Ramla Ali

Last updated

Ramla Ali
Born (1989-09-16) 16 September 1989 (age 34) [1]
Mogadishu, Somalia
Nationality
  • Somali
  • British
Occupations
  • Boxer
  • model
  • campaign activist
Ramla Ali
Modeling information
Hair colorBlack
Eye colorDark Brown
Agency IMG Models (New York, Paris, Milan, London) [2]
Boxing career
Statistics
Weight(s) Super bantamweight
Height5 ft 7 in (170 cm)
Stance Orthodox
Boxing record [3]
Total fights11
Wins9
Wins by KO2
Losses2

Ramla Said Ahmed Ali (born 16 September 1989) is a British [4] professional boxer, model and campaign activist. Selected as one of the twelve 2023 TIME Magazine woman of the year. Ramla Ali was the first Somali boxer to compete at the Olympic Games, the first to win an international gold medal for the country in boxing and is currently a global brand ambassador for UNICEF, Siro Hotels, Cartier & Christian Dior. She is the first female in history to have competed in a professional boxing competition in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Contents

Career

Boxing

As an amateur, Ali won the 2015 Novice national championships in England, the 2016 England Boxing Elite National Championships, the 2016 Great British Championships, and the 2019 African Zone featherweight title. [5]

Ali initially represented England but, in 2018, changed to represent Somalia. She has not returned to Somalia since leaving as a child but wanted to help put the country in the headlines for positive reasons. She became the first boxer to win an international gold medal while representing Somalia. [6] Later, in 2021, she competed in the women's featherweight event at the 2020 Summer Olympics. Although she lost her first fight, she became the first boxer ever to represent Somalia on the Olympic stage. [7]

In 2022, she defeated Dominican boxer Crystal Garcia Nova in the first professional women’s boxing match held in Saudi Arabia. [8]

WBC Super Bantamweight Championship

Ali challenged Yamileth Mercado for her WBC super bantamweight title at Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona on June 29, 2024, losing by unanimous decision. [9]

Writing

Ramla's debut novel Not Without A Fight is a self-help book based on ten of the most important fights in her life. It was published by Merky Books & Penguin Random House. It has also been announced that Academy Award nominated, BAFTA winning producer Lee Magiday will be making a feature-length drama in collaboration with Film4 based on the life story of Ramla Ali. [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16]

Campaigning and advocacy

Ali helped set up Somalia's boxing federation in Mogadishu and became the first boxer to have represented Somalia in the Women's World Championships, held in New Delhi, India.

In January 2018, Ali launched The Sisters Club, a charitable initiative created to provide spaces for Muslim women and minorities to learn and enjoy boxing in the U.K. Subsequently, the initiative expanded to also welcome women who have experienced sexual assault or domestic violence to learn self-defence. The charity partnered with brands Nike, Sports Direct & Everlast to expand its program in 2021, enabling it to reach more women across the country. [5]

Ali committed to giving 25 percent of her first year's earnings as a professional to Black Lives Matter charities. [5]

Personal life

Ali moved to England from Somalia as a refugee from the Somali Civil War. When Ali was a toddler, her brother was killed at the age of 12 by a mortar when playing outside, prompting the family to leave for the UK via Kenya. She started boxing as a teenager in an effort to lose weight. [17]

Honours

She was one of fifteen women selected to appear on the cover of the September 2019 issue of British Vogue by guest editor Meghan, Duchess of Sussex. [18]

Professional boxing record

11 fights9 wins2 losses
By knockout21
By decision71
No.ResultRecordOpponentTypeRound, timeDateLocationNotes
11Liss9–2 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Yamileth Mercado UD1029 Jun 2024 Flag of the United States.svg Footprint Center, Arizona, USAFor the WBC female super bantamweight title
10Win9–1Julissa GuzmanUD104 Nov 2023 Casino de Monte-Carlo, Monaco [19]
9Loss8–1Julissa GuzmanKO8 (10), 0:4217 Jun 2023 Smoothie King Center, New Orleans, Louisiana, US [20]
8Win8–0

Avril Mathie

UD104 Feb 2023 Hulu Theater, New York City, New York, US [21]
7Win7–0

Crystal Garcia Nova

KO1 (8), 1:05 20 Aug 2022 King Abdullah Sports City, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
6Win6–0

