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MAY 2000
Each month we bring you a selection of articles from the current and past issues of BOXING MONTHLY. To buy the magazine, see our subscription or back issues pages, or use our world distribution map to find a news-stand copy. Why not use our Interactive Forum to express your own boxing comments and opinions!
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TYPICAL GIRLS
Laila, Jacqui and Freeda could have been normal women were it not for their surnames - Ali, Frazier and Foreman. STEVE FARHOOD investigates the second generation rivals |
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FOREMAN: inspired by her dad's second-career success and says she won't let him down
- Get Big Pic Laila Ali, Jacqui Frazier-Lyde, and Freeda Foreman share something other than
famous fathers. Each is a self-assured and verbally adept woman. Whether the
second generation can fight or not remains to be seen. But just by announcing
their respective intentions to fight professionally, Laila, Jacqui, and Freeda
brought more attention to women’s boxing than ever before. In separate interviews, I spoke with the women and asked them to tell their
own stories. LAILA ALI As the daughter of divorced parents, Laila, 22, is no different from
thousands of children. But not everybody has Muhammad Ali for a father. Growing up with her mother, the former Veronica Porche (the third of Ali’s
four wives) in Los Angeles, Laila was audacious and rebellious. In 1995, she
spent three months in a juvenile detention centre after being arrested for
shoplifting. She subsequently graduated from Santa Monica Community College and
ran a nail salon. Beautiful and self-assured, the 5ft 10ins Laila took up boxing to lose
weight. She turned pro last October. (She is fighting at about 165lbs, or 11st
11lbs.) "Madame Butterfly", who is managed by boyfriend and
professional cruiserweight Johnny McClain and trained by Dub Huntley, is 4-0.
She has two fights scheduled for April, including a date in Beijing. "I spent a year in the gym before I had a fight because I needed to
learn how to box," she said. "When I first started working out, I wasn’t
in any kind of physical shape, and I took off 18lbs. The time to prepare isn’t
the same for everybody. As far as women’s boxing goes, a year is a good amount
of time. It depends on how fast you learn. When you start at a certain level,
you’re not gonna get in there with anybody. In boxing, everyone knows that
two, three, four, five years is nothing. You have to do it until everything
becomes automatic. I’ve been working at it every day. "I first got interested when I first saw women boxing on TV. It happened
to be a Christy Martin fight. I didn’t know who she was. I was 18 at the time
and I wasn’t committed. It took a year before I was. "I was never into team sports. I like to be totally responsible for
myself. I’ve always been a fighter, and that’s not necessarily a good thing
because I wasn’t fighting professionally until now. I think I’m strong, and
even when I was little, I was always bragging. Fighting looked like fun. Now it’s
what I do, and I’m already on the road to being successful. "The main thing I need to work on is being more relaxed. But that’s
understandable. Also, sensing punches coming, just knowing by the way my
opponent’s body moves. Only experience will get me there. I have people around
me who know what they’re doing, and I don’t see a lot of that in boxing.
That’s why I’m moving so fast. "I don’t want to be an actress or a model. I’ve done cover shoots,
and it’s not enjoyable. But I do like to make money, and when something comes
up, I’ll do it. If I did want to become an actress, this isn’t the route I’d
take. Where I’m headed, I’m going to be having real fights against real
people. That’s a good way to get your face messed up. My goal is to be the
best in my weight class, to become champion of the world. But it has to happen
at the right time. I’ve had only four fights. "I want to be in the public eye, be a role model and help in the black
community. I don’t talk much about that because it doesn’t have anything to
do with boxing. I want to be out there and be known. I have a plan. I’m not
just doing it to fight Jacqui Frazier, just to make money. Jacqui and I have two
different agendas. She can’t fight. She’s embarrassing. "My mom and dad are alike in a way. Both have confidence and believe in
what they say. I care about people, not just myself, which I get from my father.
When I try something new, I try to perfect it. I want to be the best at it. I
get that from my mother. "Having my dad at my first fight was nothing special. Remember, he’s
not Muhammad Ali to me, he’s just dad. He wasn’t at my high school
graduation, maybe because I didn’t tell him. He has a very busy schedule. If I
ever do want him at one of my fights, it would be my first TV fight, when I’ve
perfected myself. Then I’d want him there to show him what I’ve
become." JACQUI FRAZIER-LYDE As an attorney, wife, and mother of three, Jacqui, 38, is no different from
millions of modern-day women. But not everybody has Joe Frazier for a father. Unlike Laila and Freeda, "Sister Smoke" (Muhammad Ali gave her the
nickname) is already an accomplished woman. Class president in high school, she
attended American University on a basketball scholarship, then followed with a
law degree from Villanova University. She and husband Peter Lyde, a union
official, have three children, ages six, seven, and 16. Jacqui, who stands 5ft 9ins and weighs 173lbs (12st 5lbs), decided to pursue
professional boxing only after Laila did the same. "I’ll establish her
financially by fighting her," Jacqui says, "and then I’ll establish
her horizontally." After about three months of training at her father’s
gym in Philadelphia, Jacqui turned pro in February. She is trained and managed
by her father, as well as brother, Marvis, a former contender at heavyweight.
Jacqui is 2-0. "I’m challenging Laila Ali," she said. "I want to box her.
