Boxer Imane Khelif is set to turn professional after winning Olympic gold in Paris, a triumph that was surrounded by a gender row.
Khelif came under scrutiny after her opening win this summer, as her opponent Angela Carini withdrew inside 46 seconds, after being hit by just one punch. Khelif went on to win gold for Algeria in the welterweight category, outpointing Luca Anna Hamori, Janjaem Suwannapheng and Liu Yang to do so.
However, the 25-year-old’s success was overshadowed by a debate around her gender, with the International Boxing Association (IBA) having disqualified her from the 2023 World Championship – allegedly because Khelif failed a gender eligibility test. The IBA said Khelif had also returned adverse test results at the 2022 World Championship.
Many unfounded claims circulated during the Paris Olympics, including that Khelif was previously a male and that she is now a transgender or intersex athlete. There is no evidence to support either of those claims, while the IBA hinted at the presence of XY chromosomes but never made the accusation outright.
In any case, Khelif remained defiant during the episode as she won gold, and she is moving forward with a pro career.
Khelif announced the news at a press conference on Sunday (20 October), while revealing that a documentary about her career is in the works.
“I will soon enter the world of professional boxing,” Khelif said, per numerous reports. “I have many offers. Currently, I have not made up my mind about where I will enter professional boxing.
“But very soon I will take this step. We, as Algerians, would like to see our level in the field of professionalism.”
This summer, British promoter Eddie Hearn – who works with Anthony Joshua among many other star boxers – said he would be open to signing Khelif for Matchroom.
“What I’m gonna say on this is: I think there’s a lot that is unclear, so I’m gonna give you my opinion now – based off really not knowing all the facts,” Hearn told iFL TV. “So therefore, I shouldn’t really give you my opinion, but let’s have a conversation about it.
“I look at it like this: if there is an unfair physical advantage that this individual has, that is something that has to be looked at correctly – not by a rival organisation, not by someone that might have an agenda.”
Hearn was referring to the fact that the IBA previously organised Olympic boxing but ceased to do so before the 2021 Games in Tokyo. The International Olympic Committee, which ultimately oversaw boxing in Tokyo and set up the Paris Boxing Unit this summer, parted ways with the IBA over concerns relating to the organisation’s finances and links to Russia, and due to fears of corruption.
“When I first heard this story, the perception of the public and probably mine as well was: ‘This is a man who now lives as a woman, and this is not right,’” Hearn continued. “And I think if you’re born male, I don’t think you should compete against women in boxing, but if you’re born female and you’ve lived your whole life as a female, competed as a female your whole career…
“I’m not gonna say what’s right or wrong, I’m just gonna say the facts I know lean me towards the fact that you have a right to compete as a female; you are a female. […] Yeah, I think if the facts were laid out, and it was a position where there’s no reason why this individual shouldn’t compete as a female, [I might sign her].
“One, obviously, [she’s] a talented fighter. Two, commercially, I think [she’s] up to over 2m Instagram followers from 30,000 or something. The answer is yes, but… there’s probably a lot of facts we don’t know around this situation.”
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