Somalilandsun:Ramla Ali, a boxer who became British champion without her family’s knowledge after fleeing civil war in Somalia, has signed a professional deal with Matchroom Boxing.
The 31-year-old, who says she is still aiming to be the first Somali boxer to go to an Olympics, and join professional boxing ranks.
Ali started boxing in her early teens after arriving in London as a refugee.
“I want to become a world champion,” she said.
“I hope in doing so people will develop a better view of Somalia.”
Ali was a toddler when her family fled the Somali capital Mogadishu in the early 1990s after her elder brother was killed aged 12 by a mortar while playing outside during the civil war.
When the family arrived in London as refugees, having lived in Nairobi in Kenya, Ali was picked on at school for being overweight.
She went to the local gym and tried a boxercise class, but did not tell her family as she thought they would disapprove of the sport for a Muslim girl. Continue reading
