Controversial boxer Imane Khelif has been given a public apology ahead of her huge Olympic final, which could see her leave a gold medallist.
MMA sensation Israel Adesanya has openly said sorry to Khelif after he was one of those who claimed she was not female when Angela Carini pulled out of their initial clash at the Olympic Games.
Khelif, aged 25, is set to go head-to-head with China’s Yang Liu in the final, looking for redemption three years after her quarter-final knockout in Tokyo.
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Amid controversy last year, she, along with another woman boxer, failed a gender test at the World Championships held in Delhi – tests run by the International Boxing Association, which has since been sidelined by the IOC over a barrage of concerns about their operations.
Attempting to clear the air amid the storm, Khelif’s dad even showcased her birth certificate on TV. As Khelif gears up for her final fight, Adesanya has pulled back his fiery tweet following revelations.
Reported by the Express, Adesanya had earlier fired out a sarcastic tweet with footage of Khelif’s previous bouts saying: “Men should not be boxing women. LOL he couldn’t even finish her. Anyway, People > politics.”
(Image: (Image: YouTube/The Rock))
Later, speaking on ‘The Rock’, Adesanya apologised at said: “From now on, I’m going to leave women’s fights to women. I tried to speak up about it and apparently, I got it wrong, or a lot of people got it wrong with this misinformation.”,
“I don’t like to get triggered and when something triggers me I’m a fighter, I saw the news or the articles and I was like, ‘Why are they letting a trans person [fight women]’? And then I find out later she wasn’t actually trans.
“So, to the lady, my bad. I got that wrong. To the lady, the boxer, I’m sorry. I didn’t understand what was going on.”
On the eve of her crucial semi-final victory over Thailand’s Janjaem Suwannapheng, Khelif delivered a powerful riposte to her critics including J. K Rowling and ex-US president Donald Trump, saying: “I send a message to all the people of the world to uphold the Olympic principles and the Olympic Charter.
“Refrain from bullying all athletes, because this has effects, massive effects. It can destroy people, it can kill people’s thoughts, spirit and mind. It can divide people. And because of that, I ask them to refrain from bullying.”
Khelif will face off with Yang in their epic showdown scheduled for Friday, August 9 in the iconic tennis arena Court Philippe Chatrier at Roland Garros. In the run-up to the clash, she shared: “I am focused. I am here for a good performance and my dream. I will give everything I have for the final.”
Meanwhile, UFC heavyweight champ Adesanya gears up for his title rematch against Dricus Du Plessis. The titans of the cage are set to lock horns on August 17 at UFC 305, which is gearing up to shake the foundations of the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia.