Tag: boxing

Badr Hari Speaks Out about Imane Khelif Gender Issues in Olympic Boxing

Badr Hari Imane KhelifMorocco’s Badr Hari has weighed in on the ongoing furor of Imane Khelif, the Algerian Olympic boxer who has…

Badr Hari Imane Khelif

Morocco’s Badr Hari has weighed in on the ongoing furor of Imane Khelif, the Algerian Olympic boxer who has had her gender brought into question. Online personalities and pundits strongly believe that they had found a target for all of their transgender hostility, but ultimately it was misinformation meant to ignite bad-faith actors.

Imane Khelif

Imane Khelif is an Algerian amateur boxer who has competed in the 2020 and 2024 Olympic games. She has been in the Olympic testing pool for years and has never tested positive for increased testosterone in that time. The IBA suspended her for reasons that are unclear, but the IOC claims that the IBA did not follow due process through its actions. The Olympics do not use advice from the IBA as it is not considered a reputable organization and is often shrouded in controversy.

With an amateur record of 38-9, Imane Khelif qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. A story ran that torched online spaces and roused users into a frenzy. Ultimately, the Algerian boxer was born a woman and competes in women’s sports. It was misinformation. It is illegal in Algeria to be a trans person and any person who identifies as LGBTQ could be prosecuted.

Badr Hari

The Moroccan-Dutch Badr Hari is one of the icons of kickboxing. With an aggressive style, ‘Bad Boy’ has won over 90 of his matches by way of knockout. Throughout his career, he has competed at the highest levels of K-1 Kickboxing, It’s Showtime, Glory Kickboxing, and many others. Throughout his career, he has been able to defeat notable strikers such as Alistair Overeem, Semmy Schilt, Peter Aerts, and several more.

The 39-year-old athlete Badr Hari has added his voice to the mix. The Moroccan recognized the hard of the Algerian boxer and congratulated her on her Olympic wins. On his Instagram story, Badr Hari said:

“Well-deserved congratulations to this young woman!”

‘This Is Misinformation’ Chael Sonnen Reacts to Imane Khelif’s Olympic Boxing Controversy

Imane KhelifImane Khelif was the target of online abuse by bad-faith actors earlier this week. The Algerian Olympic boxer has…

Imane Khelif

Imane Khelif was the target of online abuse by bad-faith actors earlier this week. The Algerian Olympic boxer has been the leading story during these Olympic games, and the story of her gender. Chael Sonnen, former UFC fighter, has taken a step forward to try and counteract the misleading information that has been circulating.

Imane Khelif

Many people online were led to believe that Imane Khelif was a trans athlete or a man acting as a woman. This infuriated the masses who called out in uproar. The fact is Imane Khelif is from Algeria where being a trans person is illegal and transitionary surgeries are not allowed. The Algerian Olympic boxer was born a woman and still is a woman to this day. Additionally, she has never been found to have increased levels of testosterone and has been in Olympic testing for at least four years.

Last year, Imane Khelif was suspended by the IBA, an organization that is not recognized as legitimate by the Olympics. The IOC has been critical of the IBA for corruption and not following proper procedures. In a statement, the IOC explained, “The current aggression against these two athletes is based entirely on this arbitrary decision, which was taken without any proper procedure – especially considering that these athletes had been competing in top-level competition for many years.”

“‘Are these athletes women?’ The answer is yes, according to eligibility, according to their passports, according to their history.” IOC director Mark Adams added.

Imane Khelif
Image via: AP

Chael Sonnen Talks Imane Khelif

Those who acted too quickly, and judged without knowing more, are now taking a step back to apologize for their words. Chael Sonnen, former UFC title contender and MMA personality, has gone to X and is attempting to counteract misinformation being spread.

One Tweet claimed that two men were competing for medals in Olympic boxing. Sonnen responded simply: “This is not accurate.”

In another Tweet, people tried to explain how women were fighting men in boxing. Sonnen countered with, “Matt, you got played. Delete this. The XY talk and the testing for such was misinformation.”

‘This Is Misinformation’ Chael Sonnen Reacts to Imane Khelif’s Olympic Boxing Controversy

Imane KhelifImane Khelif was the target of online abuse by bad-faith actors earlier this week. The Algerian Olympic boxer has…

Imane Khelif

Imane Khelif was the target of online abuse by bad-faith actors earlier this week. The Algerian Olympic boxer has been the leading story during these Olympic games, and the story of her gender. Chael Sonnen, former UFC fighter, has taken a step forward to try and counteract the misleading information that has been circulating.

