Imane Khelif’s first pro opponent: ‘I’m not scared’

German boxer Julia Igel has insisted she is not frightened of Olympic champion Imane Khelif, despite telling DW that she considers her Algerian opponent to be “male” amid questions over Khelif’s eligibility for the female category.

“Someone that might have something to do with the male gender shouldn’t be in women’s boxing,” Igel said ahead of the fight in Paris on April 23. “You can’t say you’re a woman and you feel like a woman. Just the punching power and the danger that you face when you have a male in front of you, it is different.”

Khelif is not transgender and was assigned female at birth, but has admitted that she has the SRY gene, which is found on the Y chromosome and triggers the development of male characteristics. Critics argue this gives her an unfair and dangerous advantage over other women in the ring.

Not that Igel appears bothered by the apparent additional risks.

“I’m definitely not scared,” the 25-year-old told DW at her training camp in Berlin. “And that is the best part, because when my coach asked me if I wanted to do this fight, my last thought was fear. I know my skills, I know my abilities.”

Khelif’s controversial Paris gold medal

By making her professional debut in the French capital, Khelif is returning to the scene of not only her greatest triumph, but also the biggest controversy of the 2024 Paris Olympics. Her gold medal was overshadowed by accusations that she had failed unspecified sex tests in the two years before the Games.

Those tests, according to the International Boxing Association, which was expelled by the International Olympic Committee in 2023, allegedly showed Khelif and another female boxer, Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting, as having XY (male) chromosomes and “male levels” of testosterone. (Lin has since been “deemed to be female” by World Boxing, the body now in charge of the sport at the Olympics).

While Igel still uses the pronoun “she” for Khelif, Ikram Kerwat, the German’s coach and manager, is far more blunt.

“Ever since it came out that he has XY chromosomes, he has balls, he produces testosterone … yes, it’s a he,” said Kerwat, a four-time world champion.

Fresh in Kerwat’s mind is the case of Angela Carini. The Italian abandoned her fight against Khelif at the Paris Games after just 46 seconds, saying afterwards that she had never felt a punch like Khelif’s. “She saved herself,” Kerwat said. “He [Khelif] should go and compete with men.”

‘Put out a statement to the world’

It does all beg the question: Why then take on the fight? According to Kerwat, several other female boxers turned down the opportunity because of the questions surrounding Khelif, who hasn’t fought competitively since the Olympics.

Igel, for her part, sees no contradiction in complaining about safety, and yet not feeling scared.

“I’m here for the challenge,” she said. “I think the special thing about this fight is the reach that it has, the people talking about it. This is really something that we will do to put out a statement to the world. So this one is definitely going to take us to new heights.”

While World Boxing, the amateur body, stipulates mandatory sex testing for its events, Khelif was granted her pro license by the French Boxing Federation, with no test required.

The 26-year-old’s February admission, to the French sports newspaper L’Equipe, has added further fuel to her critics. In the same interview, though, she said that her difference was “natural;” that she had lowered her testosterone levels; and that she had sent her medical records to World Boxing but hadn’t received a response.

“If she really is 100% female, then she can go fight in the women’s sport,” Igel said. “If not, then she should stop being so loud about it.”

DW has approached Khelif for comment via her promoter and PR company.

Igel: I can beat Khelif

In contrast to her debutant opponent, Igel has had seven professional bouts, winning five (four by knockout) and losing two, her most recent a defeat on points to the American Stephanie Simon in Los Angeles.

The former kickboxer, who took up combat sports in her Swiss hometown for a “safe space” during her parents’ divorce, has enjoyed a steady rise under Kerwat’s tutelage, after the pair met in a Berlin gym two years ago.

This is the biggest fight of Igel’s career by far, although she says Khelif will also be feeling the heat.

“It’s a lot of pressure on her, because the boxing world is not that happy to see her in pro boxing with the women,” Igel said. “So that’s just what we’re going to use, because I think we have the world on our side.”

As part of her preparations for the bout, Khelif had a training match against French boxer Davina Michel, who competes in a higher weight category. But Igel, who is conceding eight centimeters (3.15 inches) in height to Khelif, is confident of victory.

“I’ve got it all,” she said. “I’ve got the skills, I’ve got the power, I’ve got the precision, and I have something inside of me that if I unlock it and set it free, then it doesn’t matter who’s in front of me.”

Edited by: Chuck Penfold