Augustina Rojas

PTS89 Jul 2022 The O2 Arena, London, England
5Win5–0

Shelly Barnett

KO2 (8), 2:3319 Mar 2022

Galen Center, Los Angeles, California, US

4Win4–0

Isela Vera

UD6 27 Nov 2021

Hulu Theater, New York City, New York, US

3Win3–0

Mikayla Nebel

UD6 29 May 2021

Michelob Ultra Arena, Paradise, Nevada, US

2Win2–0Bec ConnollyPTS620 Mar 2021The SSE Arena, London, England
1Win1–0Eva HubmayerPTS6 31 Oct 2020 The SSE Arena, London, England

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Women's boxing</span> Boxing when practised by girls/women

Although women have participated in boxing for almost as long as the sport has existed, female fights have been effectively outlawed for most of boxing's history until recently, with athletic commissioners refusing to sanction or issue licenses to women boxers, and most nations officially banning the sport. Reports of women entering the ring go back to the 18th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robson Conceição</span> Brazilian boxer

Robson Donato Conceição is a Brazilian professional boxer who has held the World Boxing Council (WBC) super featherweight title since July 2024. As an amateur, he became the first Brazilian boxer to win an Olympic gold medal at the 2016 Olympics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amanda Serrano</span> Puerto Rican boxer and mixed martial artist (born 1988)

Amanda Serrano is a Puerto Rican professional boxer, mixed martial artist and professional wrestler. As a boxer, she is the unified featherweight world champion, having held the WBO title since 2019, IBO title since 2021, IBF title since 2022 and the WBA title since 2023. She is the only female, and Puerto Rican, to win world titles in more than four weight classes, and holds the Guinness World Record for the most boxing world championships won in different weight-classes by a female, having held 9 major world titles across seven different weight classes.

Jai Opetaia is an Australian professional boxer. He held the International Boxing Federation (IBF) title from 2022 until 2023. He currently holds the Ring magazine and lineal cruiserweight titles. As an amateur, he won a bronze medal at the 2012 Youth World Championships and represented Australia at the 2012 Olympics and 2014 Commonwealth Games. As of February 2023, Opetaia is ranked the world's best active cruiserweight by The Ring magazine, and the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board, second by BoxRec, and third best by ESPN.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lauren Price</span> Welsh boxer (born 1994)

Lauren Louise Price is a Welsh professional boxer, former amateur boxer and former kickboxer and footballer. She has held the WBA, IBO, and Ring female welterweight World titles since 11 May 2024. She was the first-ever female British professional boxing champion having won the welterweight title on 6 May 2023 and holding it until vacating the belt when she became World champion. While representing Wales in the amateur sport she won a bronze medal at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, becoming the first Welsh woman to win a Commonwealth Games boxing medal. Four years later she surpassed this achievement by winning gold at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, followed by a gold at the 2019 World Championships. While representing Great Britain, she won gold medals at the 2019 European Games and 2020 Summer Olympics.

Peter McGrail is a British professional boxer who as an amateur won gold at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sandy Ryan</span> English boxer (born 1993)

Sandy Ryan is an English professional boxer who has held the WBO female welterweight title since 2023.

Skye Brittany Nicolson is an Australian professional boxer. As an amateur, she competed in the featherweight event at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, winning the gold medal. Nicolson competed at the 2020 Summer Olympics. In her first bout in the women's Feather (54–57 kg) preliminaries she beat Im Ae-ji from Republic of Korea on points. She was beaten in the quarterfinals by Kariss Artingstall from Great Britain.

Justis Huni is an Australian professional boxer. He has held the Australian heavyweight title since 2020. As an amateur, he won a bronze medal at the 2019 World Championships.

Yokasta Galeth Valle Álvarez is a Nicaraguan-born Costa Rican professional boxer. She has been world champion in three weight classes, having held the IBF atomweight, WBO and IBF minimumweight and WBO and IBF light-flyweight titles during her career.

Reece Bellotti is an English professional boxer. He has held the British super-featherweight title since February 2024 and the Commonwealth title since 2023. He previously held the Commonwealth featherweight title from 2017 to 2018. As an amateur, he won two ABA national championships, one at bantamweight in 2012 and the 2013 featherweight title.

