matter how much you think you know, there's always more to learn.

Laila Ali: I want to stay undefeated. So on days when I feel like giving up, I think of all the other girls I might potentially fight and it gets me going.

Laila Ali: (about "Dancing with the Stars") Mentally it's draining, [but] for me physically, it's a piece of cake because I'm used to training hard, but mentally, because I want to be the best I can be, the athlete in me is very competitive. I want to get out there and look like I know what I'm doing.

Laila Ali: (on her father's Parkinson syndrome, and concerns about the dangers of the sport) That doesn't worry me. That's obviously something that people are going to be concerned about. It's not proven that it came from boxing. A lot of people have Parkinson's that have never boxed. I think he would have effects from boxing even if he didn't have Parkinson's. But it's not going to stop me from doing what I want to do, just like it doesn't stop other fighters. And we all look up to Muhammad Ali.

Laila Ali: My father is happy that I'm winning. He's happy that I'm representing well. Of course he'll be happy when I'm done boxing, as my mother will and my friends will because then they won't have to worry about anything anymore.

Laila Ali: There's so many other things that I'm talented at, so many things that I could be doing, that I wouldn't be boxing if it wasn't what I loved to do.

Laila Ali: I didn't even know that women boxed. And then when I saw it for the first time I wanted to do it.

Laila Ali: It is painful for me because I would love to sit down and talk to my dad about the way he used to be when he was my age, when he was in his prime, because we are so much alike.

Laila Ali: (Talking about her dad) I have noticed a change in him, something that goes along with Parkinson's. Sometimes, his speech is so slurred, you can't hardly understand him. But he definitely knows what's going on. That's for sure. He sees everything.

Laila Ali: I've trained harder, I'm better, I'm stronger, the blood of a champion runs through my veins, I've earned this opportunity, I'll earn this victory, I've already won.

Laila Ali: (about her father) It's always great to have him here and have him see me fight. He gets in the ring and gives me a kiss, it's a sweet feeling.

Laila Ali: What my daddy had was passed down to me. I'm not my father, I'm not trying to be. But I am a fighter and I'm coming here and going to whup somebody good.

Laila Ali: There's a lot of pressure being Ali's daughter, but I always try to do my best. I've got to do my thing. He's already done his thing.

Laila Ali: Muhammad Ali is obviously the greatest.

Laila Ali: I'm a very stylish person out of the ring. But in the ring I just wear white. That's my color. If somebody starts to bleed, I like to see all the blood.

Laila Ali: First way you beat somebody is mentally.

Laila Ali: (about her autobiography Reach!) [In this book,] I'm telling you the story of how a pretty little girl, born inside a fairy tale, went through life's lost-and-found.