Ramla Ali Beats Mikiah Kreps By Split Decision To Win IBF And WBO Titles

Ramla Ali won her first world titles on Sunday night in Arlington, Texas, dropping Mikiah Kreps in the third round and taking a disputed split decision after ten rounds of two minutes at College Park Center. Ali claimed the vacant IBF and WBO super bantamweight belts on the strength of the cards returned by Melva Santos, who had her ahead 97 to 92, and Lisa Giampa, who scored it 96 to 93. Nexis Novoa gave it to Kreps by 98 to 91. All three judges had watched the same fight. Their cards made a fair case for checking the seating plan.

The former sparring partners came in with eleven professional wins and three knockouts apiece. Ali, who grew up in East London after her family fled Somalia, had twice been beaten, including a unanimous decision loss to Yamileth Mercado in a WBC title challenge in 2024. She had already become the first boxer to represent Somalia at the Olympics in Tokyo. Kreps, 30, from Niagara Falls, New York, was unbeaten and making her first bid for a professional world title. She had won bronze at the 2019 amateur world championships and had last boxed in October 2025, beating Juliana Basualdo. Ali weighed 121.2 pounds and Kreps 120.8 for the two belts left vacant when Ellie Scotney moved up to featherweight.

Kreps went forward from the first bell, leading with left hands and bringing the straight right in behind them. Ali made better use of the space at long range, sending out the jab and following with her right. Kreps went to the body with combinations in the second, but a cut opened on her head and Ali put her left hand on the damaged area. It was Ali’s most productive round by the punch count. She landed 12 blows, 11 of them power shots, while Kreps landed eight.

Midway through the third, Ali caught Kreps on the chin with a right hook. Kreps put a glove on the canvas and took a count, the only knockdown of the fight. Ali went back to the body and brought the right hand upstairs, but Kreps was putting her punches together again before the round was out. The knockdown was the clearest single blow of the contest. From there, Ali had fewer chances to set the pace.

The fourth brought an uppercut and several right hands from Ali, as well as a warning for holding as the exchanges moved in close. In the fifth, the referee warned her again and made it clear that the next offence would cost a point. The fight finished without a deduction. Kreps dug the right to the body and also landed it over the top. Ali still found the head with her right in the sixth, but Kreps put more punches into each exchange and was back at the body before the bell.

Kreps drove Ali to the ropes with a combination in the seventh and followed with punches to the head. Ali caught her coming in with a right, a useful reply whenever she had the space to throw it. Kreps started downstairs again in the eighth and brought her hooks up as Ali tried to answer with straight punches. The ninth began with another exchange at close quarters, Kreps coming straight in and Ali finding room for body shots and a right. Ali opened the last with a firm right hand and later caught Kreps with another on the counter. Kreps turned her, forced her back and kept punching to the head and body through the closing exchanges.

CompuBox counted 115 connects from 525 punches for Kreps and 78 from 346 for Ali. Kreps landed 91 power shots to Ali’s 70 and had the edge in total connects in eight rounds. Over the final seven, she landed 96 punches to Ali’s 56. Ali did more scoring to the body, 37 connects to 27, and landed the most consequential punch of the night. The Guardian scored the fight 97 to 92 for Kreps. The official verdict took Ali to 12 wins and two defeats and left Kreps with 11 wins and her first loss.

Ali sank to her knees and wept when the decision was announced. She dedicated the victory to her father, who died in May, and recalled her coach asking her in the dressing room to fight for him. She also told Kreps how tiring it had been to deal with her pace. “I did it for my dad,” Ali said.

I had Mikiah Kreps winning that. Ramla Ali landed the best punch of the fight, a right hook that made Kreps put a glove down. But Kreps went straight back to work, getting Ali to the ropes, digging downstairs and bringing the hooks up.

Ali could still catch her coming in. The trouble was she stayed there for the reply. I’d have liked to see her step off after the right and make Kreps come through the jab again. Fair play to Ali for finding those counters under pressure, but Kreps dictated the pace and deserved to get the decision.