Her father and mine made history together, and I’m coming forward in the
spirit of good sportsmanship that was lost between our dads. "Compared to practicing law, kicking Laila’s butt will be a walk in
the park. Lawyers go against each other. In the ring, you can see your opponent
right in front of you. That makes it a fairer fight. After I beat Laila, I want
her to give me a manicure and pedicure for a year. And if she wants a rematch, I’ll
dust her off again. "My law office is on the second floor of the gym, and for 10 years, I’ve
walked by the heavybags and ring. I’ve always been a boxing advocate, but it
was never in my wildest dreams that I’d actually fight. When Laila turned pro,
Bernard Fernandez [of the Philadelphia Daily News] said: ÔWell, we have another
Ali, now we need another Frazier. After I opened my big mouth and said I was
gonna kick her butt . . . well, I’m a spontaneous person, and maybe this was
destiny. I don’t wish anyone ill. I just want to kick her butt in the name of
good sportsmanship. "I’ve always been competitive, as long as the competition was healthy.
You know, who can chew gum the fastest, whatever. In addition to basketball, I
played lacrosse, which is my favorite sport, field hockey, and softball. In
learning how to box, I haven’t found anything particularly difficult. I’m a
woman, and women are awesome. If I were younger, I wouldn’t be able to pick
things up as fast. What I need to work on the most is the position of rolling
and coming up with a punch. That’s something I’d really like to master. My
left hook isn’t my best punch; my right hand is better. I’m the next
generation, so maybe that’s God’s sense of humour. "I can’t believe how fit I feel. Some people question that my dad and
brother have put me in the ring after only three, four months, but they know
what they’re doing. This gym has produced more medalists than any other, from
Meldrick Taylor and Tyrell Biggs to Terrance Cauthen and plenty of others. My
dad has been supportive because he just likes boxing. And he knows I’m a good
athlete. Actually, Marvis was tougher on me than dad was. He told me all the
negative things. "I remember when Freeda called me a while back. She wanted to come here
to train, but my father wanted her father to call with approval. That approval
never came. The people who think Freeda is doing this because Laila and I have
fought are wrong. She was in training before either one of us. "I have no amateur experience, and I have to be matched accordingly. I
think Laila would be perfect. But I know she is afraid to fight me. She’s
afraid I’ll beat her. My ultimate goal is to make great contributions to the
game, to elevate it and raise the standards. I’ve been working at that for
years. I just never thought I’d have to get in the ring to do it." FREEDA FOREMAN As a single mother and a sales representative in Greenville, South Carolina,
Freeda, 23, is no different from thousands of women. But not everybody has
George Foreman for a father. The third-oldest of Foreman’s 10 children (all five of her brothers are
named George), Freeda was born after her father’s first win over Joe Frazier
and his loss to Muhammad Ali. Among her best friends is Jacqui Frazier-Lyde, and
after Jacqui and Laila Ali announced their intentions of fighting
professionally, Freeda joined the fray. She is trained by Larry Goossen. Freeda, who stands 5ft 11ins and scales about 175lbs (12st 7lbs), was
scheduled to turn pro on 1 April in Las Vegas. The bout was postponed when she
became ill. "I was at home with my family in Houston when my dad challenged Michael
Moorer for the heavyweight title. My brothers and sisters and I were sitting
around, and every time dad took a punch, we’d jerk and pull away. When he
scored the one-punch knockout, we all jumped up and started screaming. "My father is an extreme inspiration. His biggest thing is to follow
your dream. Without him I’d be nowhere in life. When he came back, everybody
knocked him, saying he was too old and too fat. He broke those barriers and it
really inspired me. "But my father always pushed me away from boxing. "In middle school and high school, I played volleyball and softball and
ran track. I thought about playing volleyball professionally, but I always loved
boxing; it was always in the back of my mind. I always told my mom I had to get
into boxing. But when my father saw I was serious, he told me no. He said: ÔYou’re
not a fighter. You can’t do this. I got in the ring and got my head beat in so
my wife and you kids could have a better life. But this goes beyond money. It’s
just something that in my heart, I have to do. The last thing my dad said to me
was: ÔRemember, you can always come home. "I would love the support of my father. My oldest brother isn’t happy
about it either. In fact, he’s stopped speaking to me. But my sisters are all
in my corner. One of them is working with me. "I was turning on and off about this for four years. I was constantly
hearing people around me saying: ÔDon’t do it. Women’s boxing is never
going to be popular. The last time someone said that, something ticked. I
decided I wasn’t going to listen to it anymore. I decided I was going to
change my life. I feel I can help women gain confidence and achieve their
dreams. And I hope I can show my daughter something. She’s my knight in
shining armour and my best friend. She’s in the ring with me every day. "This is the most intense training I’ve ever done. I’m eating,
sleeping, and dreaming boxing. I haven’t had one day off. I need the
conditioning. The hardest part has been dropping the weight. I started at 198
and I’m now down to 177. I’d like to fight at 160, but only if I feel as
strong as I do now. Losing weight is something you have to do slowly. "The easiest part has been going to the gym and sparring. It’s just
fun. Fighting comes easy to me. Both Jacqui and Laila are great, strong women,
but I’m not doing this because they are. It’s just that America Presents [Freeda’s
promoter] gave me the opportunity to do something I’ve always wanted to do. "I’ll promise you one thing: I won’t embarrass my father." |
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