Seniesa Carmen Estrada is an American professional boxer who has held the WBA female minimumweight title since March 2021, the WBC and Ring female minimumweight titles since March 2023, and the IBF and WBO female minimumweight titles since March 2024. On March 29, 2024, she became the undisputed female minimumweight champion of the world. She previously held the WBC Silver female light flyweight title from 2018 until 2021, and the WBA female interim flyweight title from 2019 to 2020. As of March 2024, she is rated as the #1 pound for pound female fighter in the world by BoxRec, and the #5 pound for pound female fighter in the world by The Ring (magazine).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raymond Ford</span> American boxer

Raymond Ford is an American professional boxer, who held the WBA featherweight title from March 2024 to June 2024.

Abraham Nova is a Puerto Rican professional boxer who has held the WBA-NABA super featherweight title since 2018.

Diego Pacheco is an American professional boxer.

Nina Meinke is a German professional boxer. She has held the European female featherweight title and the WIBF featherweight title.

Eduardo Antonio Solorza Ramirez is a Mexican professional boxer.

Sabrina Maribel Pérez is an Argentine professional boxer. She held the WBO women's junior featherweight title in 2016 and women's bantamweight title from 2016 to 2017. She also held the WBC interim women's featherweight title from 2022 to 2023.

Rafael Espinoza Zepeda is a Mexican professional boxer who has held the World Boxing Organization (WBO) featherweight title since December 2023.

Nick Ball is an English professional boxer. He has held the World Boxing Association (WBA) featherweight title since June 2024. He previously held the WBC Silver featherweight title from 2022–2023.

References

  1. "Boxing ALI Ramla Said Ahmed - Tokyo 2020 Olympics". 10 August 2021. Archived from the original on 10 August 2021.
  2. "Ramla Said Ali - Model".
  3. "Boxing record for Ramla Ali". BoxRec .
  4. "BoxRec: Ramla Ali". BoxRec.
  5. 1 2 3 "Why the boxer Ramla Ali is a force for good". Financial Times. 10 December 2020. Retrieved 29 December 2021.
  6. "Featherweight Boxing Champion Ramla Ali". Elle. 12 November 2019. Retrieved 29 December 2021.
  7. "Podcast: The Somali who kept boxing secret from her family". Olympics. Retrieved 24 July 2021.
  8. Fatima, Sakina (21 August 2022). "Saudi: Ramla Ali wins 1st professional women's boxing match in 1 min". The Siasat Daily.
  9. "Mercado beats Britain's Ali to retain WBC title". BBC Sport. Retrieved 30 June 2024.
  10. Vasco Cotovio; Salma Abdelaziz (20 June 2018). "The refugee boxer tearing down barriers". CNN. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
  11. "The Shortlist - The Muslim News". Muslimnews.co.uk. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
  12. "We Are All Equal In Boxing". theguardian.com. 18 November 2018. Retrieved 18 November 2018.
  13. "My Secret Life As A Boxing Champion". BBC Sport. Retrieved 12 October 2018.
  14. Kay, Jeremy (8 September 2019). "Sleeper Film, Curate Films line up Somali boxing champion drama 'In The Shadows'". Screen. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  15. Ritman, Alex (8 September 2019). "Toronto: 'The Favourite' Producer Punches Up Boxing Biopic 'In the Shadows'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  16. D'Alessandro, Anthony (8 September 2019). "'The Favourite' Producer Lee Magiday Set To Make Film4 Pic 'In The Shadows' About Somali British Female Boxing Champ Ramla Ali". Deadline. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  17. "Somalian refugee finds success in the ring - CNN Video". CNN. 20 June 2018. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
  18. "Meghan Markle puts Sinéad Burke on the cover of Vogue's September issue". The Irish Times. Retrieved 31 July 2019.
  19. "Ramla Ali claims revenge over Julissa Alejandra Guzman despite 'jelly legs'". BBC Sport. 4 November 2023. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
  20. Parviz Iskenderov (17 June 2023). "Julissa Alejandra Guzman KO's Ramla Ali with big left hook in Round 8". Fightmag. Retrieved 17 June 2023..
  21. Parviz Iskenderov (5 February 2023). "Ramla Ali defeats Avril Mathie by decision to lift first belt". Fightmag. Retrieved 4 April 2023..
Olympic Games
Preceded by Flag bearer for Flag of Somalia.svg  Somalia
Tokyo 2020
with
Ali Idow Hassan
Succeeded by
Incumbent