Ramla Ali earns first world titles at 36 in controversial split decision in Arlington

Ramla Ali defeated Mikiah Kreps to claim the vacant WBO and IBF women’s junior featherweight titles in Arlington, Texas, at the College Park Center on Sunday night, becoming a world champion for the first time at the age of 36 in a highly contentious 10-round split decision.

Ali, who grew up in east London after fleeing Somalia’s civil war and became the first boxer to represent Somalia at the Olympics, captured the 122lb crowns on her second attempt at a world title after previously losing a 10-round unanimous decision to Yamileth Mercado. Outside the ring she has a public profile that includes signing with IMG Models in 2019, magazine covers for Elle, Harper’s Bazaar Arabia and Dazed, appearances at the Met Gala, a Dior ambassadorship, work as a Unicef ambassador, founding Sisters Club in 2018 to offer free boxing classes to vulnerable women, and the recent biopic In the Shadows starring Jasmine Jobson which premiered last month.

The fight itself featured an early turning point when Ali scored a third-round knockdown after a right hook landed flush on Kreps’s chin and Kreps touched the canvas with her glove. Kreps responded by increasing her volume and pressure, throwing 525 punches to Ali’s 346 and outlanding her 115 to 78 overall, with a 91-70 edge in power shots and a higher punch count in eight of the 10 rounds, according to Compubox. The judges were split: two scored the bout for Ali, 97-92 and 96-93, while the third gave Kreps a 98-91 verdict; The Guardian’s ringside card had Kreps ahead 97-92.

Ali was visibly emotional when the decision was announced, dropping to her knees and weeping before speaking in the ring about what the win meant to her and Somalia. “I can’t put into words what this means to me and what this means to all of Somalia,” she said, and later explained the source of her emotion: “When we were in the changing room, my coach said, because my dad passed away in May, ‘Do this for him,’” followed by, “That’s where those emotions came out at the end, because I did it for my dad.”

Ali acknowledged Kreps’s work rate after the fight, saying the American’s tactics made the contest difficult. “Every time I went to the corner, I kept saying, ‘I’m so tired. I’m so tired,’ because your work rate was just next level,” she said, paying tribute to her opponent’s industry and crowding.

The verdict prompted strong criticism from veteran promoter Lou DiBella, who called for an investigation and wrote on social media: “Mikiah Kreps won that fight and it wasn’t close. Stevie Wonder could see that,” adding, “Boxing can’t get out of its own way. I am appalled at that decision.”

In the main event Alycia Baumgardner moved up to 135lb to add the IBF lightweight title, beating Elif Nur Turhan by unanimous decision with all three judges scoring the contest 100-90 under men’s championship rules of 10 rounds of three minutes. After the win Baumgardner said, “What’s next is undisputed, like I did at 130,” and a heated ringside confrontation followed with Britain’s Caroline Dubois, who watched from ringside and has a long-running feud with the American.

Other results on the Most Valuable Promotions Women card included Australia’s Skye Nicolson retaining the WBC junior featherweight title by unanimous decision over Japan’s Miyo Yoshida with judges’ scores of 100-90, 99-91 and 98-92; Mexico’s Irma Garcia unified the IBF and WBA junior bantamweight titles with a unanimous 97-92 scoreline after a sixth-round knockdown of Panama’s Nataly Delgado; and Brittany Sims and Shera Mae Patricio fought to a 10-round split draw for the vacant WBA regular bantamweight title with judges scoring 97-93, 100-90 and 95-95. The card was the seventh staged by Most Valuable Promotions Women, the series launched by Jake Paul in March alongside a three-year ESPN broadcast deal.

Caroline Dubois is scheduled to face Stephanie Han on 20 February at the Don Haskins Center in El Paso, Texas, with the WBA, WBC and WBO lightweight belts on the line; should Dubois prevail, the result would set the stage for a four-belt unification fight with Baumgardner in 2027.