Ramla Ali targets history as Somalia’s first world champion after overcoming civil war and bullying
The IndependentSign up to our free sport newsletter for all the latest news on everything from cycling to boxing Sign up to our free sport email for all the latest news Sign up to our free sport email for all the latest news SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy 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 Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing. Signed to unified heavyweight world champion Anthony Joshua’s 258 management label, Ali is trained by her husband Richard Moore and will compete at super-bantamweight. Ali wanted to go to the postponed Olympic Games next year as the first Somali boxer to do so, but the uncertainty caused by coronavirus has made her anxious to fight before then. “Ramla joins an unrivalled Matchroom stable that boasts some of the very best female fighters on the planet and she is in the perfect place to fulfil her dream of becoming Somalia's first world champion.”