Last April, Ruqsana Begum, who grew up in east London and studied architecture at Westminster University, became the Muay Thai world champion after beating Susanna Salmijärvi from Sweden. She had been selected from a pool of 10 elite female boxers from around the world to compete for the title, and the fight was held in the circular auditorium of The Round Chapel in Hackney.

At first glance it was a straightforward fight: two young women at the height of their careers in a sport growing in popularity. Muay Thai (or Thai boxing) is a form of kick-boxing where fighters strike with their fists and their legs (specifically the lower part of the shin, which if deployed correctly, has the force and impact of a baseball bat). It has a big following among millennials and was recently granted provisional Olympic status (final acceptance can take up to seven years).

For women, gaining the right to box has been a battle – they weren’t allowed to compete in conventional boxing in the Olympics until 2012. And for Muslim women, in particular, the problem is compounded.