Ramla Ali puts on boxing clinic with Saudi girls ahead of historic bout in Jeddah

JEDDAH: Ramla Ali held a boxing session for girls and women in Jeddah on Thursday ahead of her history-making bout against Crystal Nova Garcia at the Rage on the Red Sea this Saturday.

It will not be the first time Ali makes history, having become the first English Muslim fighter to claim an amateur title in her country, and she will etch her name into the record books alongside her opponent as they become the first females to fight professionally in Saudi Arabia.

Since Anthony Joshua and Andy Ruiz Jr. headlined the Clash of the Dunes in 2019, there has been a 150 percent uptake in female sports participation across the Kingdom.

Boxing as a whole has seen a 300 percent jump in Saudis taking up the sport, and the Saudi Arabian Boxing Federation is aiming to get 500,000 people involved in the sport over the next four years.

The increased interest in the sport and the governing body’s mission were in evidence at Jeddah’s Waad Academy, where Ali conducted a 45-minute training session with local coaches and Saudi girls and women between the ages of 15 and 30 from government-funded and private clubs across the country.

“The organizers inviting me to compete and allowing this fight to go ahead really shows you the cultural shift in the landscape that is happening in the region. I hope myself and my opponent, as well as the full card competing in Saudi Arabia, inspires future generations. It’s been wonderful to spend time with this group of girls today and I hope they truly believe their ambition is limitless.”

Alongside Ali was Rasha Al-Khamis, the country’s first certified female boxer and boxing coach, as well as a part-time footballer, Guinness World Records-holder and current vice president of the Saudi Arabian