Retired boxer Laila Ali didn’t die giving birth. She wasn’t pregnant, and she’s alive


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Laila Ali, a retired professional boxer and daughter of the late boxing legend Muhammad Ali, is alive. 

But a death hoax about her purported passing spread widely enough online that she felt compelled to correct the record. 

“I’m fine, I’m healthy,” she said in a March 30 video posted on her verified Facebook page. She then referred to the rumor that’s drawing attention in other Facebook posts. 

“Another tragedy has struck the boxing world, as daughter of boxing legend, Muhammed Ali, Laila Ali, has lost her life while giving birth in a Canadian hospital,” one such post said. “This is coming hours after boxing great George Foreman lost his life at 76.”

This Facebook post was flagged as part of Meta’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and Threads.)

The post’s reference to “another tragedy” likely is the March 21 death of heavyweight boxing legend George Foreman — who lost his first title to Muhammad Ali. He was 76.  

But Laila Ali didn’t die hours later, or at all. And as she noted in her video, she’s not pregnant. She’s 47 and the mother to two teenagers.

We rate claims she died Pants on Fire! 

 

Truth-o-meter Ruling

False

IF YOUR TIME IS SHORT

  • Retired boxer Laila Ali didn’t die.

Statement

“Daughter of boxing legend, Muhammed Ali, Laila Ali, has lost her life while giving birth in a Canadian hospital.”

Context

a Facebook post

Speaker/Target

Statement Date

March 27, 2025
Our Sources

Facebook post, March 27, 2025

Facebook post, March 30, 2025

BBC News, Heavyweight boxing legend George Foreman dies aged 76, March 22, 2025

 

Translations

Language: en

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