All eyes will be on gender row fighter Imane Khelif today as she takes on Hungary’s Anna Luca Hamori at the Paris Olympics in boxing’s most controversial battle.
On Thursday, Italy’s distraught Angela Carini quit her contest with Algeria’s Imane Khelif in tears after just 46 seconds.
The fight has sparked a furious debate as Khelif was disqualified from last year’s World Championships for failing a gender eligibility test.
The defeated welterweight was hit twice, suffered a suspected broken nose and barely threw a punch before telling her corner: ‘It’s not fair.’
But Hungary’s Anna Luca Hamori, who is next up to fight Khelif, said she remains unfazed ahead of the women’s welterweight quarterfinals on Saturday.
In the lead up to her match on Saturday, she shared several posts to her Instagram story about Khelif, including an image of a small woman facing a muscled beast in boxing gloves, titled ‘Paris 2023’.
On Thursday, Italy ‘s distraught Angela Carini quit her contest with Algeria’s Imane Khelif
Italy ‘s Angela Carini,25, dropped to her knees in tears after losing the fight
The female Italian was left reeling from the cross by Algeria’s Imane Khelif (in the red)
Anna Luca Hamori of Team Hungary celebrates after winning the Women’s 66kg preliminary round match against Marissa Williamson of Team Australia on August 1
But Hungary’s Anna Luca Hamori, who is next up to fight Khelif, said she remains unfazed ahead of the women’s welterweight quarterfinals on Saturday
In the lead up to her match on Saturday, Hamori shared several posts to her Instagram story about Khelif, including an image of a small woman facing a muscled beast in boxing gloves
She told LBC: ‘I’m not scared. If she or he is a man, it will be a bigger victory for me if I win.’
She added that she is staying off her phone to prepare for the fight to avoid looking at comments online.
Two years ago, Khelif beat Brianda Tamara in Guadalajara, Mexico with such force, Tamara couldn’t believe that she had escaped a serious injury.
Months later, in March 2023, Khelif was disqualified before the final of the IBA Women’s World Boxing Championships due to the levels of testosterone in her system, prompting Tamara to speak out.
She wrote on X at the time: ‘When I fought with her (Khelif) I felt very out of my depth, her blows hurt me a lot.
‘I don’t think I had ever felt like that in my 13 years as a boxer, nor in my sparring with men.
Khelif (pictured front right) opened up about her challenging childhood in an interview
Genetic tests that were reportedly taken in 2023 have shown that the 25-year-old Khelif has male XY chromosomes in her DNA. But she is not transgender
‘Thank God that day I got out of the ring safely, and it’s good that they finally realised.’
On Thursday, as Khelif’s fight with Carini threatened to overshadow the Paris Games so far, Tamara replied to Claressa Shields, an American female boxer, on X saying people sent her death threats after her comments about fighting Khelif.
Shields wrote: ‘I’m taking a stand! Women should fight against women, men fight against men and transgenders fight against transgenders! This is ridiculous and I’m heartbroken for the women boxers at the Olympics!’
Tamara wrote back: ‘But they wished me death when I just reacted.’
Khelif herself railed against her 2023 disqualification, saying at the time: ‘There are some countries that did not want Algeria to win a gold medal.
‘This is a conspiracy, a big conspiracy, and we will not be silent about it.’
Genetic tests that were reportedly taken in 2023 have shown that the 25-year-old Khelif has male XY chromosomes in her DNA. But she is not transgender.
The boxer has become the target of transgender sceptics like JK Rowling. But she has a rare condition categorised as differences in sex development (DSD), which can result in female individuals having male chromosomes or anatomy.
Imane was assigned female at birth and is recorded as female on her Algerian passport.
Khelif (centre) clashed with Carini in the Olympic welterweight bout on August 1
Female Italian boxer Angela Carini (in the blue) says she stopped her Olympic bout against her ‘biologically male’ opponent Imane Khelif (right) to ‘save my life’
In an unearthed interview filmed ahead of the 2024 Olympics, she said that she ‘wanted to show the whole world what a brave woman Imane Khelif is’.
The International Olympic Committee issued a statement on Thursday confirming that, as with previous Games, the gender of athletes is based on their passports.
Spokesman Mark Adams said on Tuesday: ‘Everyone competing in the women’s category is complying with the competition eligibility rules. They are women in their passports and it’s stated that this is the case, that they are female.’
It’s been a long road to triumph for Khelif, who once described her childhood as ‘really difficult’ and grew up selling bread for travel to boxing training but being told that boxing was ‘only for men.’
She made her debut in 2018, coming in 17th at the AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships after being eliminated in the first round by Karina Ibragimov.
The following year, she finished 33rd after being eliminated in the first round by Natalia Shadrina.
However, Khelif became the first Algerian female boxer to reach the final of the IBA Women’s World Boxing Championships in 2022, but was defeated by Amy Broadhurst.
Later in the year she won gold at the Mediterranean Games and African Amateur Boxing Championships.
It was in 2023 that she reached the final of the IBA Women’s Boxing Championships but was disqualified shortly before the gold medal bout for failing to meet the eligibility criteria due to high levels of testosterone.
Four months later, in July, she represented Algeria at the Arab Games and won gold.
Hungary’s first Olympic women’s boxer, Hamori, first started boxing when she was 10
Imane Khelif will fight Hungary’s Anna Luca Hamori in the next round at the Olympics
Hamori Is part of the Hungarian national team and was a national champion in Hungary
In January this year, she because a UNICEF national ambassador.
Once the rules for eligibility were changed, Khelif is able to compete in this year’s Paris Olympics.
She is now eyeing up a dream gold medal as she features in the welterweight quarterfinals, where she will fight Hamori.
Hungary’s first Olympic women’s boxer, Hamori, who is 23, first started boxing when she was 10, trying to emulate her older brother.
But now she is making her first appearance in the Olympic Games, having previously competed in the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics, winning silver in the under-22 category.
She also won a bronze medal in the welterweight category at the 2023 European Games.
The 23-year-old is part of the Hungarian national team and was a national champion in Hungary 11 times.
Hungary’s Anna Luca Hamori (in red) punches Australia’s Marissa Williamson in their match
Hamori reacts after winning the Women’s 66kg preliminary match against Grainne Walsh
The fight between Khelif and Hamori will take place on Saturday afternoon at 4.22pm.
The Hungarian Boxing Association says it is sending letters of protest to both the IOC and Hungary’s Olympic committee over Hamori’s quarterfinal matchup with Khelif.
Hamori still will accept her fight against Khelif, according to MTI, Hungary’s state news agency.
MTI was told of the association’s plans Friday by Lajos Berkó, a member of the association’s executive board. The association also is investigating the possibility of legally challenging Khelif’s presence.
‘I am very sad that there is a scandal and that we have to talk about a topic that is not compatible with sport,’ Berkó said. ‘This is unacceptable and outrageous.’
The boxing association plans to ‘express our indignation and request that the IOC reconsider its decision, which allowed a competitor into the IOC competition system who was previously banned from the (International Boxing Association’s) world championships,’ Berkó said.