Imane Khelif announces professional boxing debut in first fight since 2024 Olympics gender controversy

Imane Khelif has announced her professional boxing debut since the gender controversy surrounding her Paris 2024 Olympics success.

Khelif won gold in the women's welterweight event at the 2024 Olympic Games amid questions over her participation after she was disqualified from the previous year’s amateur World Championships for allegedly failing to meet gender eligibility criteria.

Since then, the Algerian has stepped away from the spotlight, but has now confirmed she will return to the ring for her professional boxing debut on December 15.

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Imane Khelif announces boxing comeback after Paris Olympics gender row

After Italy’s Angela Carini abandoned her bout against Khelif after just 46 seconds, debates began to emerge about Khelif’s sex following her previous disqualification from the amateur World Championships in 2023.

Khelif, who is not transgender, had been disqualified for allegedly failing to meet gender eligibility criteria, the details of which were not publicly explained.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) questioned the process that led to her disqualification and cleared her for the Paris Games under its rules, stressing that she was a woman.

She went on to win gold in Paris and, despite continued scrutiny about her gender, has decided to return to the French capital to make her professional debut against Clarida Sarabia on December 15 in a super-welterweight bout.

“It’s been over two years since I last boxed, and I've really missed being in the ring," Khelif said in a press conference for the bout.

"The last couple of years have been quite difficult. The time has come to turn professional, and I’m going to give it my all.”

Khelif will face 21-year-old Dutch boxer Sarabia, who holds an undefeated 4-0 professional record, in a six-round professional fight.

Her coach, Kamel Abdesselam, expressed confidence that the 27-year-old could be challenging for a world title within 'three to five fights' and reportedly compared the Olympic champion to boxing legend Muhammad Ali.

Khelif had been due to make her pro debut against Julia Igel in April, but withdrew through injury.

The decision to turn pro immediately raised questions over if she would defend her Olympic title in 2028, to which she told reporters: “I can’t answer, because I’ve filed complaints against World Boxing regarding the gender tests.”

However, Abdesselam suggested she would not be present at the 2028 Los Angeles Games, adding: “She has no interest in competing in the Games again. She’s already an Olympic champion."

What happened to Imane Khelif after the Paris Olympics?

Since winning gold at Paris 2024, Khelif has not competed in an official bout, but has instead been dealing with a series of legal battles over the gender row that followed her win.

Shortly after the Games, she filed a complaint in France over the online harassment she faced.

Then, when she tried to come back in June 2025, she was blocked by World Boxing’s requirement that she undergo genetic sex testing, a decision which she challenged at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

As part of the challenge, which remains ongoing, CAS dismissed Khelif's request to temporarily suspend World Boxing's decision, meaning she remained barred from competing in the World Boxing Championships.

She has now moved towards professional boxing, with the clash against Sarabia on December 15 her first contest in more than two years.

“Days became weeks, weeks became months. I waited, doubted. But deep inside, the fire never died. Behind closed doors, I kept fighting,” she said in the video posted by Stair Event on Instagram.

“Because this fight was never only mine. It was for everyone who dared to be, for everyone who refused to give up.”

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