43 Facts About Ruqsana Begum

Ruqsana Begum is an English professional kickboxer and boxer.

Ruqsana Begum was a British and World Kickboxing Association female Atomweight Muay Thai boxing champion and captain of the British Muay Thai Team.

In March 2018, Begum made the switch from professional kickboxing to boxing.

Ruqsana Begum was born and bought up in Bethnal Green, London, England to a family of Bangladeshi origin.

Ruqsana Begum comes from a traditional, religious family and grew up in a strict Muslim household.

Ruqsana Begum's father, Awlad, worked as a tailor-cum-machinist in a factory making leather jackets for high street fashion stores and her mother, Minara, was a housewife.

Ruqsana Begum went to the local primary school and then to Swanlea School.

Ruqsana Begum studied A-levels in art, history, Bengali, media studies.

Ruqsana Begum was a trainee architect and was made redundant after the company she worked for made cuts.

In 2002, at the age of 18, Ruqsana Begum took up a kickboxing class after college.

Ruqsana Begum got herself a part-time job in a chemist, started university and would train every Sunday.

In 2009, Ruqsana Begum defeated a Malaysian opponent to win a bronze medal at the World Amateur Kickboxing Championship in Bangkok, Thailand.

On 27 November 2010, in her first final, Ruqsana Begum defeated Paige Farrington to win the British Muay Thai Atomweight Kickboxing Championship Professional title from the Duel at the Dome contest in Doncaster.

Ruqsana Begum is the only Muslim woman who is a national champion in her sport.

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

Ruqsana Begum beat a Finnish fighter to secure her place in the final and beat a Turkish fighter in the final to be awarded gold.

On 6 September 2012, Ruqsana Begum was nominated as British Muay Thai Team Captain and won bronze at the International Federation of Muaythai Amateur World Championships in Saint Petersburg, Russia.

On 13 April 2013, Ruqsana Begum fought Silvia La Notte from Italy at the New Bingley Hall in Birmingham for the International Sport Kickboxing Association World Championship.

On 7 November 2015, she was due to contest the World Kickboxing Association title against Josefine Lindgren Knutsson of Sweden in Hackney, London after Ruqsana Begum suffered from a virus the fight was postponed until February 2016 and rescheduled for 23 April against Susanna Salmijarvi which she contested and won.

Ruqsana Begum is signed up by RDX Equipment and her main sponsor is DCD Property Company.

In September 2016, Ruqsana Begum signed with Shakir Entertainment Management in New York City.

In January 2018, Ruqsana 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.

Ruqsana Begum signed with former heavyweight champion David Haye's Hayemaker Promotions.

On top of her own professional commitments, Ruqsana Begum is a personal trainer and instructor.

Ruqsana Begum is 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.

Ruqsana Begum 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, Ruqsana Begum created a sports hijab for non-athletes for combat fighting sports and to help more Muslim women get into combat sports.

Ruqsana Begum was first inspired to create the product when she saw sprinter Ruqaya Al-Ghasra struggle to wear a headscarf at the 2006 Asian Games.

Ruqsana Begum 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.

Ruqsana Begum designed her own line and outsourced manufacturing to a factory in Pakistan, after trying unsuccessfully to line up a manufacturer in England.

In June 2011, Ruqsana Begum was interviewed by Anwarul Hoque on BBC Asian Network.

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

In September 2013, Ruqsana Begum was awarded Sports Personality of the Year at the Asian Achievers Awards.

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

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

Ruqsana Begum suffers from chronic fatigue syndrome, known as myalgic encephalomyelitis.

Ruqsana Begum has had to adapt her training to accommodate her condition with a strict diet and training regime.

In 2006, at the age of 22, Ruqsana Begum's parents arranged her marriage to Sayed Chowdhury, a banker from Barking.

Ruqsana Begum moved in with her husband and his parents.

Ruqsana Begum's father-in-law was on dialysis and Begum had to juggle healthcare with household duties and her career as an unqualified architect.

Ruqsana Begum moved back home to her parents' house and spent months in bed recuperating In 2008, her husband filed for divorce.

Ruqsana Begum 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 in the East London community.

In 2017, Ruqsana Begum went on a pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia.