Angela Carini bowed out of the biggest fight of her life in just 46 seconds after eating several big shots from her controversial opponent, Algerian boxer Imane Khelif … who failed a gender eligibility test in 2023, but has been permitted to compete in Paris.
25-year-old Carini, competing for Italy, faced 25-year-old Khelif on Thursday … but the scrap didn’t last very long. Less than halfway through round one, Angela decided she’d had enough, and the fight was over.
NOW – Angela Carini (blue) abandons her fight against Imane Khelif, who failed a gender test, at the Olympics. The "fight" lasted less than a minute.pic.twitter.com/MFyow0yokz
— Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) August 1, 2024
Khelif’s presence in Paris has given rise to massive controversy.
The explanation did little to quell the outrage … with scores of fans accusing officials of putting Carini in danger.
After all, this is boxing.
Following the bout, Carini talked about the experience, and why she decided to stop the fight.
“I felt a severe pain in my nose, and with the maturity of a boxer, I said ‘Enough,’ because I didn’t want to, I couldn’t finish the match.”
Carini, who is now eliminated from medal contention, said she wasn’t qualified to decide whether Khelif should be permitted to compete against women.
“I am not here to judge or pass judgment,” Angela said.
“If an athlete is this way, and in that sense it’s not right or it is right, it’s not up to me to decide. I just did my job as a boxer. I got into the ring and fought. I did it with my head held high and with a broken heart for not having finished the last kilometer.”
It’s unclear when Khelif will return to the ring next.
