Imane Khelif sent a provocative message to her rivals at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games after forcing her opponent to submit just 46 seconds into the fight.
The 25-year-old competes in the women’s 66kg category and reached the quarter-finals after defeating Italian Angela Carini.
The fight was controversial, however, as Carini decided to withdraw from the competition, reportedly telling her corner that “it wasn’t right,” after Khelif was cleared to compete in the Games.
Khelif was allowed to compete in the women’s boxing category despite being disqualified from last year’s Women’s World Championships before her gold medal fight because she did not meet the International Boxing Association (IBA) qualifying criteria.
It turned out she had failed testosterone and gender tests, but Khelif was allowed to compete in the women’s category at the Olympics and quickly threw herself into a hail of punches. Carini, whose helmet was not attached, decided to stop the fight on her own terms.
When Khelif was announced the winner, Carini refused to shake her hand and the Italian could be seen crying in the ring before leaving. Immediately after the fight, the 25-year-old spoke about her victory.
Khelif refused to spend any time in the post-fight interview area, but the Algerian left the venue with a defiant statement to her critics: “I’m here for the gold. I’ll fight anyone.”
Imane added as she left the ring: “God willing, that was the first win. God wants me to be the golden one.”
The Algerian Boxing Federation also congratulated its Olympian on Facebook after the fight and issued a statement condemning alleged “lies” and “unethical attacks and denigration of our esteemed athlete, Imane Khelif, through baseless propaganda by some foreign media.”
However, an emotional Carini began to fear for her safety, claiming that she had never been hit like she experienced during the fight.
“It hurt so much. I’m devastated. I went to the ring to pay tribute to my father,” Carini said. “I’ve been told many times that I’m a fighter, but I chose to stop for my health. I’ve never felt a blow like that.
“After the second punch, after years of experience in the ring and a lifetime of fighting, I felt a huge pain in my nose.”
In the quarterfinals, Khelif will face Hungarian Luca Anne Hamori, who will be fighting to win the gold medal for the African country.
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Tony Bellew ridiculed Jake Paul’s claims that he can beat Canelo Alvarez ahead of Friday’s fight with Mike Tyson.
Bellew broken gate Wednesday’s press conference devoted to Paul’s controversial fight with Tyson, during which he ridiculed the YouTuber for fighting the nearly 60-year-old Tyson.
“The Problem Child” has repeatedly assured that one day he will not only fight, but also defeat unified super middleweight world champion Alvarez, who has only lost to Floyd Mayweather and Dmitry Bivol.
There are few, if any, in the boxing world who would give the 27-year-old a good chance of competing with the Mexican icon, widely considered one of the best of his generation.
And in an interview with MailSportBellew stated that even Paul himself did not think he could upset Alvarez.
“He really doesn’t believe he can beat Canelo.
“Listen, I’m 41 years ancient and he couldn’t lace up my gloves. Not suitable for carrying my belt.
“I’m over it, a retired boxer who plays golf a few times a week and he still has no chance with me, let alone Canelo.
“Saul “Canelo” Alvarez is probably one of the best fighters I have ever seen, he is that good.
“In terms of counter-punching, he’s probably in the top five best fighters in boxing history.
“The guy is a freak, a modern-day Thanos.
“Jake Paul says things to get a response and a reaction. If he was grave about boxing, he would face really vigorous boxers.
“Or he would face former world champions who are not grandparents!”
Paul’s fight with Tyson was met with weighty criticism, with some expressing concerns about the health of the former undisputed heavyweight champion of the world, who had to withdraw from the July 20 event due to the flare-up of an ulcer.
Despite this being a fully licensed professional fight, the pair will wear larger gloves and fight in two-minute rounds.
65,000 fans are expected to be in attendance at AT&T Stadium, with Netflix viewership estimated in the tens of millions.
Both of them turned up the heat before the fight during Thursday’s weigh-in with Tyson hitting an opponent before being thrown out by security as tempers reached fever pitch.
“Iron Mike,” who has been out of professional boxing for almost two decades, will hope to turn back the years and become the second man to defeat Paul.
Heavyweight boxing legend Butterbean said he is more than ready to replace Mike Tyson should the former world champion suffer any more health complications ahead of his fight with Jake Paul. Butterbean, whose real name is Eric Esch, is also a 58-year-old former boxer who was best known for his ability to knock people out at will.
The Atlanta native was also looking forward to fighting Paul, repeatedly calling out the YouTuber. Butterbean left the ring for good after losing his last fight to Kirk Lawton in 2013.
After undergoing a stunning body transformation, he feels more than ready for another battle in the squared circle. So much so that he promised to be in Texas for Tyson’s fight with Paul.
He took it TikTok and said, “Mike Tyson and Jake Paul, I will be at the fight to challenge the winner of the fight, yes. Mike, if you drop out again, I’ll be there to take your place.”
Esch finished his career with 77 wins, 57 by knockout and only 10 losses. Boxing fans remember him fondly as one of the funniest fighters to ever grace the sport.
By comparison, Tyson initially retired from boxing with 50 wins, 44 knockouts and six knockouts. His fight with Paul will be a fully sanctioned professional fight that will count towards both fighters’ records.
Tyson has not taken part in such a fight since 2005, when he was knocked out after the sixth round against Kevin McBride. Despite suffering a stomach ulcer that delayed his first fight, Tyson assured fans that his health problems were now behind him.
Tyson tipped the scales and achieved an impressive 233 pounds (16 and a half stone). When asked how he felt before the fight, he replied: “I’m fine. Nobody treats me calmly. They want to see if I leave or not and I’m still here. All training is over. Fighting is a party, training is preparation, but fighting is a party.”
Tyson escalated their feud by punching Paul during their last confrontation, leading to their separation. Paul responded to the argument by touching his cheek and laughing at Tyson.
The “problem child” mocked Tyson even more in an interview after the incident. He said: “I didn’t even feel it. He’s enraged, he’s an enraged little elf.
“Mike Tyson, I thought that was a cute slap, buddy, but you’re going to get knocked out tomorrow. Fuck him, fuck him. Hits like a female dog. It’s personal now. He must die.
Jake Paul talked about how boxing gave him purpose in life after dealing with his insecurities.
The YouTuber-turned-boxer was ridiculed for trying to turn pro, but the noise slowly died down after defeating former UFC fighters Nate Diaz and Anderson Silva.
Paul admitted that he has been on a journey to “heal” himself and says he doesn’t care if people bring up issues that make him insecure.
“When they say anything about me, it means that I have dealt with all my insecurities as a man. I looked at myself in the mirror and went on many spiritual, healing journeys,” he told The Independent.
“Not only do you suddenly have no insecurities, but I’ve dealt with them. So if someone brings it up, it’s like… I don’t care because I love myself.”
He added: “I need boxing. Boxing saved me. I was in a very murky place in my life.
“I lacked discipline, routine, community, passion and progress. Boxing gave me all that and I loved punching people and getting punched!
“I love the pace, the strategy, everything behind it. It’s art. Then there is preparation, content, press conferences and outfits. All this made me, to some extent, fall in love with boxing, where I need boxing every day to be able to function. I love this sport and that’s what it’s all about.”
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