Meet Ramla Ali : The multitalented Somali boxer

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The 32-year-old Somali boxer has been having a great run. Ever since turning professional in 2020, she has remained undefeated and impressed fans worldwide with her determination and focus.

As a child refugee from civil-strife torn Somalia, Ali’s achievements are many – Olympian, activist, author and model (recently on the cover of Vogue). The undefeated novice professional also has a huge fan following in the Somali community. "The amazing thing about the Somali community is that they back each other - they back their own….I only had to put out the flyer and within 72 hours I'd sold 500 tickets", she said in a recent interview.

Later this week Ali is set to fight her first match in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia which is the first professional female boxing match to be held there. This has received criticism from many who view this as an endorsement of the Arab nation who is alleged to be guilty of human rights violations. However, Ali remains undeterred, and is also an ardent activist who has set up The Sisters Club , which teachers boxing to survivors of sexual and domestic violence.

Ali’s journey from Somalia has been long and arduous. Having lost her brother to shelling, she made a nine-day voyage – which included several passengers dying- to Kenya and finally London. This was followed by bullying in school, after which she decided to take boxing classes secretly, known only to her brother. Since then, Ali has seen a meteoric rise and was the flagbearer for Somalia in the Tokyo Olympics. The story of this boxer’s life has inspired so many, that it is being adapted into a biopic directed by Bafta winner, Lee Magiday. If that’s not enough, this young boxer has also landed modelling deals with high end labels and has successfully been juggling her multi-faceted career.

Ramla Ali is definitely a trailblazer, who may need more than one movie to document her life.