'I Quit to Save My Life,' Says Female Boxer in Match Deemed 'Unfair'

Justine Brooke Murray | August 1, 2024
DONATE
Text Audio
00:00 00:00
Font Size

Remember when gymnast Simone Biles received worldwide praise for dropping out of the 2020 Olympics to prioritize her "mental health"? 

This year, another female Olympian, Angela Carini, admits she quit less than a minute into the boxing "match of her life" in order "to save her life."

This competitor had some legitimate concern, as her opponent is accused of being a man in disguise. Carini showed up to her match Thursday, before suffering blows she claims she’s "never felt" come from a woman.

Related: After Repeated Hits, Female Boxer Forfeits Match Against Boxer Who Failed Gender Tests Last Year

“This is unjust,” sobbed Italy’s Angela Carini, before falling on her knees to the canvas from two severe punches she said made it "impossible to continue."

“I felt a severe pain in my nose, and with the maturity of a boxer, I said ‘enough,’ because I didn’t want to, I didn’t want to, I couldn’t finish the match,” Carini later spilled in an interview to the press.

Her opponent, Algerian boxer Imane Khelif was previously disqualified from the 2023 World Championships for failing to meet their gender eligibility requirements. 

The International Boxing Association, the sport’s governing body claimed Khelif’s gender tests revealed elevated levels of testosterone and “XY '' chromosomes, booting the competitor just hours before a scheduled fight last year. 

Khelif claimed it was merely a conspiracy to keep Algeria from winning the gold medal. 

Now that the IBA is banned from running the Olympic boxing tournament in Paris, the International Olympic Committee cleared Khelif to compete this year, while still refusing to address whether the competitor is actually a woman in the first place.

Carini says she trains with her brother and "always fought" against men, but "felt too much pain today." She revealed she knelt at the end of the match in honor of her late father who died in 2021.

"I am heartbroken because I am a fighter,” Carini told the press. “My father taught me to be a warrior. I have always stepped into the ring with honor and I have always (served) my country with loyalty. And this time I couldn’t do it because I couldn’t fight anymore..."

"God willing, this was the first victory," Khelif said after winning.

"Inshallah (if Allah wills it) for the second fight," the boxer later added.

Follow MRCTV on X!