By TMZ
There is a rift in Muhammad Ali's family ... with the champ's wife and daughter calling each other out over who Muhammad is rooting for in the May 2nd Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao fight ... TMZ Sports has learned.
We broke the story ... Ali's daughter, Rasheda Ali, says her father is "Team Pacquiao" and has been a huge fan and friend of Manny's for years.
But earlier today, an Ali spokesperson issued a statement disputing what Rasheda claimed.
"The stories that Muhammad Ali has chosen a favorite in the fight are false."
We just spoke with Rasheda .... who told us she stands by her original statements -- saying, "Everything in your original story is an absolute fact."
"It was extremely accurate. It was exactly what I said to the word."
"Honestly, truthfully, everything I said was true. He is a fan of Manny."
Rasheda adds, "For political reasons, or other reasons, or because my dad didn't want to hurt anyone's feelings, Lonnie [Muhammad's wife] didn't want him to pick a side."
"After your article came out, Lonnie was fine with it. Other outlets took the story and twisted the words around and basically made it seem like my dad was going to be sitting in Manny's corner the night of the fight."
"They made it into something else."
