British-Somali ‌‌‌‌boxer Ramla Ali defeats Mikiah Kreps for first ⁠⁠⁠⁠world title

What the report says

British-Somali boxer Ramla Ali won her first world title on Sunday in Arlington, Texas, after defeating American Mikiah Kreps by split decision, according to Al Jazeera. The bout was for the vacant junior featherweight belts, with the article saying Ali claimed the IBO and WBF titles in a closely contested 10-round fight.

The result drew immediate debate because the punch statistics cited in the report showed Kreps landed more shots overall, and one judge scored the contest for the American. Despite that, two judges awarded the decision to Ali. Al Jazeera said Ali had also sent Kreps to the canvas in the third round, but the fight remained competitive throughout and ended with both boxers showing mutual respect in the ring.

The victory marks a major milestone in Ali’s career and adds to a personal story that has attracted wider attention beyond boxing. The article notes that Ali and her family fled Somalia during the civil war and settled in London in 1992. She later became the first Somali boxer to compete at the Olympics and the first Muslim woman to win an English amateur boxing title. Her journey has also inspired a film project, and she has worked as a model and UNICEF ambassador.

Ali said after the fight that the win meant a great deal to her and to Somalia, and she linked the result to the memory of her father, who died earlier this year.