-
Michael Rothstein, ESPN Staff Writer
Ramla Ali’s next fight will be in the United States in June.
A source told ESPN the junior featherweight will be on the Regis Prograis-Liam Paro undercard at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans on June 17. Her expected opponent will be Julissa Alejandra Guzman, as long as Guzman, who is from Mexico, is able to acquire a visa to enter the United States.
It will be the second fight of 2023 for Ali (8-0, 2 KO) after she defeated Avril Mathie by unanimous decision at the Hulu Theatre in February. Last year, Ali made history as one of the first female fighters to box professionally in Saudi Arabia.
Ali is also known for her work outside of the ring. She is a model for Cartier and Dior, a UNICEF ambassador and does nonprofit work with her Sisters Club, allowing safe spaces in women’s-only boxing classes, which has grown in the United Kingdom.
For the past year-plus, Ali has split her time between Los Angeles, where she trains with Manny Robles, and London, where she grew up after her family fled Somalia when she was a child.
Guzman (12-2-2, 6 KO), 26, last fought on Saturday, where she knocked out Rosa Diaz Peralta in the first round. It was her first fight since 2021, where she challenged Yamileth Mercado for the WBC junior featherweight title – a fight she lost by unanimous decision. It was her first loss since the first fight of her career, when she lost a decision to Yolanda Vega in 2015.
