One of the most prominent names in boxing, Jake Paul, has spoken out about the gender controversy in the Olympics following Angela Carini’s decision to quit her fight against a boxer with XY chromosomes. Paul called the situation “sickening” and “a travesty.”
“Doesn’t matter what you believe. This is wrong and dangerous,” Paul wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
In the match, Imane Khelif of Algeria defeated Carini, who lasted just 46 seconds before going to her corner to call off the fight. Khelif celebrated her victory while Carini, left in tears, questioned the fairness of the bout to her coaches in Italian.
“I got into the ring to fight,” she said, via Italy’s ANSA. “I didn’t give up, but one punch hurt too much, and so I said enough. I’m going out with my head held high.”
Although Carini opted not to continue fighting, Paul invited her to participate in an undercard for his brand, Most Valuable Promotions (MVP). Paul’s fight against Mike Tyson in November will be an MVP card.
“To Angela Carini, although your dreams couldn’t come true today because of the crazy agendas that are at play in our world at the moment, I would love to offer you a spot on an MVP undercard to show the world your talents on a fair platform,” Paul wrote.
Khelif’s victory comes amidst controversy surrounding a failed gender eligibility test in 2023. She was disqualified during the 2023 World Championships, sanctioned by the International Boxing Association (IBA). The organization reported that Khelif, along with Taiwan’s Lin Yu-Ting, failed to meet gender eligibility standards.
IBA president Umar Kremlev explained the decision at the time, stating that Khelif tested positive for high levels of testosterone and had XY chromosomes, giving her a competitive advantage over other female competitors.
“Based on DNA tests, we identified a number of athletes who tried to trick their colleagues by posing as women. According to the results, it was proved that they have XY chromosomes. Such athletes were excluded from competition,” Kremlev said.
However, Khelif and the Algerian Olympic Committee (COA) denied the claims that Khelif has XY chromosomes. The International Olympic Committee also cleared Khelif to compete in the Games and defended her in a statement on Thursday.