Today we’d like to introduce you to Ray Talib Jr.
Hi Ray, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My names is Ray Talib jr, known as Alief Ali in the boxing world. I was originally born in Virginia but has lived in Houston most of my life, which is where most of his family is from and my dad is from. I was in Virginia as my mom and dad was stationed there. in the army, but I have no family there. I trains at Main St Boxing Gym in downtown Houston with Coach Bobby Benton.
I has been an athlete since the age of 5, playing basketball up until middle school. Then played football from middle school to junior college. I had no plan to box, that came later in life. From my early teens to young adulthood, I was getting caught up in street life. As a young adult, it became worse and I was facing multiple felony cases when my best friend Utah Ussoh introduced him to boxing. My best friend Utah picked up the craft of becoming a coach in the army. At the time,I used it as a stress reliever and to stay out of trouble but eventually fell in love with the sport. I ended up violating my probation and did 6 months in jail and made the decision in jail to take boxing seriously. People told me I was too old because I was 25. However, when I got out of jail, I turned amateur and had about 12-15 fights and never looked back. I turned Pro in 2019, as of 2025 my record is 8-1 in the super welterweight division.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It’s not. Always been a smooth road. Boxing is a lonely sport takes a lot of dedication, discipline and time. In the beginning when your putting so much time into your craft and the opportunities and the money is not coming in yet and you still have regular life responsibilities and problems there’s had been times where I wanted to quit. But I knew I had what it takes to compete at high level so I would always find a reason to keep pushing.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I’m a 8-1 Professional boxer boxer . What sets me apart from most Successful Pro Boxers is that I started boxing very late at the age of 26. Most boxers start in the teens some as early as 8 years old. I’m proud that with boxing I changed my life I turned away from the street life, my crafts has taken me to different states and even out the country. I also became a member of the first Houston Professional Boxing Team called the Houston Hitman , which is history within itself
What’s next?
I have a few fights coming up one July 19th and then another in September I plan on making a run in my division and looking to grab some belts.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/aliefali_
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1GKKj63dZ9/?mibextid=wwXIfr
Image Credits
Hosanna Rull, GuruSpace
