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Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn has said he would be open to signing Imane Khelif as a professional “if the facts were laid out”.
Khelif won Olympic gold for Algeria in Paris last week, but her campaign was overshadowed by a gender row – stemming from an alleged failed gender test in 2023.
The International Boxing Association (IBA) disqualified Khelif from the 2023 World Championships for failing to meet its gender eligibility criteria. The body said during the Olympics that its decision related to the presence of certain “chromosomes”.
However, and despite baseless claims online, Khelif is not a transgender or intersex athlete and was born a female – and has competed as such throughout her entire career.
“What I’m gonna say on this is: I think there’s a lot that is unclear, so I’m gonna give you my opinion now – based off really not knowing all the facts,” Matchroom chief Hearn told iFL TV this week. “So therefore, I shouldn’t really give you my opinion, but let’s have a conversation about it.
“I look at it like this: if there is an unfair physical advantage that this individual has, that is something that has to be looked at correctly – not by a rival organisation, not by someone that might have an agenda.” Hearn was alluding to the fact that the IBA and International Olympic Committee have been at odds in recent years, with the latter dropping the IBA before the 2021 Games due to fears of corruption and questions over finances.
“When I first heard this story, the perception of the public and probably mine as well was: ‘This is a man who now lives as a woman, and this is not right,’” Hearn continued. “And I think if you’re born male, I don’t think you should compete against women in boxing, but if you’re born female and you’ve lived your whole life as a female, competed as a female your whole career…
“I’m not gonna say what’s right or wrong, I’m just gonna say the facts I know lean me towards the fact that you have a right to compete as a female; you are a female. But then someone will say, ‘This is a biological man,’ but then also I would say: this individual has competed on a circuit for years and years and years, she won gold [but] it’s not like she’s dominated the amateur secene. She’s been a good amateur, [but] she’s lost many times.
“But again, we need more information, we need a conversation about it, and it is a unique situation in many respects […] So, we need to protect athletes, [but] we also need to protect the facts and the rights of that individual.”
When asked specifically whether he would sign Khelif, if she were to move from the amateur ranks to the pro field, Hearn said: “Yeah, I think if the facts were laid out, and it was a position where there’s no reason why this individual shouldn’t compete as a female.
“One, obviously, [she’s] a talented fighter. Two, commercially, I think [she’s] up to over 2m Instagram followers from 30,000 or something. The answer is yes, but… there’s probably a lot of facts we don’t know around this situation.
“But certainly if a fighter was deemed female, no physical advantage particularly… But again, I haven’t seen anything; I’ve just seen someone say: ‘Yeah, we did this test and that’s how it goes.’ Do we get to see it, or are you just gonna believe that narrative?”