The wheels of the plane touched the tarmac at Aden Adde International Airport on Sunday, 14th September, 2025, a place she had last seen as a ghost, a memory from a life she barely had a chance to live. In 1992, Ramla Ali, left this city as a terrified toddler, a refugee fleeing the inferno of civil war that had already claimed her 12-year-old brother.
The journey was a blur of fear, culminating in a perilous boat crossing to Kenya that nearly ended her life before it had truly begun.
Today, 33 years later, she returned. Not as a refugee, but as a champion. A pioneer. A Role Model.
As she stepped out into the warm Somali air, the hesitant girl was gone. In her place stood Ramla Ali: Olympian, professional boxing champion, UNICEF ambassador, fashion icon, and author. The roar of the crowd that greeted her was not one of conflict, but of pure, unadulterated pride.
“I left Somalia as a young girl fleeing war, and today I return as a champion for my people,” she said, her voice thick with an emotion three decades in the making. “My victory is Somalia’s victory.”
This is not just a boxing story. It is a Somali story of resilience, a testament to a spirit that could not be broken by war, displacement, or prejudice. It is the story of a journey from the shadows of Mogadishu to the brightest lights in the world, and the powerful, emotional return to the source.
The Secret Fight
Life in East London for the young Ali family was a world away from the one they knew. Her father, a teacher, and her mother, a successful businesswoman, had to rebuild from nothing. For Ramla, the transition was fraught with the challenges of being an outsider. She was bullied, once attacked by a group of boys for wearing her hijab. She was, by her own admission, overweight and lacking confidence.
Her life changed at age 12. On the advice of her doctor, she walked into a gym. It was intimidating, full of “men pumping iron.” She stumbled into the first class she saw: boxercise.
“I could have walked into a spin class and become a cyclist,” she later recalled. But it was the structured violence, the controlled power of boxing that spoke to her. “I loved that I didn’t have to think for myself… I was working out and getting healthy at the same time. My body was changing; I was getting more confident.”
But this newfound passion came with a condition: it had to be a secret. For her traditional, religious family, a girl fighting was unthinkable. So she trained in stealth, hiding her bruises and her ambition, living a double life. She was a student and a daughter by day, a warrior in the gym by night.
Making History, Again and Again
The secret couldn’t last forever. As her talent blossomed, so did her profile. She became the first Muslim woman to win an English boxing title. The world started to notice. And eventually, so did her family. The shock gave way to understanding, and then to immense pride.
That pride would soon be shared by 15 million Somalis around the world.
In 2021, at the delayed Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, Ramla Ali walked into the arena with the blue flag of Somalia, emblazoned with its single white star, on her back. She was the first boxer—male or female – to ever represent the nation at the Olympics. Though she lost her opening bout to Romania’s Claudia Nechita, the result was secondary. The image of a Somali woman, a former refugee, competing on the biggest stage imaginable was a victory that transcended any scoreboard.
From there, her ascent was meteoric. She turned professional, signing with major promoters. Her elegance and power drew the attention of the fashion world, leading to ambassador roles with Cartier and Christian Dior. She founded The Sisters Club, a free boxing class in London for vulnerable women, creating the safe space she never had. She wrote a book, ‘Not Without A Fight’, and a Netflix biopic, ‘In the Shadows’, is slated for a 2026 release.
Then came another historic night. On August 20, 2022, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, she stepped into the ring to face Crystal Garcia Nova. It was the first-ever professional women’s boxing match held in the Kingdom. It lasted less than a round. Ali won by a devastating knockout, a statement of intent that echoed across the globe.
A Champion’s Welcome
Her return to Mogadishu was the culmination of this incredible journey. Accompanied by her husband and manager, Richard Moore, who also heads the Somali Boxing Federation, she was received not just as an athlete, but as a national hero.
The welcome was led by a delegation of powerful Somali women. Khadija Makhzumi, the Minister of Family Affairs & Human Rights, delivered a deeply emotional tribute. “Ramla has represented us well,” she declared. “We want her to know that she split her blood for this country, and her blood is valuable and precious to us… She is a role model for Somali girls, and we hope to see so many young girls join her in boxing.”
The Chairperson of the Women of the Banadir Region, Jawahir Baarqab, put it even more profoundly. “Ramla is a daughter of this land, her umbilical cord was buried here in Mogadishu and she is our heroine. She chose to fly the Somali flag even when she was able to choose other countries.”
Abdiaziz Osman Mohamed, the Deputy Director of Social Affairs, Banadir Regional Administration, was full of praise for Ramla.
“She brought honour to Somali women and Somali people, you are at home, here for your brotherly Somali people. Ramla has proven that Somali women are strong, and brought victory, Somali women can do. Citizens and leaders are proud here to wave the Somali flag for you the same way you always raised the Somali flag high, we are here to show you that you always have our support, and it is an honour and special feeling to receive you at Aden Adde International Airport. You are a symbol for our Somali women, we shall create a boxing place for boxing for Somali women.”
Officials promised to build a boxing facility for women in her name. As she toured her old neighborhood, flanked by heavy security, she was embraced by women and young girls who saw in her a reflection of their own strength and limitless potential.
For Ramla Ali, the journey has come full circle. The little girl who fled the chaos of a broken nation has returned as a woman who is helping to heal it. She carries the hopes of her people on her shoulders, but they are not a burden. They are the source of her strength. As she stood before her people, a champion on home soil for the first time, she made a simple, powerful promise that encapsulated her entire life’s fight.
Cementing her legacy beyond the boxing ring, Ramla Ali has shared her powerful story on both the page and the screen. She is the author of the inspirational book, ‘Not Without A Fight: Ten Steps To Becoming Your Own Champion’, where she details her journey firsthand. Her incredible life story is now set to be dramatized for a global audience in the upcoming biopic film titled “In the Shadows,” which is scheduled for a worldwide release by Netflix UK in 2026.