Imane Khelif

Many people online were led to believe that Imane Khelif was a trans athlete or a man acting as a woman. This infuriated the masses who called out in uproar. The fact is Imane Khelif is from Algeria where being a trans person is illegal and transitionary surgeries are not allowed. The Algerian Olympic boxer was born a woman and still is a woman to this day. Additionally, she has never been found to have increased levels of testosterone and has been in Olympic testing for at least four years.

Last year, Imane Khelif was suspended by the IBA, an organization that is not recognized as legitimate by the Olympics. The IOC has been critical of the IBA for corruption and not following proper procedures. In a statement, the IOC explained, “The current aggression against these two athletes is based entirely on this arbitrary decision, which was taken without any proper procedure – especially considering that these athletes had been competing in top-level competition for many years.”

“‘Are these athletes women?’ The answer is yes, according to eligibility, according to their passports, according to their history.” IOC director Mark Adams added.

Imane Khelif
Image via: AP

Chael Sonnen Talks Imane Khelif

Those who acted too quickly, and judged without knowing more, are now taking a step back to apologize for their words. Chael Sonnen, former UFC title contender and MMA personality, has gone to X and is attempting to counteract misinformation being spread.

One Tweet claimed that two men were competing for medals in Olympic boxing. Sonnen responded simply: “This is not accurate.”

In another Tweet, people tried to explain how women were fighting men in boxing. Sonnen countered with, “Matt, you got played. Delete this. The XY talk and the testing for such was misinformation.”

Angela Carini Apologizes to Imane Khelif – ‘Sad’ About Gender Issues in Olympic Boxing

imane khelif Angela CariniThe Algerian boxer Imane Khelif has been the topic of much debate in the ongoing 2024 Paris Olympic Games….

imane khelif Angela Carini

The Algerian boxer Imane Khelif has been the topic of much debate in the ongoing 2024 Paris Olympic Games. The internet has been in an uproar regarding her gender, trans athletes, and intersex people. Italian athlete Angela Carini has taken a step forward and apologized for her past actions.

Imane Khelif

Amateur Olympic boxer Imane Khelif, who has an overall record of 38-9, was suspended last year by the International Boxing Association, an organization that is not recognized as legitimate by the Olympics, due to issues of corruption. The IBA did not explain what tests it ran for this boxer but they did specify that it was not over testosterone levels. The IOC was critical of the decision as it did not follow due process.

“The current aggression against these two athletes is based entirely on this arbitrary decision, which was taken without any proper procedure – especially considering that these athletes had been competing in top-level competition for many years.” The IOC said in a statement.

“‘Are these athletes women?’ The answer is yes, according to eligibility, according to their passports, according to their history,” Olympic manager Mark Adams explained.

Khelif has been under Olympic testing since at least 2020 and has not been found to have increased levels of testosterone. Imane Khelif is from Algeria, a country where it is illegal to transition or be a trans person. Khelif is not trans, she was born female and has always identified as a woman. However, a story distributed was enough to ignite bad-faith actors online.

Imane Khelif
Image via: AP

Angela Carini

The Algerian boxer knocked out Angela Carini and left the Italianian athlete in tears as she quickly quit the match. A highlight that went viral and fanned the flames even more of those acting in bad faith in online spaces. Carini, amateur record of 84-23, has joined others in apologizing as they judged too quickly. She explains:

“All this controversy certainly made me sad, and I also felt sorry for my opponent, she had nothing to do with it and like me was only here to fight. It was not intentional, in fact I apologize to her and to everyone. I was angry, because my Games had already gone up in smoke. I have nothing against Khelif and on the contrary, if I happened to meet her again I would give her a hug.”

Olympics: Claressa Shields sends apology to Imane Khelif “I wish I would’ve did my research”

Imane Khelif Claressa ShieldsThe Paris 2024 Olympic Games have been mired by the Imane Khelif story who has been the target of…

Imane Khelif Claressa Shields

The Paris 2024 Olympic Games have been mired by the Imane Khelif story who has been the target of continuous attacks online. Claressa Shields, former Olympian and current boxing world champion, was quick to judge but has since changed her tone since finding out more.

