Female Opponent Jabs at Imane Khelif, Displays How the World Sees the Embattled Olympic Boxer
If Anna Luca Hamori can jab in the ring as well as she does on social media, controversial Algerian boxer Imane Khelif’s aura of invicibility might become a fairy tale like “Beauty and the Beast.”
Last year, Khelif was banned from fighting as a woman because of the presence of an X and Y chromosome, the New York Times reported.
Khelif is allowed to fight in the Olympics as a female because the Olympics have different rules from the International Boxing Association, which banned Khelif.
The presence of a once-banned fighter with the chromosomes of a man fighting women initially stirred talk that powerful punches would harm a female opponent.
The volume rose exponentially after Khelif walloped Italy’s Angela Carini so hard in the opening moments of their Thursday bout that she quit after 46 seconds, saying the fight was unfair.
Enter Hungary’s Amori, Khelif’s opponent on Saturday, who in interviews appeared to understand the art of trash-talking.
“If she or he is a man, it will be a bigger victory for me if I win,” she told the media, saying she had no plans to allow fear to enter the ring with her, according to the U.K.’s Daily Mail.
“So let’s do it. I can’t wait for that fight. In my club at home I have only guys and male team-mates. It’s not new for me,” she said.
But every punch needs a follow-up to be effective, so Hamori let social media do the talking.
Algerian boxer Imane Khelif’s next opponent Luca Hamori shares picture showing a HORNED BEAST in a ring with female fighter – as Hungarian Boxing Association protest with Olympics chiefs on eve of bout https://t.co/wacY6qsJLf pic.twitter.com/zu96SUESBv
— Daily Mail Online (@MailOnline) August 2, 2024
She posted to social media an image of a slight female boxer in blue going nose to nose with a giant, muscular horned beast.
A social media post from the Algerian Football Club said that was being very nice.
“Hungarian boxer Luca Hamori posted numerous hateful messages on her Instagram about her upcoming opponent Imane Khelif,” the group posted.
Hi @iocmedia @Olympics Hungarian boxer Luca Hamori posted numerous hateful messages on her Instagram about her upcoming opponent Imane Khelif.
This is contrary to the Athletes’ Declaration of rights and responsibilities for athletes within the Olympic Movement.#Olympics… pic.twitter.com/WOYSmZS4b3
— Algeria FC (@Algeria_FC) August 2, 2024
But Lajos Berkó, a member of the Hungarian Boxing Association board, said the problem is not with Hamori’s social media posts, but with whom Hamori is scheduled to fight, according to the Associated Press.
“I am very sad that there is a scandal and that we have to talk about a topic that is not compatible with sport. This is unacceptable and outrageous,” he said, adding that the association is considering a legal challenge to Kehlif’s appearance in the ring.
A letter will be sent to the International Olympic Committee to “express our indignation and request that the IOC reconsider its decision, which allowed a competitor into the IOC competition system who was previously banned from the (International Boxing Association’s) world championships,” Berkó said.
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