Ali Raymi
Name: Ali Raymi
Birth Name: Ali Ibrahim Ali Al-Raimi
Hometown: Sanaa, Yemen
Birthplace: Yemen
Died: 2015-05-23 (Age:41)
Stance: Orthodox
Pro Boxer: Record
Manager: Felix Arno
Trainer: Nasr Al Code
Death of a Colonel
'Mysterious' Ali Raymi, 41, a colonel in the Yemeni Republican Guard died on May 23, 2015, reportedly in an air strike in the Yemen capital of Sana'a, possibly a Saudi airstrike on the Republican Guard positions in the Al-Nahdeen district. Raymi was a casualty of the bloody Yemeni Civil War. In spite of his death, Raymi was still rated the number 11 Light flyweight in the world in the June ratings of the WBA, released on June fourth. Raymi, who was still active at the time of his death, in a rare category of professional boxing present and former world champions such as Liuetenant Dick Tiger in Biafra, Raymi was a commissioned officer in wartime in his homeland. His nickname 'mysterious' came form the fact he was never seenin a bout outside of his native Yemen. No physical proof of his death or burial existed after the explosion which killed him.
Source: "Why the WBA rankings are even worse than I thought", Dan Rafael, [1]
Boxing Trivia
- While Raymi holds the record for consecutive first round knockouts at 20, and stoppages at 21, in 2014 he fought Prince Raz four times. While their first controntation ended in a win for Raymi after the first round (referee's technical decision), the next three consecutive rematches ended in the second, seventh, and ninth rounds, still wins for Raymi, but ending Raymi's first round consecutive streak. If fact, after knocking out his first 20 opponents, Raymi fought Raz four consecutive times, but was unable to knock him out in any of those four bouts.
- Raymi held the Universal Boxing Organization (UBO) World Light Flyweight title, the vacant UBO title which he won in 2014. Far from a ratings or titular controversy, Raymi is to date the only fighter to have fought for that particular UBO title. Fighters in the minimumweight and light flyweight weight classes exist, but remain more rare to this day in comparison with the abundance of fighters in the other weight classes. Raymi still has to be given credit for bringing professional boxing into Yemen, as the the most noteworthy Yemeni boxer of all time, as the only undefeated Middle Eastern boxer and the only undefeated Muslim boxer in history.
- Raymi holds seventeen wins over undefeated and untied boxers, and five consecutive wins over professional debuts. Raymi holds a first round knockout win over every opponent he ever faced the first time he faced them.
- His last bout, fought on March 28, 2015, in Sana'a against Omar Moxamad, was fought for the vacant International Boxing Institute (IBI) World Flyweight championship.[[2]]
- Since Raymi won the IBI World Mimimumweight title and UBO World Light Flyweight title in 2014, and the IBI World Flyweight title in 2015, within a five month and 12 day span, Raymi won world titles in three different consecutive weight classes.
- Raymi called out Roman Gonzalez and Guillermo Rigondeaux for a title bout, but never got the chance to fight them.