Ramla Ali And Crystal Garcia Nova To Be The First Women To Compete In A Professional Boxing Match In Saudi
The British-Somali boxer is gearing up to pack a punch in what may be the most important fight of her career yet as she prepares to take on her Dominican opponent
Ramla Ali has many impressive firsts to her name. Not only is she the first Somali woman in history to step into the boxing ring professionally, she is also the first Somali boxer, period, to compete on the Olympic level and the first Muslim woman to win a championship in Great Britain. Soon, our April cover star will have another feather in her cap, slated to become one of the first to compete in a professional women’s boxing match in Saudi Arabia.
In a post shared on her Instagram page, Ali teased the upcoming fight with a video, featuring clips of how she prepares for a fight.
No matter who wins the match, Ali and her fighting opponent, Dominican boxer Crystal Garcia Nova, will officially change the narrative of women’s boxing after their face-off on August 20 in Saudi Arabia.
The highly anticipated match is on the undercard of the Anthony Joshua-Oleksandr Usyk fight in Jeddah but is perhaps more monumental for the weight it holds for women around the world.
Ali told ESPN in an interview that she was requested by the Royal Family of Saudi Arabia to participate in the eight-round light featherweight fight. She will be visiting the country for the first time, shattering stereotypes, setting examples and paving new ground for female boxers.
Ali’s professional boxing record is a testament to her status in the sporting world, boasting of an impressive undefeated streak with six wins, no losses and no draws. She established the Somali Boxing Federation in Mogadishu and runs a charity titled ‘The Sisters Club’ which builds platforms for Muslim and minority-community women to learn about boxing and take classes in the UK. The initiative also provides rehabilitation to victims of sexual assault and domestic abuse by teaching them self-defense.