Imane Khelif

Imane Khelif was suspended last year by the International Boxing Association (IBA) due to being born with XY chromosomes. This decision was criticized by the IOC as not having proper procedure. Due to this decision, the Olympic boxer Khelif has been the target of much hatred online. However, Khelif is a woman, not trans, was born a woman, and has always identified as a woman. It is illegal in Algeria, her home, to transition.

UFC fighters, boxers, online personalities, and more, began attacking Imane Khelif online due to this story which was caused by the IBA. Karim Zidan explains, “It is also worth noting that the IBA has been banned from regulating Olympic boxing because of years of governance problems, a lack of financial transparency and many perceived instances of corruption in judging and refereeing.”

The IOC adds, “The current aggression against these two athletes is based entirely on this arbitrary decision, which was taken without any proper procedure – especially considering that these athletes had been competing in top-level competition for many years.”

Claressa Shields Apologizes

Claressa Shields is one of the greatest female boxers in history. She earned two gold medals in the Olympic games while representing the USA. Since turning pro, she has earned WBA, WBC, IBF, WBO, WBF, and The Ring world titles across multiple weight divisions. Additionally, Shields competes in MMA with the PFL. The GWOAT, like so many online, were quick to jump and attack. But, since learning more, she has now apologized.

“You can’t look at a woman and say ‘Oh, she doesn’t have a high level of testosterone,’” Shields explained while speaking to TMZ, “Because it can come in all different forms. Your muscles, your face, just inside of you and you look like a petite, beautiful woman, but you have a high level of testosterone…I feel bad now because I did an interview with Fox News earlier where I literally called these two women, transgenders, which that’s what I was told…”

“I wish I would’ve did my research before,” she continued, “Because now I couldn’t imagine being at the Olympics, winning these fights, and now I’m seeing all these articles and I’m trending because a two-time Olympic champ just called me a transgender. I just feel really bad about that, and I want to clear it up on my end that I have found out that these two women, were born women, and I don’t know what this testosterone stuff is about.” [H/t BJPenn]

Imane Khelif is actively competing in the 2024 Paris Olympic Games as a boxer. Overall, she has an amateur record of 37-9-0.

KSI Calls Off Fight and Throws Shade at Conor McGregor

KSI FaZe Temperrr BoxingKSI has called off his 2-on-1 boxing fight which was scheduled to headline Misfits 17 on August 31 and…

KSI FaZe Temperrr Boxing

KSI has called off his 2-on-1 boxing fight which was scheduled to headline Misfits 17 on August 31 and has some words for Conor McGregor.

KSI was set to take on Bellator veteran Anthony Taylor and Slim Albaher in a 2-on-1 tag team match. It was an intriguing matchup, but on Thursday, the YouTuber-turned-boxer took to social media to announce he is out of the fight due to an injury.

“Hey everyone, I have some important news to share and I wanted you to hear it directly from me. The fight with Slim and AT is off. I have been battling with an injury (not my toe lol) since I began training for this fight and unfortunately this has worsened during camp which is why you haven’t seen my usual enthusiasm. Despite my best efforts to push through the pain, it has reached a point where I can no longer spar or even hit pads or do bag work,” KSI wrote.

“On my doctor’s orders, I have been advised to withdraw from Misfits 017 at the 3Arena in Dublin on August 31st. I know this might be disappointing for many of you, and I hate letting you down. However, I will be taking some time out to rest, so I can get back into the ring as soon as possible. Rest assured, I’ll be back soon: fitter; stronger; healthier and ready for any challenge,” KSI added.

KSI threw a subtle jab at Conor McGregor in his statement saying he did not pull out due to his toe injury. Of course, the Irishman was forced out of his UFC 303 scrap against Michael Chandler due to a broken pinky toe.

Conor McGregor even responded to KSI’s post saying no one cares that he had to pull out of his boxing match with an injury.

Conor McGregor Called Out KSI In The Past

Conor McGregor and KSI have a little rivalry as the YouTuber has said he wants to fight the Irishman in the future.

McGregor is one of the biggest stars in combat sports, and the Irishman has also shown interest in fighting KSI. But, McGregor called for the fight to be in BKFC.

“I know your man KSI is in the crowd, yeah? And he couldn’t box eggs if he worked in an egg boxing factory,” McGregor exclaimed. “So if he wants to get in here, I’ll give him a final — bare-knuckle, if he wants.”

Jon Anik backs Conor McGregor to make UFC return this year I know it sounds ridiculous

However, it does seem unlikely that KSI would do a bare-knuckle fight against McGregor. But, perhaps the two will end up boxing each other in the future.