About Her
Tuesday April 26, 2022
As a professional boxer, Ramla Said Ahmed Ali has come a
long way in a short amount of time, and has made a name for herself along the
way. Ali became the first woman to represent Somalia at global championships,
while helping to establish a boxing federation in Mogadishu. In addition, she
is the founder of the UK-based Ramla Ali Sisters Club, author of books such as
“Not without a Fight: 10 Steps to Becoming Your Own Champion,” a model, a
global brand ambassador, and an activist, a woman who truly wears many hats.
Ali grew up in Somalia before tragedy hit close to home.
When she was a toddler, in the 1990s, the country went through a civil war,
which claimed the life of her 12- year-old brother. This forced the family to
relocate to the United Kingdom (UK) where Ali continued to reside in the
following years. Ali discovered her love for boxing at the age of 12. Although
originally a means of cutting back on her weight, in the 2010s, she took up the
sport as a full-time profession. In an interview with ELLE, Ali had also
credited her mother as inspiration to her boxing style.
In 2012, she went on to win her first fight in London. In
2015, she won the Novice national championships in England, as well as the
England Boxing Elite National Championships, and the Great British
Championships the following year. In 2020, she made her professional debut and,
at the Tokyo 2020 event, she became the first to represent Somalia at the
Olympics.
Outside the arena, Ali has also shared her boxing skills
with female enthusiasts, including through activism. In 2018, she founded the
Ramla Ali Sisters Club, a safe space that offers women the opportunity to
master boxing without hijab. Ever since, the club has established four branches
across London with the sport brand, Nike, as its sponsor.
When she isn’t putting on her boxing gloves, Ali is
championing for equal rights for women. In addition to her club helping women
take up boxing for self-defense, Ali, once a refugee herself, has also served
as UNICEF’s UK Ambassador during her travel to Za’atari refugee camp in Jordan.
In 2019, UNICEF had established a safe space for refugee children, with Ali
teaching boxing to girls who fled the war in Syria.
Furthermore, Ali has also ventured into the lamplight as a
model. Through the US-based IMG Models, she’s featured on major publications
such as ELLE, Vogue, Wall Street Journal, TIME Magazine, and more, while also
serving as brand ambassador to Nike, Cartier, Dior, and Pantene. Ali is also
the author of “Not without a Fight: 10 Steps to Becoming Your Own Champion.”