Laila Ali and her legendary father, the late, great Muhammad Ali, always had a very strong bond. Of course, they had the traditional father-daughter relationship, but their bond didn’t stop there. Out of Ali’s eight children, Laila was the one to continue his legacy in the boxing ring. Like her father, Laila made history in the ring and retired undefeated.

In fact, most fans probably have no idea, but a 1977 newspaper publication, Ali actually predicted Laila would be the next champ before she was even old enough to hold a bottle. Laila shared a photo of that newspaper interview clip on Instagram and the caption read:

“I didn’t ask for this…I’m just working with all the gifts I was given. Last born child…and a female. 8 siblings but I’m the only fighter and the News chose this headline I put the❗️on it though! #Destiny#AliWay”

Laila’s Sentimental Surprise To Her Dad

Shortly before Ali’s passing in 2016, Laila presented him with a big surprise. She told The Champ she’d be dedicating her new cookbook, Food for Life: Delicious & Healthy Comfort Food From My Table To Yours, to him and that she’d named one her burgers after him. That was a BIG deal for her pops, Muhammad Ali, because it holds a certain sentimental value for the two of them. Laila explained why that is in an interview with ESSENCE:

“My father and I both have always had a love affair with tasty homemade meals and comfort foods. Another thing my father loved was a great burger at some of the local burger joints he encountered during his worldwide travels. So when my dad was still alive and well, to surprise him during one of my trips to visit him in Arizona, I shared with him that I named one of his favorite burgers after him. It’s called ‘The Ali Burger.'”

In addition to her creating a sentimental piece of work for her Pops, the former boxer-turned-fitness-and-wellness expert shared her overall purpose for her cookbook. She’s deeply concerned about the health epidemic plaguing the African-American community:

“The epidemic we face in our country with people suffering from diabetes, heart disease, obesity and other illnesses is largely connected to our lifestyle choices, and unfortunately the African American community is disproportionately affected,” said Laila.”I am passionate about encouraging others and providing all people with tools to improve their health and overall quality of life!”

Why Laila Ali Is “Sad” & “Happy” About Her Dad’s Passing

Needless to say, Laila is still saddened by her father’s death but, like most people who are grieving the loss of a loved on, she’s glad he’s no longer suffering from Parkinson’s Disease:

Via CBSNews: “Obviously, I’m sad, I’m going to miss my father, but I’ve been sad for a long time because my father’s been struggling with Parkinson’s for a long time,” Laila Ali said. “So I’m happy knowing that he’s no longer struggling, and that’s what gives me comfort,” Ali said. “My dad was not only the best fighter ever, but also such a great man, and there will never be anyone else like him,” Ali said. “He fought for those that couldn’t speak up for themselves, and he’ll truly be missed by all of us.”

The post Muhammad Ali’s Daughter Laila Shared The Beautiful Surprise She Gave Him Before He Passed appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

The REAL Reason Ali Dissed The Hollywood WOF Offer

In a nutshell, Muhammad Ali refused to have his name on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, because he said he would never allow people to ‘walk all over him, nor his name’…LITERALLY! Therefore, he told the HWOF Association that the ONLY way he’d agree to having his name included in that line up, is if his star was placed on a wall, facing upright, so no one could step on it. Guess what? They actually AGREED to it!

Peep the photo of Ali’s Star mounted on the wall below. His is the ONLY Hollywood Walk Of Fame Star to receive such an honor…

Today Ali is the ONLY celeb’ with a Hollywood Walk of Fame star situated above ground. It’s strategically placed on the the side of a building, towering over the rest of the stars…WOW. Ali was something else and we admire him greatly for it.

Check out the interesting clip that explained the rest of the details regarding why the late, great boxing champ refused for his name to be placed on the sidewalk of HOF below…

Source: ESPN

The post Boss Move: Here’s Why Ali Strongly Refused To Have His Name On The Hollywood Walk Of Fame appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

For the majority of his career, many never realized that Muhammad Ali had a brother. But his younger brother, Rahman Ali, was always right by his side through ups and downs. Rahman was Ali’s sparring partner back in the day and he was also a professional boxer. They were inseparable. Now as Rahman mourns the loss of his big brother, he has revealed some longstanding tension with Ali’s wife, and how Lonnie came in the middle of the bond that he and Ali had.

