Arab Press

بالشعب و للشعب
Saturday, May 31, 2025

Saudi Arabia becoming more progressive as it pushes women into sports: Ramla Ali

Saudi Arabia becoming more progressive as it pushes women into sports: Ramla Ali

British-Somali professional boxer Ramla Ali has said Saudi Arabia is becoming a very progressive country that pouches more women into sport.

Ali was speaking to Saudi Gazette on the sidelines of the pre-fight press conference ahead of the Rage On The Red Sea event.

Ali said she saw Saudi female athletes who participated at the Olympics in various events.

"I think there are going to be so many great things and so many amazing athletes coming from this country," she noted.

The professional boxer noted that it is so important for girls to decide to get into sport at a very young age, as it will help them achieve and gain lots of life’s lessons that they will learn only in sports.

Doing sport at a young age will make girls learn to how to be disciplined and the meaning of hard work and sacrifice.

Additionally, sport will make young girls learn the meaning of winning and what it means to lose, which is very important to help them in most of their life paths, not just in sports.

Ali took a supportive initiative, where she hosted more than 30 Saudi female boxers, and conducted with them sparring matches between each other with the aim of spreading the game in the Saudi women's community.


Ali and her Dominican opponent Crystal Garcia Nova are on their way to make history in Saudi Arabia on 20 August. They will face each other in the first of its kind fight in the Kingdom for a professional women's boxing match.

Saturday night will witness several historical moments that people around the world are waiting for, including the boxers who are participating in the secondary fight, the first professional female boxing match, and the most-awaited fight, "Rage On The Red Sea".

Ali stated at the press conference for the boxers participating in the secondary matches, which preceded the pre-fight press conference for the Rage on The Red Sea, that there would be another world record broken for her and Nova here in the Kingdom.

She added that knowing that they had inspired at least 40 women was a huge achievement in her eyes.

On her preparations for the first female fight, she said she had an incredible camp, noting, "I am 100% ready to fight and to put on a great performance on Saturday night".

Ali said she and her opponent together would show that women deserved to be on this big stage and to box in Saudi Arabia.

Nova said she was grateful to Saudi Arabia for making her one of the first female boxers to participate in a fight in the Kingdom. She said she was looking forward to do her best.

Ali, who moved to England with her family from Somalia as a war refugee, has become a history-making champion in the world of boxing.

In her early years in the field, she won the Novice National Championships in England as an amateur boxer in 2015 and then the England Boxing Elite National Championships in 2016, as well as the 2016 Great British Championships, in addition to the 2019 African Zone featherweight title.

The 32-year-old fighter is also a model, and the founder of the Ramla Ali Sisters Club, which supports women to participate in boxing by providing boxing classes.

Ali is also an author. She has already published her first book, “Not Without a Fight: Ten Steps to Becoming Your Own Champion”. In addition to that, the professional boxer is an activist for racial equality. She also helped in founding the Somali Boxing Federation in Mogadishu.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Arab Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Meta and Anduril Collaborate on AI-Driven Military Augmented Reality Systems
EU Central Bank Pushes to Replace US Dollar with Euro as World’s Main Currency
European and Arab Ministers Convene in Madrid to Address Gaza Conflict
Head of Gaza Aid Group Resigns Amid Humanitarian Concerns
U.S. Health Secretary Ends Select COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations
Trump Warns Putin Is 'Playing with Fire' Amid Escalating Ukraine Conflict
India and Pakistan Engage Trump-Linked Lobbyists to Influence U.S. Policy
U.S. Halts New Student Visa Interviews Amid Enhanced Security Measures
Trump Administration Cancels $100 Million in Federal Contracts with Harvard
SpaceX Starship Test Flight Ends in Failure, Mars Mission Timeline Uncertain
King Charles Affirms Canadian Sovereignty Amid U.S. Statehood Pressure
Iranian Revolutionary Guard Founder Warns Against Trusting Regime in Nuclear Talks
Netanyahu Accuses Starmer of Siding with Hamas
Calls Grow to Resume Syrian Asylum Claims in UK
UAE Offers Free ChatGPT Plus Subscriptions to Citizens
Denmark Increases Retirement Age to 70, Setting a European Precedent
Iranian Director Jafar Panahi Wins Palme d'Or at Cannes
Israeli Airstrike Kills Nine Children of Gaza Doctor
Lebanon Initiates Plan to Disarm Palestinian Factions
Iran and U.S. Make Limited Progress in Nuclear Talks
Trump Administration's Tariff Policies and Dollar Strategy Spark Global Economic Debate
OpenAI Acquires Jony Ive’s Startup for $6.5 Billion to Build a Revolutionary “Third Core Device”
Turkey Weighs Citizens in Public as Erdoğan Launches National Slimming Campaign
UK Suspends Trade Talks with Israel Amid Gaza Offensive
Iran and U.S. Set for Fifth Round of Nuclear Talks Amid Rising Tensions
Russia Expands Military Presence Near Finland Amid Rising Tensions
Indian Scholar Arrested in Crackdown Over Pakistan Conflict Commentary
Israel Eases Gaza Blockade Amid Internal Dispute Over Military Strategy
President Biden’s announcement of advanced prostate cancer sparked public sympathy—but behind closed doors, Democrats are in panic
Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki Erupts Again, Spewing Ash Cloud over Flores Island
Indian jet shootdown: the all-robot legion behind China’s PL-15E missiles
The Chinese Dragon: The True Winner in the India-Pakistan Clash
Australia's Venomous Creatures Contribute to Life-Saving Antivenom Programme
The Spanish Were Right: Long Working Hours Harm Brain Function
Did Former FBI Director Call for Violence Against Trump? Instagram Post Sparks Uproar
US and UAE Partner to Develop Massive AI Data Center Complex
Apple's $95 Million Siri Settlement: Eligible Users Have Until July 2 to File Claims
US and UAE Reach Preliminary Agreement on Nvidia AI Chip Imports
President Trump and Elon Musk Welcomed by Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim with Cybertruck Convoy
Strong Warning Issued: Do Not Use General Chatbots for Medical, Legal, or Educational Guidance
NVIDIA and Saudi Arabia Launch Strategic Partnership to Establish AI Centers
Trump Meets Syrian President Ahmad al-Shara in Historic Encounter
US and Saudi Arabia Sign Landmark Agreements Across Multiple Sectors
Why Saudi Arabia Rolled Out a Purple Carpet for Donald Trump Instead of Red
Elon Musk Joins Trump Meeting in Saudi Arabia
Trump says it would be 'stupid' not to accept gift of Qatari plane
Quantum Computing Threatens Bitcoin Security
Michael Jordan to Serve as Analyst for NBA Games
Senate Democrats Move to Censure Trump Over Qatar Jet Gift
Hamas Releases Last Living US Hostage from Gaza Amid Ongoing Conflict
×