Hungary’s Anna Luca Hamori was beaten by male Algerian boxer Imane Khelif on Saturday in the welterweight division of women’s boxing at the Paris Olympics on Saturday. Hamori managed to last all three rounds but took powerful hits to the head and face, by Khelif, who has a more powerful upper body and longer arms than most women boxers.
Khelif, who is technically a man with X and Y chromosomes, had already won on Thursday against Italy’s Angela Carini, who conceded just 46 seconds into the bout after receiving heavy blows to her face.
Khelif had been disqualified by the International Boxing Association from the women’s World Championships for failing a gender eligibility test. He is has some female characteristics, internal testicles that produce testosterone, and is biologically a male. In prior years, this was considered to be akin to hermaphroditism.
Khelif told reporters after his win: “”I have been boxing for many years in the International Boxing Association, which has treated me unfairly. But I have Allah by my side. Allahu Akbar!”
Khelif will next fight Janjaem Suwannapheng of Thailand on Wednesday. Under the rules, the semifinalists are guaranteed a medal, as the third-place finishers in Olympic boxing receive bronze medals.
On Friday, Yu-Ting beat Sitora Turdibekova, a woman of Uzbekistan, with a unanimous decision, and will advance to his quarterfinal round in women’s boxing on Sunday.
The president of the International Olympics Committee said anyone criticizing the committee’s decision to let Khelif and Taiwan’s Lin Yu-Ting fight women is pat of a “politically motivated culture war” and was engaging in “hate speech.”