BROTHER DETAILED TENSION WITHIN THE FAMILY

In the photo above, Muhammad Ali is pictured with his family. It’s memories like this, that bring Rahman joy in the midst of his grief after his brother’s passing. Rahman recalled the day Ali started to boxing:

“I was 10 years old and Muhammad was 12. We had gone to see a talent show and just happened to stumble across the gym. I can still recall the smell today. All we heard was the ‘boomf, bang, oooos and ahhhhhs’ coming from it. There was a policeman training all these young lads and we popped our head round the door. It was Joe Martin. He invited us back. […] It was God who took us to the gym. It was God who would make Muhammad great. Our bicycles got stolen that night. Muhammad was furious. He went straight back to report it to Joe and was so angry he wanted to beat the thieves up. Joe was trying to calm him down and told him to go and punch a few bags.”

RAHMAN ALI REVEALS TENSION WITH ALI’S WIFE

Rahman said that he and Muhammad were always extremely close, but after Ali became more sickly from the affects of Parkinson’s disease, things began to change…not between he and Ali, but between him and Ali’s wife, Lonnie. Here’s what was reported for Rahman’s recent interview with The Mirror:

Sadly, Rahman lost touch with his brother after falling out with the star’s wife Lonnie. And as Ali’s condition deteriorated he claimed she stopped blocked contact between the pair.

He said: “Whenever I’d called up, Lonnie would just hang up or not ­answer. He didn’t even know I’d call. We had been so close. I was always very close to his wives but never Lonnie. He has a heart of gold but he is weak to women. It’s his downfall. It was so bad I stopped ringing. It broke my heart. I wanted to speak to my brother so bad.

“I’d have said to him, ‘Champ, I love you with all my heart and soul. You’re the closest person to me on this world. I still love you.”

Rahman said that after being cut off, every now and then he’d get a call to make a few public appearances with his brother, but that was it.

ALI’S FRIEND REVEALS DETAILS ABOUT ANOTHER FEUD BETWEEN RAHMAN & ALI’S WIFE

Ali’s longtime friend, Howard Gosser, said that Lonnie had Rahman Ali arrested a while back. After Lonnie allegedly cut Ali’s brother, Rahman, out of Ali’s life, Rahman was no longer earning enough money to live, so he ended up moving into the small Louisville, KY home he and Ali grew up in and he sold some of the old furniture. When Lonnie found out he was in his parents’ home, Gosser says Lonnie called the police and had Rahman arrested because by Ali, being the oldest child, it was his name on the house deed. Rahman was by his brother’s side through thick and thin and there are some who say Lonnie was just trying to protect Ali from people living off of him and others say that she was strategically trying to gain control of an ill Ali so she could profit off of his name and fortune and remove them from his will.

We don’t know what the real reasons are, but we just hope they can all work this thing out.

The post Ali’s Brother Blames Muhammad Ali’s Wife For Destroying Family Bond appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

The REAL Reason Ali Dissed The Hollywood WOF Offer

In a nutshell, Muhammad Ali refused to have his name on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, because he said he would never allow people to ‘walk all over him, nor his name’…LITERALLY! Therefore, he told the HWOF Association that the ONLY way he’d agree to having his name included in that line up, is if his star was placed on a wall, facing upright, so no one could step on it. Guess what? They actually AGREED to it!

Peep the photo of Ali’s Star mounted on the wall below. His is the ONLY Hollywood Walk Of Fame Star to receive such an honor…

Today Ali is the ONLY celeb’ with a Hollywood Walk of Fame star situated above ground. It’s strategically placed on the the side of a building, towering over the rest of the stars…WOW. Ali was something else and we admire him greatly for it.

