Laila Ali, the retired boxing champion and daughter of the legendary Muhammad Ali, recently fired back at current boxing champion Claressa Shields. The tension sparked from comments made by Shields in 2021, when she placed herself second only to Muhammad Ali in boxing history, calling herself the greatest woman of all time.
Shields confidently stated, "No matter what boxer comes along, nobody can get in front of Muhammad Ali. That's how I feel about myself," while asserting her standing in the sport. These remarks did not sit well with Laila Ali, who found them disrespectful to her father's legacy.
The ongoing feud deepened with Shields' further comments. She mentioned, "[Ann Wolfe] was the best in her era [Laila's], and I'm the best in this era. Laila is just Muhammad Ali's daughter." This prompted Laila to consider confronting Shields inside the ring.
Despite the tension, Laila reflected on her successful career during a podcast discussion. She highlighted her achievements and her personal outlook on greatness.
"I'm happy just being one; my father always said he was the best," she expressed. Adding more perspective on her journey, she shared, "My thing is I want to be the best in my weight class. I want to be undefeated, and I want to be a world champion. And those things I attained."
Launching her professional career at age 22, Laila built an impressive undefeated record, securing multiple titles along the way. Just like her father did before her with male counterparts owing their [title success](https://www.wbcboxing.com/index.php/en), she held a WBC title among others – a prestigious honor that echoes Muhammad's own historic reign.
As this story continues to unfold among fans worldwide interested in combat sports enthusiasts exploring tensions between these two remarkable athletes some wonder if there will indeed ever come any conclusive showdown eventually showcasing women’s boxing potential across varied generations amidst debates regarding enduring legacies left behind by iconic fighters through decades past shared moments during heated exchanges over interviews days later again fanning flames that ignite spirited discussions still persisting throughout years ahead ahead within wider circuits globally engaged conversations reflective diversity strength resolve triumph progress adapting better engaging evolving landscape traversed before now embracing future beyond!
