In what has brought about a whirlwind of media attention, Algeria's woman boxer Imane Khelif won her fight vs. Angela Carini, as the Italian boxer surrendered 46 seconds into the fight and was later asked about her opponent's controversial failed gender test.
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Carini did not say anything against Khelif, except for, "I've never been hit so hard in my life, it's up to the IOC to judge... I am not here to judge or pass judgment."
However, her actions spoke louder than her words as she bowed out of the fight and never shook Khelif's hand, and many believed she stepped out of the ring because of the gender situation.
To note, there is much dispute over this matter, as Khelif previously failed a gender test ahead of the 2023 Women's Boxing World Championships, after the International Boxing Association disqualified her ahead of a gold medal match. The IBA deemed her ineligible due to "elevated levels of testosterone."
Nonetheless, the International Olympic Committee, allowed her to compete in the Olympics, because her "passport lists her as female," which resulted in much backlash from fans and even outspoken celebrities.
With this in mind, it seems that Carini, who lost the fight, has since felt bad for causing any confusion in regards to Khelif's gender, because even though she reportedly has an XY chromosome (per multiple outlets), the claim right now is that she was born a female not male.
"All this controversy makes me sad, I'm sorry for my opponent, too. If the IOC said she can fight, I respect that decision," Carini told an Italian newspaper.
Then when talking about failing to give a handshake post-fight she said, "It wasn't something I intended to do... Actually, I want to apologize to her and everyone else. I was angry because my Olympics had gone up in smoke."
Carini wasn't the only one who apologized, as following the fight, YouTube boxer Logan Paul called out Khelif's eligibility when he made a statement on his social media page.
"This is the purest form of evil unfolding right before your eyes. A man was allowed to beat up a woman on a global stage, crushing her life's dream while fighting for her deceased father," he wrote on X, which was deleted.
Paul has since backtracked his original comments, and issued an apology after finding out that "some sources say Imane Khelif was born a biological woman."
‼️ OOPSIES ‼️
I might be guilty of spreading misinformation along with the entirety of this app
Although she’s been previously disqualified for failing a “gender test” and has XY chromosomes, some sources say Imane Khelif was born a biological woman
I stand by my sentiment… https://t.co/oVfWARylCJ pic.twitter.com/S2QvHPHwWg
— Logan Paul (@LoganPaul) August 1, 2024