Check out the interesting clip that explained the rest of the details regarding why the late, great boxing champ refused for his name to be placed on the sidewalk of HOF below…

Source: ESPN

The post Amazing: Here’s Why Ali Strongly Refused To Have His Name On The Hollywood Walk Of Fame appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

If there’s one thing we all know about singer/actor, Tyrese Gibson, by now, it’s that he’s not one of those cats who have a tough time showing his emotions in front of the world. That fact was especially proven in his infamous “What more do you want from me” social media post a while back, but I digress…

We’re not here to chop it up about a crying Tyrese video this time though. Instead, we wanna share Tyrese’s recent reveal about the time he visited boxing icon, Muhammad Ali. Their moment was beautiful enough to make Tyrese, or anyone else with a heart, cry happy tears. It’s also another reminder of just how genuine Ali was, up until his last days.

So without further ado, here’s what Tyrese described about his “life changing” moment with the late boxing champ…

“Please read my life changing experience below….. I got a chance to go hang at champs home for 3 hours…. He signed my boxing glove!!!!!”

What Tyrese Saw Ali Doing When He Walked Into His Home, Made His Jaw Drop>>>

The post Tyrese Reveals His “Life Changing” Visit With Muhammad Ali That Completely Stunned Him appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

The REAL Reason Ali Dissed The Hollywood WOF Offer

In a nutshell, Muhammad Ali refused to have his name on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, because he said he would never allow people to walk all over him, nor his name…LITERALLY! Therefore, he told the HOF association that the ONLY way he’d agree to having his name included in that line up, is if his star was placed on a wall, facing upright, so no one could step on it. Guess what? They actually AGREED to it!

Today Ali is the ONLY celeb’ with a Hollywood Walk of Fame star situated above ground. It’s strategically placed on the the side of a building, towering over the rest of the stars…WOW. Ali was something else and we admire him greatly for it.

Check out the interesting clip that explained the rest of the details regarding why the late, great boxing champ refused for his name to be placed on the sidewalk of HOF below…

The post Amazing: Here’s Why Ali Absolutely Refused To Have His Name On The Hollywood Walk Of Fame appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

Trump’s Announcement About Muhammad Ali

“I’m thinking about Muhammad Ali. I’m thinking about that very seriously and some others,” said Trump said,  outside the White House just  before departing for the Group of Seven summit. “And some folks that have sentences that aren’t fair.”

He missed one minor detail though…just ask the Ali family’s attorney…

Ali’s Attorney On What Trump Didn’t Realize About Ali

In an interview with CNN, Ali’s family attorney, Ron Tweel, said Trump’s gesture is appreciated, but the “pardon is unnecessary.”

“The US Supreme Court overturned the conviction of Muhammad Ali in a unanimous decision in 1971. There is no conviction from which a pardon is needed,” said Tweel.

Attorney Tweel continueed:

Via CNN: “It’s not like for weeks or days the administration has reached out to the Ali family. None of that,” he told CNN. “This was all spontaneous and I think, as a lot of people like to say, impulsive. … This was quite a surprise to everybody this morning when we heard about it. … So this, to our knowledge, came out of the blue, for reasons that I’ll let you speculate.”

Ali’s Daughter Reacts To Pardoning Suggestion

Former rap artist, Maryum Ali, says her father, needs no parts of a posthumous pardon, but she did suggest who Trump should be ‘pardoning’ so to speak:

“If President Trump wants to honor Muhammad Ali, he can start by respecting the rights of athletes to peacefully protest. A pardon is NOT necessary,” Maryum Ali tweeted.

Ali’s Ex-Wife Had A Lot To Say

When speaking to TMZ, Ali’s ex-wife of 9 years (1967- 1976), Khalilah Ali, had some words for Trump and his posthumous pardoning suggestion for Ali:

“If you’re willing to say its okay for Muhammad Ali to be pardoned for his freedom and standing up his rights and standing up for not going to the army … then you’re telling me that you’re ready to pardon everybody that has done that in the same manner as Muhammad Ali has. …There’s no necessary need for a pardon. … I think [Trump] probably was a fan of Ali and he thought he would say something positive about him. That might be it … but it’s a little too late.””

