JAKARTA - British boxer Ramla Ali said sometimes she felt like she was dreaming after her life journey from Somali refugee to pioneer women's boxing took a big leap in Saudi Arabia.
Ali, fighting in the kingdom's first women's professional boxing, appeared in Jeddah on Saturday night, knocking out Crystal Garcia Nova with a cross in the first round.
The devastating right hand, which sent the Dominican's mouthguard flying, adds the next chapter to the fable of Ali, 32, born in Mogadishu, whose family fled war in Somalia when she was a kid.
Taking up boxing after she was teased at school, Ali became the first Muslim woman to win a British amateur title in 2016, and appeared on the cover of British Vogue in 2019.
Now having a 7-0 (win-loss) record in her professional career, with two knockouts, Ali is moving steadily towards the world title race expected next year.
"Sometimes it's like pinching me," she told AFP. "But sometimes you have to go back and think about who's watching or who you've inspired.
"For me, the ultimate goal is knowing that my little me is out there in the audience watching me, and will be inspired by me to do these big things too."
Ali, who leads boxing classes for Saudi women and girls in preparation for the fight, said she was happy to "make history" in the conservative kingdom, where women's sport has long been discouraged.
"No country is perfect, all a country can do is try to be better. And it proved tonight that they are trying to have equality for women by entering women's fights for the first time and I support all of that. I support a country that is trying to make itself better," she continued.
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Despite the accolades now piling up, Ali admits it took years of hard work and rejection before she found success.
"It's real. A lot of people will think it's like an overnight success, but it's the result of years of hard work, years of hard work," she said.
"Years of putting myself out there, years of rejection, years of 'no'. But yes, everything that happened has led me to where I am today, so I have no regrets."
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