Laila Ali Talks ‘Celebrity Apprentice,’ Ronda Rousey, New Podcast & More

Muhammad Ali might be the greatest boxer of all time, but his charisma and persona outside of the ring defined his athletic career as much as his ability in between the ropes. While Laila Ali certainly isn’t on the same level as the late fighter, she is definitely her father’s daughter.

Laila, 39, ended her boxing career in 2007 as one of the most successful females to ever lace up a pair of gloves. A decade since she last competed in the ring, she remains as relevant as ever.

It began shortly after her retirement when she was a contestant on “Dancing With The Stars,” where she made it all the way to the finals. She’s since made a second career by appearing on and hosting reality TV shows, never afraid to take chances or speak her mind.

“I’m very honest, sometimes too honest, and it gets me in trouble in different ways,” Laila told International Business Times. “But I just want to live life, have fun, learn from other people, and never start thinking that your own shit doesn’t stink. And never being afraid to take risks or make mistakes.”

That attitude has led Laila to compete on “The New Celebrity Apprentice.” The show was filmed in early 2016 with new episodes airing Monday nights on NBC.

The show is in its fifteenth season, and Arnold Schwarzenegger replaced Donald Trump as the host. Laila still hasn’t been eliminated going into the third episode, though she admits the show was more challenging than she expected.

“It was much harder,” Laila told IBT. “And I knew it was hard because you have celebrity friends who have done it and they tell you, but you never really get it until you actually do it.”

The 16 contestants are divided into two teams, with one made up of all men and the other consisting of all women. After they compete in a challenge, the project manager and two other members of the losing team are sent into the final boardroom. The three contestants make their case to remain on the show before one is fired, which can sometimes cause tension between team members.

“You have to pick someone who was the weakest,” Laila said. “Sometimes you know who that is already because you thought about it and somebody really was kind of weak, or you really just have to pick someone. It’s not personal, but we all have to know that you go in there and you’re gonna have to fight.

“Everyone plays the game differently. You got people who want to straddle the fence and they don’t really want to take on responsibility. They want to put everything on the project manager. That kind of stuff is gonna build up animosity in people. Some people like to play the victim, and that’s annoying also because we’re all in this game together and we all have to stand on our own two feet. But some people have a harder time letting it go than others.”

Outside of the TV show, Laila’s honesty has been known to ruffle some feathers as well. Perhaps most notably she made headlines when commenting on Ronda Rousey.

As arguably the best female boxer of all time, Laila is often asked about Rousey, who is easily the most popular female MMA fighter in history. When asked by TMZ in 2015 if she could defeat the then-undefeated Rousey in a fight, Laila said she would beat the much smaller MMA fighter (Laila fought at a weight limit 40 pounds heavier than Rousey).

Since then, Rousey has lost back-to-back fights, and the future of her MMA career remains uncertain. Laila respects what Rousey has been able to accomplish as a fighter, but she isn’t afraid to give an honest assessment of Rousey’s poor showings.

“She’s pretty much been exposed. She can’t take a punch. It doesn’t take anything away from her, what she did as a Judo champion, what she did in the Olympics. But she was basically built up by her promoter to be the best ever to fight, period, in any form of fighting, and it just never was true.”

It wasn’t just that Rousey lost, but the manner in which she was defeated. The former champ suffered a stunning second-round knockout at UFC 193 on Nov. 15, 2015, and she lasted just 48 seconds when she returned to the octagon more than 13 months later.

“I’ve heard people say, ‘Well, Muhammad Ali lost, he’s still great.’ First of all, Muhammad Ali never lost like that. He never got in there and was made to look like a rag doll,” Laila said. “And when he did lose it was pretty much after he had been off for three years. He was in his prime, had to take time off, came back, fought the best, then he came back and had rematches against the best, so please don’t ever compare her to my father.”

With her personality, it should come as no surprise as to what Laila’s latest venture is. She’s started the “Laila Ali Lifestyle” podcast with Podcast One, putting out one episode each week.

“I’ve always wanted to do a podcast because I just like the idea of being able to talk about the things that I’m passionate about, show my personality and engage with fans like never before, through calls and answering questions. My passion is helping to encourage and inspire people to live their best life possible, to live their life like a champ. And talk to people who I can have inspirational conversations with: different athletes or authors that really drive home the message of holistic wellness through fitness, health, parenting, relationships, our mental state, spirituality, all that.”

As a fitness and wellness expert and a former world class athlete, Laila continues to expand her brand in different ways. She also has her own blog and a cookbook that is set to come out this fall.