Here are five interesting things about boxing champion Ramla Ali that you probably didn’t know

She is the first Muslim woman to win an English title and the first boxer to represent Somalia at the Olympics

Ramla holds the title as an undefeated boxing champion. She is also the winner of the first-ever women’s boxing tournament held in Saudi Arabia. She initially kept her boxing a secret from her family, after they found out once and asked her to quit. Apart from her younger brother, they were still clueless about her achievements even when she became the first Muslim woman to win the elite national Championship.

She always wanted to represent Great Britain at the Olympics, but when she realized her dreams wouldn’t be actualized, she came up with a different plan to still enter the Olympics; she would represent Somalia, her home country.

Unfortunately, Somalia had no boxing federation at the time and so she had to build one from scratch with her husband, who doubles as her coach. She was finally able to break through the glass ceiling after an interview with a Somali Station and YouTube channel.

Ramla no longer cared about her family finding out about her career. She finally went to competitions in Germany and Denmark, representing Somalia even though there was no federation backing her. In the end, she got her family’s acceptance and won the fight. Her interview also brought about the Launch of a Somali boxing federation in 2018.

During her fight at the world championships in New Delhi, many Somalis attended the game to support her and witness her victory once more.