Laila Ali stopped by the Today show to discuss her new children’s book.
The retired boxer’s A Spark of Greatness: The Autobiography of a Fighter, illustrated by Cozbi A. Cabrera, was published Tuesday by Crown. Ali, daughter of legendary boxer Muhammad Ali, tells the story her career as an undefeated prizefighter; a critic for Kirkus called the book “an inspiring portrait of resilience and ambition” and “a worthy contender.”
Today show co-host Craig Melvin noted that Ali worked on the book for six years.
“I have a lot of things that I’m always doing, right?” Ali said. “But this was so important to me, and the story is my story [of] boxing, being Muhammad Ali’s daughter, and everything that came with it. But it’s so much bigger than boxing. I had this spark in me from a very young age, and I’m encouraging other children…through my story to embrace their own spark.”
Asked whether she returned to the advice she gave her own children in order to write the book, Ali said, “Absolutely. I like to live by example, just as my father did for me, and this book is just a testament of so many things, but I’ve always wanted to give back. This actually is part of a larger initiative for me. I really want to inspire kids to create a strong foundation in life.”
Michael Schaub is a contributing writer.
