Ruqsana Begum

Ruqsana Begum is a highly respected professional kickboxer and boxer, best known for becoming the British and European Kickboxing and Muay Thai Champion. With over 20 years of fighting experience behind her, she has achieved great success throughout her career, and is now recognised as one of the ‘Young British Muslim Millennials Changing the World’. Admired for her remarkable sporting abilities, Ruqsana has published the best-selling book, Born Fighter, which was shortlisted for the 2020 William Hill Sports Book of the Year. When looking to hire an inspirational sports speaker for your future events, look no further than Ruqsana today. 

After beginning kickboxing classes in college, Ruqsana began fighting professionally in 2008. Entering the boxing ring with a successful fight, she defeated her opponent to win a bronze medal at the World Amateur Kickboxing Championships and continued to build upon her career by defeating Paige Farrington to win the British Muay Thai Atomweight Kickboxing Championship Professional title. In 2011, Ruqsana won a gold medal at the European Club Cup Amateur Muay Thai Championship and beat her opponent to secure her place in the final to be awarded gold. Having defended her title for many years, Ruqsana decided to enter the world of professional boxing and has competed in two fights to date. 

A proud advocate for inclusivity in sports, Ruqsana has created her own line of sports hijabs, having first been inspired when she saw a sprinter struggle to wear a headscarf at the 2006 Asian Games. Alongside this, she has also become a boxing and Muay Thai coach for Fight for Peace, a charity which uses boxing as a prevention and rehabilitation model to confront the problem of child and youth participation in crime, gangs and gun violence within disadvantaged communities. A respected figure throughout the community, Ruqsana was selected to become an ambassador for Sporting Equals, a role which allows her to help people from ethnic minorities access sport at whatever level they require. In 2020, Ruqsana published her debut book ‘Born Fighter', which retells her journey to success throughout the sporting industry. 

An inspiration to audiences globally, Ruqsana Begum is now highly sought-after to attend speaking engagements internationally. A testament to her illustrious career, she has been the recipient of numerous awards throughout her career, including being awarded Sports Personality of the Year at the Asian Achievers Awards, the UK Sport Inspirational Performance of the Year award at the British Ethnic Diversity Sports Awards, and named as one of the Young British Muslim Millennials Changing the World by The Asian Today. When looking to motivate and inspire audiences at your upcoming events, do not hesitate to hire Ruqsana today.