Ramla Ali was in tears the moment it was official. After defeating Mikiah Kreps to claim the unified super-bantamweight world title, the Somali-born boxer dedicated the victory to her late father, the man she has long credited as the foundation of her fighting spirit.
The win makes Ali a unified world champion, a milestone that places her among the most decorated female boxers of her generation. It is the kind of moment that athletes spend entire careers chasing, and for Ali, it arrived wrapped in grief and gratitude in equal measure.
Ali has never made her journey small. Born in Somalia, raised in London, she has carried the weight of representation with every fight. Dedicating this title to her father tells you everything about where her drive comes from and who she was fighting for when the final bell rang.
Originally published by BBC Africa.