World title win will 'prove I'm great' – Briton Ali

British super-bantamweight Ramla Ali plans to "prove to everybody" she is simply a "great" combatant by winning a maiden world title connected Saturday.

The 34-year-old will return connected Mexico's WBC champion Yamileth Mercado successful Phoenix, Arizona.

Ali's remarkable journey has taken her from being a exile who fled war-torn Somalia to a model, activistic and now world title challenging boxer.

"I'm conscionable ace excited to beryllium location and to beryllium to everyone that I merit to beryllium successful location challenging for nan world title," she said.

Ali has won 9 pro bouts, suffering 1 nonaccomplishment to Julissa Alejandra Guzman successful June 2023, which she avenged 5 months later.

"What happened nan first clip was conscionable fortunate and nan 2nd clip I proved that I was nan amended boxer, and I consciousness connected Saturday that I'm going to do that again," Ali said astatine Thursday's news conference.

She is hoping to emulate her idols Muhammad Ali and Sugar Ray Leonard successful capturing a greenish and golden WBC belt.

"If I'm going to beryllium world champion, that's nan loop I want, and it cements my bequest and proves to everybody that I americium great," Ali said.

There will beryllium beardown location support for Mercado, 26, pinch her compatriot Juan Francisco Estrada defending his WBC super-flyweight world title against Jesse 'Bam' Rodriguez successful nan main event.

Briton Sunny Edwards – who lost his flyweight world title to American Rodriguez successful December – will look Mexican Adrian Curiel successful nan main support.

"A batch of group are saying is it sickening being connected nan undercard of personification that hit you," Edwards, 28, said.

"If anything, I deliberation it's fitting and precisely wherever I request to be. Getting a triumph successful America is what I request to do aft nan first clip didn't spell truthful well."

A triumph for nan Londoner could group up an all-British title pinch Olympic golden medallist Galal Yafai next, but Edwards says he is not looking past erstwhile flyweight world champion Curiel.

"There should beryllium large fights laid retired successful beforehand of me, but evidently Saturday nighttime I person to get backmost to winning ways, different wherever do I spell from there?" he said.