Ramla Ali: ‘I’ve been to loads of photoshoots with a black eye’

‘You can’t be a boxer and not get hit. It’s like being a swimmer who doesn’t want to get wet’: Ramla Ali. Photograph: Gavin Bond/August Image

I don’t know how old I am. We came to the UK from Somalia as war refugees, so there’s no official record of my birth. And we were poor, so my sister increased my age so I could start school early and get free school meals. Officially I’m 34. I’ve got a date of birth on my passport. But I don’t know if it’s the right one.

I remember playing on the swings and a little girl coming up and talking in English. I didn’t understand anything she was saying. But that’s the beauty of children. We became friends without even talking.