Eddie Hearn has admitted he would be interested in signing Imane Khelif but only once all of the facts were laid out.
The Algerian claimed the Olympic gold medal but had failed an unspecified IBA gender test which saw her disqualified from the 2023 World Championships.
Earlier in the tournament at the games in Paris she faced a huge backlash when her Italian opponent quit their fight after just 46 seconds.
In a highly emotional interview, Angela Carini has just explained that she abandoned because she had never been punched so hard.
Imane Khelif said nothing. And this is the issue that the IOC’s Mark Adams suggested everyone should just ‘dial down’.
An absolute scandal pic.twitter.com/BzKSpphhM0
— Oliver Brown (@oliverbrown_tel) August 1, 2024
Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn has shared his thoughts on the situation and what would need to happen if Khelif wanted to sign with his company.
Speaking to iFL TV: “Yes, if the facts were laid out [sign the Algerian].
“If it was in a position where there is no reason why this individual shouldn’t compete as a female.
“One, she is a talented fighter. Two, commercially I think she has up to two Instagram million followers so the answer is yes.
“But I mean there is probably facts that we don’t know around the situation and if they are true.
“But if a fighter was deemed female with no physical advantages, but again I haven’t seen anything, I have only seen people say ‘they have done this test’.
“Do we get to see it? Are we just going to believe that narrative? It’s not ever one that I’d go I’m not getting involved in this conversation.”
“If there is an unfair physical advantage that the individual is, that is what has to be looked at.
“But not by a rival organisation, or someone with an agenda. But if you are born a female and lived your whole life as a female it’s different.
“I’m not going to say what is right or wrong, but the facts that I have seen lean me towards you have the right to compete as a female.
“So I don’t know but also I will say this individual has competed on the circuit for years.
“It’s not like she’s dominated the scene, she’s lost many times. Other fighters came out and said, I’ve sparred her or beat her.
“I feel like the Italian was a put-up job. Because it wasn’t even really a huge shot, and this person has sparred her before.
“But we need more information about it and a conversation about it.”
Do an abdominal scan. If a woman no problem. I would say no uterus and testes are the ovaries well that’s a problem. This person is a man – a invitro MALE