Ruqsana Begum

Ruqsana Begum (; born 15 October 1983) is an English professional kickboxer and boxer. She was a British and World Kickboxing Association female Atomweight (48–50 kg) Muay Thai boxing champion and captain of the British Muay Thai Team. In March 2018, Begum made the switch from professional kickboxing to boxing.

Early life Begum was born and bought up in Bethnal Green, London, England to a family of Bangladeshi origin. She comes from a traditional, religious family and grew up in a strict Muslim household.

Begum's paternal grandfather moved to the United Kingdom from Sylhet Division, Bangladesh, to fight for the British in the Second World War. She is a part-qualified architect.

As a child, Begum played football, badminton and swimming. Since the age of five or six she has been fascinated by martial arts and was inspired by Muhammad Ali and Bruce Lee. She initially did it as a hobby in secret due to concerns that her family may not approve. She got herself a part-time job in a chemist, started university and would train every Sunday. In 2006, soon after she graduated from university, she told her family that she was practising Muay Thai, after she had kept it a secret from her family for almost five years.

On 31 July 2011, Begum won a gold medal at the European Club Cup Amateur Muay Thai Championship in Latvia.

On 6 September 2012, Begum was nominated as British Muay Thai Team Captain and won bronze at the International Federation of Muaythai Amateur (IFMA) World Championships in Saint Petersburg, Russia. On 9 September 2012, she beat Ranini Cundasawmy from Mauritius in the quarter-final, before losing her semi-final match, on 11 September 2012, against the European champion, Chyslova Liudmila, from Belarus who proceeded to win silver.

On 13 April 2013, Begum fought Silvia La Notte from Italy at the New Bingley Hall in Birmingham for the International Sport Kickboxing Association (ISKA) World Championship. Although Begum was leading on points, during the fourth round the fight was abandoned after she took a knock to the head.

On 14 March 2015, she contested the International Sport Kickboxing Association (ISKA) Women's straw-weight world title fight against French national champion, Ludivine Lasnier, at the ILEC Conference Centre in Earls Court, London but lost the title on points.

On 7 November 2015, she was due to contest the World Kickboxing Association (WKA) title against Josefine Lindgren Knutsson of Sweden in Hackney, London, until February 2016 and rescheduled for 23 April against Susanna Salmijärvi which she contested and won.

Begum trains under Bill Judd, and fights out of the KO Gym in Bethnal Green, London. for two hours each day, and during the build-up to a fight she trains twice a day. She also does yoga. In September 2016, Begum signed with Shakir Entertainment Management in New York City.

Professional boxing career

In January 2018, Begum signed a three-year a managerial contract with Joe Joyce's handler Sam Jones and Adam Morallee who made her their first client since forming the management company S-Jam Boxing with plans to turn professional in boxing.

On 17 March, Begum made her professional boxing debut under Queensberry Rules against Bulgaria's Ivanka Ivanova in York Hall Bethnal Green, London, which was screened on Channel 5, as an undercard for the Matty Askin vs. Stephen Simmons fight. Begum was scored evenly on the scorecards, 38-38, with the bout called a draw.

Other work On top of her own professional commitments, Begum is a personal trainer and instructor. She also works as an instructor one night a week for the children in the East End. She is an ambassador for Sporting Equals, a charity who help people from ethnic minorities to access sport, whoever you are and at all levels.

In 2015, Begum created a sports hijab for non-athletes for combat fighting sports and to help more Muslim women get into combat sports. She was first inspired to create the product when she saw sprinter Ruqaya Al-Ghasra struggle to wear a headscarf at the 2006 Asian Games. She thought up the idea during the London 2012 Olympics when she learnt of an American athlete who was told her Islamic headscarf did not meet health and safety requirements. The hijab is a fitted, breathable version of the traditional scarf worn to conceal Muslim women's hair and chests.

Media appearances In June 2011, Begum was interviewed by Anwarul Hoque on BBC Asian Network. In August 2014, she was interviewed by Sunny and Shay Grewal on BBC London 94.9. In March 2015, she was interviewed by London Live.

In April 2017, Begum was interviewed by Sportshour on BBC World Service. for the "Like A Girl Can" campaign.

In March 2018, David Leon was enlisted by Nowness to make a short documentary called Endurance Test: Ruqsana Begum about how Begum rose to the top of her field.

Awards and recognition In May 2012, Begum was shortlisted for the Muslim Women's Sport Foundation (MWSF) Ambassador Awards for the United Kingdom Sportswoman of the Year award held at Wembley Stadium.

In January 2012, she was named in the British Bangladeshi Power 100 for her work in education, culture and sports. In February 2012, she won a special achievement award at the Canary Wharf Sports Awards.

In September 2013, Begum was awarded Sports Personality of the Year at the Asian Achievers Awards. In March 2017, she was awarded the UK Sport Inspirational Performance of the Year award at the Lycamobile British Ethnic Diversity Sports Awards (BEDSAs) held at the London Hilton on Park Lane.

In October 2016, Begum was named one of the "Young British Muslim Millennials Changing The World" by The Asian Today.

Born Fighter, the book Begum wrote with Sarah Shepherd about becoming a Muay Thai world champion, was shortlisted for the 2020 William Hill Sports Book of the Year.

In March 2023, Ruqsana beat Tanjila in Dhaka, Bangladesh for the WBU Female Intercontinental Championship.

Personal life Begum suffers from chronic fatigue syndrome, also known as myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME).

In 2006, at the age of 22, She was selected to be an Olympic torchbearer in recognition of her sporting achievements and community work, helping young people to engage in sports and giving them a focus in life On 21 July 2012, she carried the Olympic Torch in Greenwich, London.

In 2017, Begum went on a pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. 2010 – British Atomweight Muay Thai Champion 2011 – European Club Cup Amateur Muay Thai Championship Gold 2012 – International Federation of Muaythai Amateur World Championships Bronze 2016 – World Kickboxing Association Champion 2023 - WBU (World Boxing Union) Female Intercontinental Championship