By PARIS − Algerian boxer Imane Khelif will be fighting for Olympic gold Friday night.
Targeted in a “gender eligibility’’ controversy at the Paris Olympics, Khelif continues to thrive inside the boxing ring.
She’s won all three of her bouts in the women’s welterweight division (146 pounds) and faces China’s Yang Liu in the finals at Roland-Garros Stadium.
Khelif, 25, won her opening bout when Italy’s Angela Carini quit 46 seconds into the match in the round of 16. She won on points by unanimous decision in the quarterfinals against Hungary’s Anna Luca Hamori and in the semifinals against Thailand’s Janjaem Suwannapheng.
Yang Liu, 32, won her first two bouts on points by unanimous decision and won her semifinal bout by split decision, 4-1.
Bouts are scheduled for three rounds and are scored by five judges. Using a 10-point system, each judge awards 10 points to the boxer they deem won the round and at least nine points to the boxer they deem lost the round.
Barring a stoppage, the winner of the bout will be determined by points based on the judges’ scorecards. A boxer earns one point for each judge who deems the boxer has won at least two of the three rounds.
A decision on boxing’s inclusion at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics has to be made in 2025, IOC president Thomas Bach said on Friday.
The boxing competition at the Paris Olympics is being run by the IOC after it stripped the International Boxing Association (IBA) of recognition last year over its failure to implement reforms on governance and finance.
The IOC has not included the sport on the LA 2028 program yet and has urged national boxing federations to create a new global boxing body or risk missing out on the Olympics in four years’ time. −Reuters
Still one bout to go before Khelif enters the ring, and Algerians got on their feet and waved flags. But it gets worse for the restless. Before the boxing resumes, they’re holding two medal ceremonies inside the ring.
Algerians began arriving early in strong numbers for Khelif’s bout, with one woman wearing a T-shirt that reads, “Algerian Feminists Stand With You.”
When is Imane Khelif’s next fight?
10:51 p.m. Paris time (4:51 p.m. ET) Friday, August 9
How to watch Imane Khelif’s next fight
The fight will be broadcast on NBC/Peacock.
Where will the match be held?
Roland Garros Stadium, home of the French Open
