Imane Khelif reveals next career move in fiery statement after women's World Boxing event 'ban'

Olympic boxer Imane Khelif has sought to clarify comments made by her former manager, who had claimed that the Algerian has retired from the sport.

Khelif and Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting were in the spotlight ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics having been disqualified from the 2023 World Championships by the IBA, which said same sex chromosome tests ruled them ineligible. Both, though, competed in their respective weight classes 12 months’ ago and went on to claim gold having been cleared by Paris officials to partake at the Olympics.

In an interview with French newspaper Nice-Matin earlier this week, Khelif’s former manager Nasser Yesfah said the Algerian had “left the world of boxing”, as quoted by The Independent. Yesfah then went on to clarify his comments, stating he was only referring to Khelif’s boxing commitments in the city of Nice.

Khelif hits back at false claims

Even so, Khelif went on to criticise Yesfah’s comments in a fiery post on Facebook on Wednesday.

“It is based solely on statements made by a person who no longer represents me in any way, and whom I consider to have betrayed my trust and my country with his false and malicious statements,” she wrote.

“I have never announced my retirement from boxing. I remain committed to my sporting career, training regularly and maintaining my physical fitness between Algeria and Qatar in preparation for upcoming events.

“The publication of such rumours is intended solely to disrupt and damage my sporting and professional career.”

Imane Khelif hasn't boxed since winning gold at the 2024 Olympics / [Photo by Andy Cheung/Getty Images]

The comments by both Khelif herself and her former manager comes after World Boxing announced in May 2025 that they had implemented sex verification testing for all athletes.

“The introduction of mandatory testing will be part of a new policy on ‘Sex, Age and Weight’ to ensure the safety of all participants and deliver a competitive level playing field for men and women,” the statement from World Boxing read.

“The fighters’ national federations will be responsible for administering the tests and providing the results to World Boxing.”

The statement specifically singled out Khelif and stated she would be barred from competing until she takes a test to prove the absence of the Y chromosome.

“Imane Khelif may not compete in the female category at the Eindhoven Box Cup or in any World Boxing event until Imane Khelif undergoes genetic screening in accordance with World Boxing’s rules and testing procedures,” the statement went on to add.

Khelif had been expected to return in June

World Boxing faced criticism for the announcement, with president Boris van der Vorst ultimately apologising to the Algerian federation for what it perceived to be a violation of Khelif’s privacy.

The decision by World Boxing had repercussions on Khelif and her return to international boxing.

She had intended to get back in the ring for the first time since Paris at the Eindhoven Box Cup in June but officials reported that Khelif had not registered for the event.

Khelif, meanwhile, had pledged to defend her gold medal at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, but at present that looks unlikely.