From Warzone To The World Stage: Ramla Ali Signs With MVP Promotions

The Somali-born fighter who made history in and out of the ring is now aiming for another title shot with Jake Paul’s promotional outfit.

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Refugee. Olympic Boxer. Model. TIME Person of the Year. Ramla Ali's boxing career is just one part of her epic life story.             

This week, MVP Promotions, which Jake Paul co-founded with Nakisa Bidarian, announced that it signed Ramla Ali along with three other fighters. Inside the ring, Ali has a record of 9-2. Outside the ring she has been fighting her whole life.

Ali was born in 1989, though records of her birth were lost in the Somali Civil War which began in 1991 following the fall of longtime Marxist dictator Siad Barre. The war had a deep impact on her and her family, with an older sibling being accidentally killed by a grenade. The family fled to Kenya (which is also home to a sizable Somali population) before arriving in London.

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Ali initially hid her interest in boxing from her family before becoming a leading amateur boxer in the UK.

She was the first boxer from Somalia to compete at the Women's World Championships in New Delhi, India, and the first fighter from Somalia (male or female) to compete in the Olympics, which she did in 2020 representing the United Kingdom. Following her debut loss at the Tokyo Olympics, she turned professional.

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In 2022, along with Dominican boxer Crystal Garcia Nova, she participated in the first professional female boxing match in Saudi Arabia.  Later, she committed to offering 25% of her professional purses to charitable causes.

Her incredible story has brought accolades outside the ring, including becoming a UNICEF Ambassador and working with fashion brands like Christian Dior and Cartier.

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In 2023, she was among a dozen women chosen for recognition as TIME Magazine Woman of the Year.

In June, she challenged Yamileth Mercado for the WBC Youth super bantamweight title but lost by unanimous decision. Her signing by MVP Promotions has offered her a chance to re-invigorate her career and add another chapter to an already incredible life story.

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