Ramla Ali wins first world titles at 36 with highly controversial split decision

British-Somali boxer Ramla Ali became a world champion for the first time at the age of 36 on Sunday night after winning a highly controversial 10-round split decision over former sparring partner Mikiah Kreps to claim the vacant WBO and IBF women’s junior featherweight titles in Arlington, Texas.Ali, who grew up in east London after fleeing Somalia’s civil war with her family and went on to become the first boxer to represent the African country at the Olympics, completed her remarkable journey to the top of the 122lb division at College Park Center on her second attempt at a world championship – but only after a verdict rewarding her for a fight that appeared to be largely controlled by her opponent.“I can’t put into words what this means to me and what this means to all of Somalia,” a visibly emotional Ali said in the immediate aftermath. “I’ve hopefully inspired so many young girls and boys out there to dream big and that’s all I’ve ever wanted to do.”Ali (12-2, 3 KOs) took the upper hand early after scoring a knockdown in the third round when Kreps touched the canvas with her glove after taking a right hook flush to the chin.But Kreps (11-1, 3 KOs) appeared galvanized by the setback, ramping up her volume and applying relentless pressure that disrupted Ali’s rhythm as the 30-year-old American took control of the exchanges and appeared to win the majority of the remaining rounds.The ringside arbiters were sharply divided, with Ali prevailing by scores of 97-92 and 96-93 while the third judge favored Kreps 98-91. (The Guardian had it 97-92 for Kreps.)Compubox’s punch statistics only cast further doubt on the decision. Kreps outlanded Ali by 115 blows to 78 overall, including a 91-70 edge in power shots, while connecting on the greater number of punches in eight of the 10 rounds. The New Yorker also threw 525 punches to Ali’s 346, maintaining a substantially higher work rate throughout the contest.Ramla Ali drops to her knees after defeating Mikiah Kreps by a controversial split decision to claim the vacant IBF and WBO junior featherweight world titles on Sunday night. Photograph: Julio Cortez/APWhen the scores were announced, an overwhelmed Ali dropped to her knees and wept. She then spoke of her father who died six months ago, saying that her trainer had invoked his memory before the fight.“When we were in the changing room, my coach said, because my dad passed away in May, ‘Do this for him,’” Ali said during an in-ring interview. “That’s where those emotions came out at the end, because I did it for my dad.”Ali also paid tribute to Kreps, acknowledging her opponent’s industry and crowding tactics that had made the contest so 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.Veteran promoter Lou DiBella, who has increasingly assumed the role of boxing’s unofficial ombudsman, was among those outraged by the verdict, calling for an investigation into the scoring.“Mikiah Kreps won that fight and it wasn’t close. Stevie Wonder could see that,” DiBella wrote on social media. “Boxing can’t get out of its own way. I am appalled at that decision.”Ali’s breakthrough came more than two years after her first crack at a world title ended in disappointment, when she lost a 10-round unanimous decision to Yamileth Mercado in a bid for the Mexican’s WBC junior featherweight strap. Her extraordinary life story is the subject of In the Shadows, a biopic starring Top Boy actor Jasmine Jobson that premiered last month.In the main event, three-belt junior lightweight champion Alycia Baumgardner moved up to 135lb and added the IBF lightweight title with a commanding unanimous decision over Elif Nur Turhan. All three judges scored the fight a 100-90 whitewash for Baumgardner in a contest held under men’s championship rules with 10 rounds of three minutes each.“What’s next is undisputed, like I did at 130,” Baumgardner said afterward, fixing her sights on a showdown with Britain’s Caroline Dubois, the WBC and WBO lightweight champion who took in Sunday’s fights from ringside.The pair engaged in a heated ringside confrontation moments later, renewing a feud that has simmered for months. Dubois, 25, has repeatedly accused the American of avoiding her, while Baumgardner has maintained the Briton has yet to earn the right to share a ring with her.Elif Nur Turhan (left) throws a punch at Alycia Baumgardner during their IBF lightweight world title fight. Photograph: Julio Cortez/APDubois is scheduled to face Stephanie Han in a 135lb title unification bout 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, it would set the stage for a four-belt unification fight with Baumgardner for the undisputed 135lb title in what could be one of the biggest fights in women’s boxing in 2027.Baumgardner’s and Ali’s bouts topped the seventh card staged by Most Valuable Promotions Women, the fledgling women’s boxing series launched in March alongside a three-year ESPN broadcast deal designed to give female fighters a regular platform on linear television.Earlier on the program, Australia’s Skye Nicolson retained her WBC junior featherweight title with a unanimous decision over Japan’s Miyo Yoshida, winning by scores of 100-90, 99-91 and 98-92. Mexico’s Irma Garcia unified the IBF and WBA junior bantamweight titles with a unanimous verdict over Panama’s Nataly Delgado, with all three judges handing down scores of 97-92 after Garcia registered a sixth-round knockdown.On the preliminary card, Brittany Sims and Shera Mae Patricio fought to a 10-round split draw in their contest for the vacant WBA regular bantamweight championship. One judge favored Sims 97-93, another had Patricio winning 100-90 and the third scored it 95-95, leaving the title unclaimed.