26-year-old boxer Imane Khelif was due to return to the ring for their professional debut on April 23 but the fight has been cancelled.
A belt magnet as an amateur, Khelif added Olympic gold to their honors roll in 2024 for Algeria, with a clean sweep over Yang Liu, Janjeem Swuannapheng, and Angela Carini, among others.
Carini withdrew from the fight early, citing pain from punches, which sparked claims about Khelif’s eligibility and gender, fueled by past reporting on testing by the International Boxing Association, which had previously disqualified them from a 2023 event.
The International Olympic Committee continued to permit Khelif to compete, stating they met their own eligibility rules.
The controversy refused to ebb, however, and Khelif became arguably the best-known boxer from the entire Games that year.
As such, there has been greater scrutiny on their eventual debut.
But, regardless, Khelif’s fight against the German boxer Julia Igel on April 23 is no more — and it’s all because of injury.
“This decision follows the injury sustained by Imane Khelif during a training session this weekend in Paris,” organizers said, according to Associated Press.
A medical examination carried out Monday said there was “a painful syndrome in the left shoulder.”
Organizers added: “Due to the intensity of the biomechanical demands involved in high-level boxing, the medical team deemed the athlete’s condition temporarily incompatible with competition.”
Because the entire event has been postponed, refunds will be issued for those who purchased tickets.
Khelif vs Igel could yet be rearranged for a later date.