Trump’s pardoning suggestion for Ali, comes after he collaborated with Kim Kardashian to commute the sentence of one African American prisoner, Alice Marie Johnson. Ms. Johnson served 20 years of her life sentence, after being convicted on a drug charge as a first time offender. So that was good…HOWEVER…

Trump’s pardon suggestion also comes after he and U.S. attorney general, Jeff Sessions, REVERSED former President Obama’s drug policy reform to reduce the far too harsh federal sentencing rules for nonviolent drug and/or first time low level drug offenders. Meaning, people who may have been arrested for less harsh drug charges, like marijuana, but ended up serving 15 years to life sentences (even if its their first offense), which primarily affects the African American community. Those Federal drug laws have long been opposed by millions of people for being racially biased, calculated moves by the government to intentionally keep Black people in the rotating door of the prison system.  Pretty sure Muhammad Ali would not have been happy about this one bit.

The post Ali’s Daughter & Ex Have Choice Words For Trump’s Announcement About Pardoning Ali appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

Colin was recently awarded the ‘Sports Illustrated Muhammad Ali Legacy Award’- which was presented to him by Beyonce at the 2017 Sports Illustrated ceremony. The award was granted to Kaepernick because of his unselfish act of sacrificing his entire NFL career as a starting quarterback, in order to stand up against injustice against Black people, by kneeling for justice and equality for his brothas and sistas.

Ever since Kaepernick began his crusade as a true warrior for equality, Sports Illustrated Magazine has stood by him. They did so in the same way they did for Muhammad Ali, when he was ousted from his boxing career, due to his refusal to enter the Vietnam War draft.

By the way, the Ali family and Sports Illustrated partner up to decide who will receive the Ali award.

Speaking of the Alis, the boxing icon’s baby girl, Laila, loves the fact that Kaepernick received the legendary award, but when asked by paparazzi, how she felt about Kaepernick being compared to her pop’s, she gave the cameraman a look that said she did not agree with the latter. Check out the video below and let us know if you agree, or disagree with her stance…

Regardless of where you stand on the matter, there’s no denying that if anyone deserves the ‘S.I. Muhammad Ali Legacy Award’ this year, Colin Kaepernick is that dude!

The post Laila Ali Tells How She Really Feels About Colin Kaepernick Getting Award In Her Dad’s Name appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

Laila Ali and her legendary father, the late, great Muhammad Ali, always had a very strong bond. Of course, they had the traditional father-daughter relationship, but their bond didn’t stop there. Out of Ali’s eight children, Laila was the one to continue his legacy in the boxing ring. Like her father, Laila made history in the ring and retired undefeated.

In fact, most fans probably have no idea, but a 1977 newspaper publication, Ali actually predicted Laila would be the next champ before she was even old enough to hold a bottle. Laila shared a photo of that newspaper interview clip on Instagram and the caption read:

“I didn’t ask for this…I’m just working with all the gifts I was given. Last born child…and a female. 8 siblings but I’m the only fighter and the News chose this headline I put the❗️on it though! #Destiny#AliWay”

https://www.instagram.com/p/BVnkAl6l0vv/

Laila’s Sentimental Surprise To Her Dad

Shortly before Ali’s passing in 2016, Laila presented him with a big surprise. She told The Champ she’d be dedicating her new cookbook, Food for Life: Delicious & Healthy Comfort Food From My Table To Yours, to him and that she’d named one her burgers after him. That was a BIG deal for her pops, Muhammad Ali, because it holds a certain sentimental value for the two of them. Laila explained why that is in an interview with ESSENCE:

“My father and I both have always had a love affair with tasty homemade meals and comfort foods. Another thing my father loved was a great burger at some of the local burger joints he encountered during his worldwide travels. So when my dad was still alive and well, to surprise him during one of my trips to visit him in Arizona, I shared with him that I named one of his favorite burgers after him. It’s called ‘The Ali Burger.'”

