Ramla Ali won her first world titles at the age of 37 on Sunday, 8 November, beating previously unbeaten American Mikiah Kreps by split decision to claim the vacant WBO and IBF super-bantamweight titles at College Park Center in Arlington, Texas. According to Reuters, two of the three ringside judges scored the fight for Ali, 97-92 and 96-93, while the third had it 98-91 for Kreps.
The decisive moment came in the third round, when Ali dropped Kreps with a right hook. According to Reuters, the knockdown proved crucial, because Kreps otherwise outlanded Ali over the ten rounds, connecting with 115 punches to Ali's 78 and landing more shots in eight of the ten rounds, including 91 power punches to Ali's 70.
The decision was contentious from the moment it was read out. According to The Guardian, the split verdict surprised many ringside observers, who had expected Kreps to be given the decision on the strength of her sustained pressure and higher punch output after she recovered from the early knockdown. Ali, though, had banked the early rounds and the knockdown, and two judges preferred her cleaner work.
For Ali, the win is the biggest of a career built on breaking new ground. According to reports, she was born in Mogadishu, fled Somalia with her family as a small child during the civil war, and settled in London, where she took up boxing as a teenager. She became the first boxer to represent Somalia at the Olympic Games, at Tokyo 2020, and the first Somali woman to box professionally. The victory takes her professional record to 12 wins and two defeats, with three knockouts, while Kreps falls to 11 wins and one defeat.
What happens next could be a unification fight. According to reports, WBC super-bantamweight champion Skye Nicolson retained her title on the same card in Arlington, beating Miyo Yoshida by unanimous decision, and a meeting between Ali and Nicolson would put three belts on the line. Kreps, meanwhile, is expected to push for an immediate rematch after a decision that left many observers feeling she had done enough to win.