After a torrid spell at the recently held Olympics and being vindicated somewhat, Imane Khelif wants to go pro.
Paris 2024 gold medallist Imane Khelif captured the attention of the globe during her Olympic campaign earlier this year, ignoring the headlines that speculated her gender to achieve her dream. Now, just as the controversy surrounding Khelif’s name began to die down, the Algerian has announced that she will make the switch to the professional ranks.
Along with Taiwan’s Lin Yu-Ting, Khelif was disqualified from the 2023 World Championships after failing her gender eligibility tests conducted by the IBA, who were recently removed as the governing body for the Olympic games, although the legitimacy of those ‘tests’ has come into question since.
Despite competing at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and the 2022 World Championships, both Khelif and Lin were subject to relentless abuse throughout the summer as a consequence of the IBA’s presumed inconclusive and unreliable tests.
Yet, both Khelif and Lin fought through the fire and against the uproar to win their respective gold medals in the welterweight and featherweight categories.
After rumours that Khelif was stripped of her gold medal were confirmed as false, the 25-year-old held a press conference, revealing that she will be turning professional in the near-future and that she has plenty of promotional offers,
“I would like to hold a press conference today to share with you my success story with the media family and young women who watch me.
“There is a documentary being prepared about my success story and it will be shown on international platforms.
“I will soon enter the world of professional boxing, I have many offers.
“Currently, I have not made up my mind about where I will enter professional boxing.
“But very soon I will take this step, we as Algerians would like to see our level in the field of professionalism.”
As well as her Paris 2024 gold, Khelif also boasts a silver medal from the 2022 World Championships, as well as numerous other gold medals from various other amateur competitions.
After such a dominant performance throughout Paris 2024, Khelif is likely to prove to be a threat in the professional game and is sure to become one of the most recognised names in the world of women’s boxing.
It could be a tricky ride for the audacious Khelif, hence she ought to stay focused.
By Samuel Opoku Amoah
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