Ramla Said Ahmed Ali (born 16 September 1989) is a Somali professional boxer, model, filmmaker and campaign activist. She is the first Somali woman to become a professional boxer, the first boxer to compete at the Olympic Games for Somalia, and the first to win an international gold medal for the country in boxing. Since 2026 she has also worked as a director, writer and producer through 786 Films, the independent production company she runs with her husband, filmmaker Richard Moore.
Boxing
Amateur career
As an amateur, Ali won the 2015 Novice national championships in England, the 2016 England Boxing Elite National Championships, the 2016 Great British Championships, and the 2019 African Zone featherweight title.
Ali initially represented England but, in 2018, changed to represent Somalia. She has not returned to Somalia since leaving as a child but wanted to help put the country in the headlines for positive reasons. She became the first boxer to win an international gold medal while representing Somalia. Later, in 2021, she competed in the women's featherweight event at the 2020 Summer Olympics. Although she lost her first fight, she became the first boxer to represent Somalia on the Olympic stage.
Professional career
Ali made her professional boxing debut by securing a points win against Eva Hubmayer over six rounds at Wembley Arena in London on 31 October 2020.
On 20 August 2022, she defeated Dominican boxer Crystal Garcia Nova by first round knockout in the first professional women's boxing match held in Saudi Arabia, on the undercard of the Anthony Joshua–Oleksandr Usyk rematch in Jeddah; Ali described herself and Garcia Nova as the first women in history to box professionally in the country.
She won her first professional championship when she defeated Avril Mathie by unanimous decision for the vacant IBF Intercontinental female super-bantamweight title at Hulu Theater in New York City, United States, on 4 February 2023. Ali lost the title in her first defense, suffering an eighth round knockout against Julissa Guzman at Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States on 17 June 2023. A rematch took place at Casino de Monte-Carlo in Monaco on 4 November 2023, with Ali winning via unanimous decision to claim the WBA International female super-bantamweight title.
Alongside boxing, Ali has built a parallel profile in fashion, and has spoken about deliberately bringing the two together rather than treating them as separate identities. She has said she approaches creative directors directly to design one-off fight kits for her to wear into the ring, describing herself as the first boxer to have a major fashion house design her ring attire. Kits designed for her include pieces by Maria Grazia Chiuri at Dior — the first designer to create one for her — Ib Kamara at Off-White (continuing the house's relationship with her that began under Virgil Abloh), Sarah Burton at Alexander McQueen, Daniel Lee at Burberry, Donatella Versace at Versace, and Pierpaolo Piccioli at Balenciaga. Her Versace kit was among the last pieces Donatella Versace designed before stepping down as the house's creative director in 2025 after nearly three decades at its helm. She has said each kit is built around a recurring motif, a panther, drawn from Somalia's coat of arms. Ali has also been a brand ambassador for Cartier and Dior. Alongside her 2019 British Vogue cover, she has appeared on the covers of Elle UK, Harper's Bazaar Arabia, Dazed, Grazia UK, The Wall Street Journal, Financial Times's How To Spend It magazine, and the Evening Standard's ES Magazine. She has also been the subject of a cover story for Arabian Business's T Magazine and a Marie Claire UK digital cover.
Writing
Ali's debut novel Not Without A Fight is a self-help book based on ten of the most important fights in her life. It was published by Merky Books & Penguin Random House. It has also been announced that Academy Award nominated, BAFTA winning producer Lee Magiday will be making a feature-length drama in collaboration with Film4 based on the life story of Ramla Ali.
Her book was published by Merky Books in September 2021, structured around ten pivotal "fights" — both literal bouts and personal challenges — that shaped her life.
Filmmaking
Ali and her husband, writer-director Richard Moore, run the independent production company 786 Films. Their directorial debut, the short film How to Hide It, follows a young Muslim woman, played by Ali, who reluctantly buys a lottery ticket, wins the EuroMillions jackpot, and faces a spiritual and moral reckoning as a result. Ali and Moore co-wrote and co-directed the film, which was executive produced by Idris Elba and Sabrina Elba. It has screened at over 36 international film festivals including the prestigious HollyShorts, Palm Springs ShortFest, Sydney International Film Festival and the Minneapolis–St. Paul International Film Festival, where it was included in the East African showcase "What We Carry".
Ali and Moore have served as executive producers on In the Shadows since the film was first set up, and remained attached throughout its seven years in development. The biographical feature, based on Ali's life and produced by Lee Magiday and Madeleine Sanderson for Film4, is now in production with Jasmine Jobson cast as Ali; Finn Cole also stars.
Ali and Moore's debut feature, Not Like Us, was an independently financed British romantic comedy shot on location in East London, starring Sabrina Elba as Amina Hassan, and Edmund Clarke, played by Ashley Thomas; Sofia Oxenham also stars. Ali and Moore co-wrote and co-directed the film, drawing on their own experience as an intercultural couple; production wrapped in July 2026.[citation needed]
Campaigning and advocacy
Ali helped set up Somalia's boxing federation in Mogadishu and became the first boxer to have represented Somalia in the Women's World Championships, held in New Delhi, India.
In January 2018, Ali launched The Sisters Club, a charitable initiative created to provide spaces for Muslim women and minorities to learn and enjoy boxing in the U.K. Subsequently, the initiative expanded to also welcome women who have experienced sexual assault or domestic violence to learn self-defence. The charity partnered with brands Nike, Sports Direct & Everlast to expand its program in 2021, enabling it to reach more women across the country.
Ali committed to giving 25 percent of her first year's earnings as a professional to Black Lives Matter charities.
Personal life
Ali moved to England from Somalia as a refugee from the Somali Civil War. When Ali was a toddler, her brother was killed at the age of 12 by a mortar when playing outside, prompting the family to leave for the UK via Kenya. She started boxing as a teenager in an effort to lose weight.
Ali is married to filmmaker Richard Moore, with whom she co-founded 786 Films.
Honours
Ali was one of the fifteen women selected to appear on the cover of the September 2019 issue of British Vogue by guest editor Meghan, Duchess of Sussex. In 2023, she was selected as one of the twelve Time's Woman of The Year. In 2025, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud awarded Ali with Certificate of Honor for her achievements and efforts in representing Somalia in global sports. She was also awarded the Medal of Honor by the Governor of Banadir Region and Mayor of Mogadishu, Hassan Mohamed Hussein in recognition of her groundbreaking achievements on the global stage and being an "inspiration to Somali youth particularly young women".
Filmography
Year
Title
Role
Notes
2026
How to Hide It
Lead actress; co-director; co-writer
Short film; 786 Films; screened at over 36 festivals including HollyShorts and Minneapolis–St. Paul International Film Festival
TBA
In the Shadows
Herself (subject); executive producer since inception
Biographical feature; Film4; Jasmine Jobson stars as Ali
