Ramla Ali claimed the first world championships of her professional boxing career Sunday night, November 8, defeating previously unbeaten Mikiah Kreps by split decision at College Park Center in Arlington, Texas. The Somali-British fighter earned the vacant IBF and WBO junior featherweight belts after 10 hard-fought rounds. Two judges awarded Ali the contest, 97-92 and 96-93, while the third scored it 98-91 for Kreps. Ali improved to 12-2 with three knockouts; Kreps fell to 11-1 with three knockouts.
The pivotal early moment came in round three, when Ali landed a right hook that sent Kreps’ glove to the canvas for an official knockdown. Kreps did not retreat. She pressed forward, attacked the body and had sustained success in the later rounds, making the wide disagreement between the judges a major part of the story. Ali also faced referee warnings for holding, but no point deduction was reported. The judging drew pointed criticism: CompuBox credited Kreps with a 115-78 advantage in punches landed, and she outlanded Ali in eight of the 10 rounds. The split verdict remains highly disputed.
Ali, 37, previously made history as Somalia’s first Olympic boxer. After the decision, she dedicated the victory to her father, who died earlier this year, giving an emotional ending to a difficult championship journey. The two belts are Ali’s first full professional world titles, not defenses of an existing reign. They also place her in a crowded 122-pound championship picture that includes WBC titleholder Skye Nicolson, who won on the same card. No unification fight has been announced, but Ali now has the titles needed to make those talks meaningful.