In addition to her creating a sentimental piece of work for her Pops, the former boxer-turned-fitness-and-wellness expert shared her overall purpose for her cookbook. She’s deeply concerned about the health epidemic plaguing the African-American community:

“The epidemic we face in our country with people suffering from diabetes, heart disease, obesity and other illnesses is largely connected to our lifestyle choices, and unfortunately the African American community is disproportionately affected,” said Laila.”I am passionate about encouraging others and providing all people with tools to improve their health and overall quality of life!”

https://www.instagram.com/p/BUzgT85lkAO/

Why Laila Ali Is “Sad” & “Happy” About Her Dad’s Passing

https://www.instagram.com/p/BU4tw9_FTOR/

Needless to say, Laila is still saddened by her father’s death but, like most people who are grieving the loss of a loved on, she’s glad he’s no longer suffering from Parkinson’s Disease:

Via CBSNews: “Obviously, I’m sad, I’m going to miss my father, but I’ve been sad for a long time because my father’s been struggling with Parkinson’s for a long time,” Laila Ali said. “So I’m happy knowing that he’s no longer struggling, and that’s what gives me comfort,” Ali said. “My dad was not only the best fighter ever, but also such a great man, and there will never be anyone else like him,” Ali said. “He fought for those that couldn’t speak up for themselves, and he’ll truly be missed by all of us.”

Laila Ali’s cookbook was released in early 2018.

The post Ali’s Daughter, Laila, Shares The Wonderful Surprise She Gave Him Before He Passed appeared first on I Love Old School Music.

Some of you may recall when we previously reported that Ali Jr. was detained twice at a Fort Lauderdale airport and asked repeatedly if he was of the Muslim religion (which he is). Those detentions took place just weeks apart (on Feb. 7th and March 10th) at Fort Lauderdale Airport, when Ali Jr. and his mother/ex-wife of Ali Sr., Khalila Ali were returning home to Florida. The only reason his mother was not detained was because she was able to prove to TSA agents that she was in fact the late boxing champ’s ex-wife. Now Ali Jr. has hit Trump with a major class action lawsuit and he also says that if his Pops was alive, he too would have joined him in this fight. See details below:

Ali Jr. Explains Why He Filed Lawsuit Against Trump

Via MailOnline: Muhammad Ali’s only biological son is filing a class action lawsuit against President Trump’s ‘Muslim ban,’ after the late boxer’s son was detained by border security twice and questioned about his religion.

Speaking exclusively to Dailymail.com, the son of the world-renowned boxing champion revealed he is spearheading a class action lawsuit with his mother Khalila Ali, involving over 1300 Muslims who are claiming the travel rules discriminate against their religion and is an abuse of human rights. Ali aims to follow in the footsteps of his humanist father, who died on June 3 last year, and believes the athlete would have joined in the fight if he were alive today.

“They stopped me for no reason. They stopped me for my last name being Ali. A Muslim. My father would do the same thing I did – and they still don’t respect people of color,’ he told Dailymail.com. We are a race of human beings and if I have to fight for eternity then so be it. I will not sleep until our people are respected as an equal opportunity, equal rights for all people that are Americans.”

Ali Jr.’s Lawyer Speaks Out Against Trump & On The Class Action Lawsuit

Via MailOnline: Attorney Chris Mancini, who was with Ali Jr. when he was stopped the second time, alleges his client was detained again in an attempt ‘to teach him a lesson’ about making the first one public. Mancini and Ali Jr are taking the lawsuit to the Federal Court, which, if successful, means that an injunction will be served on Trump’s travel ban. “Customs are out of control. We are going to make a new law,” the lawyer said.

Muhammad Ali Jr. and his lawyer are adamant that this class action lawsuit will be a “national fight” for civil rights. It’s gonna be interesting to see how this turns out. So far, Trump has managed to dodge just about every pending lawsuit against him since he’s been in the White House.

The post Muhammad Ali’s Son Hits Trump w/Major Lawsuit, Says Pops Would Be Proud appeared first on I Love Old School Music.