Radcliffe keynote speaker Laila Ali still fighting for equality
At 17, Laila Ali flipped on a Mike Tyson fight and was hooked, not by the heavyweight champion, but by the two women who entered the ring to box before the main event. Following in the footsteps of her legendary father, Muhammad Ali, Laila Ali became a world champion boxer and in the process helped redefine a sport traditionally dominated by men. Now a fitness and wellness expert with a lifestyle blog and podcast, she continues to push for equality for women in sports. Ali, who will deliver the keynote address at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study’s conference “Game Changers: Sports, Gender, and Society,” on April 7, spoke with the Gazette about boxing, being a role model, and not backing down from her famous father. GAZETTE: How did you get interested in boxing? ALI: I was at a friend’s house and we turned on the TV to watch a Mike Tyson fight,...