Ramla Ali Makes A History-First by fighting a Pro bout in Saudi Arabia by Sue TL Fox

(AUGUST 25) 5’7″ Super Bantamweight Ramla Ali born in Mogadishu, Somalia, recently made a history-first along with her opponent Crystal Garcia Nova, when they fought at the Jeddah Superdome, in Saudi Arabia in a scheduled eight-round bout.  The fight did not last too long when in the first round (1:05) Ramla won by a KO. 

Ali is also the first Somali boxer in history to have competed at the Olympic Games and the first female to become a professional boxer.

When she fought as an amateur, she won the 2015 Novice national championships in England; 2016 England Boxing Elite National Championships;  the 2016 Great British Championships;  and the 2019 African Zone featherweight title.

In Wiki, they wrote the following:  “Ali initially represented England but in 2018 changed to represent Somalia. She had not been back to Somalia since leaving as a child but wanted to help put the country in headlines for positive reasons. She was the first person to have won an African boxing title and international gold medals whilst representing Somalia. 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.”

Another feather in her cap that she has done was  helped set up Somalia’s boxing federation in Mogadishu.  She also founded an organization,  The Sisters Club, a charitable initiative created to provide spaces for Muslim women and minorities to learn and enjoy boxing in the U.K.

When not boxing she also is a model, and is represented by IMG Model, and has appeared in many publications.

Wiki wrote the following:  “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.”