Fortune favors the brave!  Ramla Ali- A brilliant boxing prospect 

The year has started bright and fresh with an inspiring interview with Ramla Ali, ESPN Ringside Prospect Of The Year. It is part of the series entitled: The Interview I Never Had.

Ramla Ali came to London as a war refugee from Somalia and found boxing…or Boxing found her? Now based in Los Angeles, Ramla came along to the WBC Office, where she gave a memorable interview to Nancy Alvarez Rodriguez and Pepe Sulaiman.

An intelligent economy of questions, as they let her talk and the result was dazzling!  Her skills as a boxer are matched by her intelligence, natural talent and sparkling self-depreciating humor.  From a start with nothing but hand me downs, Ramla has built a career in boxing and modelling, appearing on the cover of the prestigious magazine Vogue. Perhaps an even more daunting challenge, because she was shy!

It’s been an uphill struggle for Ramla. Her family didn`t initially approve of her boxing and tried to talk her out of it. She complied with their wishes for a long while, but the lure of a sport in which she excels, guided her back to the gym. The love of boxing kept calling her back. She recalls: “The first time you get hit you know. I went back because I wanted to learn the sport and become better at it. I knew it wasn’t going to be easy, but it was a challenge I was willing to take. as they say…fortune favors the brave.”

Unknown to her family, the self-described rebel told them she was going on a run, but she actually went to the National Championships and won it! It was quite a run! A journey to success, but close to home, because the York Hall venue is just two roads from her house! Ramla has also won her family over, who are now her most avid supporters!

She recalls her start in boxing: “I was an overweight teenager. I wanted to get fit, get healthy and gain a bit of self-discipline. The love of the sport was the only reason that I kept going. I was bullied quite a bit at school for being overweight. People are picked on because they don`t fit the mold. But the world would be so boring if everyone was the same. We should all take the time to be kind to one another.”

Ramla trained at a gym, but it closed down. Her first experience of sparring was in a kick boxing gym, with another woman who gave her a comprehensive boxing lesson. So, she set her mind and body to improving, so as to fight on level terms and she gained respect. Ramla has represented Somalia in the amateurs, and she won a gold medal at the African Championships. She also competed at the Olympics. Always conscious of the fact that as such she is a role model, saying: “The young girls are looking up to you, so you need to conduct yourself in a certain manner, also showing you can achieve whatever you want to be.”

True to her ethos, Ramla decided to further and develop her boxing career in the professional ranks, by moving to LA. Her coach suggested bringing in Trainer Manny Robles, and he has taught her so much along the way, intuitively, frankly and brilliantly. The result has been seven fights and seven wins for her, with so much more to come. Ramla herself has established The Sister Club Foundation in 2018, helping women who find themselves in difficult circumstances. There are four in London, one in LA and there will be more.

Ramla’s ambitions are many. One is for women to gain parity purses for fights. She says: “Men and women to have equal pay. I would love to change that, but it`s down to the promoters.”  Also, crucial for fans coming along and loyally supporting women`s boxing, which has so much to offer! Another of her cherished aims is to win a WBC World Title: “Being able to grow week in, week out, year in, year out. One of my biggest goals is to win the WBC Green and Gold Belt. It has always been a dream of mine!”

Great people make great interviews. Ramla is right up there at the very top!  You can access this tremendous interview at: