What Happened to Italian Boxer Angela Carini & Why She Has Apologised

The Paris Olympics 2024 has brought us all sorts of news. If you’re a fan of boxing, you’ve probably already heard that Italian boxer Angela Carini abandoned her fight against Algerian boxer Imane Khelif within 46 seconds.

Later, Carini apologised to Khelif for how she acted after the fight.

Here’s what happened to Carini during the fight, and why she decided to apologise.

Italian Boxer Angela Carini Abandons Fight Against Algeria’s Imane Khelif Within 46 Seconds

On Thursday (1 Aug), boxing fans around the world tuning in to Carini’s fight against Khelif found themselves turning off the Olympics livestream in less than a minute — Italian boxer Carini had pulled out of the fight within 46 seconds, after sustaining several blows from her Algerian opponent Khelif.

Carini had taken a punch to her face from Khelif in the first 30 seconds, causing Carini to have to go to the corner for her headgear to be fixed.

Carini returned briefly to the fight, before heading back to the corner again and raising her hand — a sign that she was withdrawing from the fight.

The Italian boxer then fell to her knees in the ring and sobbed.

After the referee declared Khelif as the winner, Carini refused to shake Khelif’s hand.

But the question remains — why exactly did Carini decide to abandon the fight in the first place?

According to interviews conducted with Carini after the withdrawal, the boxer shared: “After the second punch, after years of experience, I felt a strong pain in the nose. I said enough, because I didn’t want. I couldn’t finish the fight after the punch to the nose. So it was better to put an end to it.”

She also added that: “I couldn’t breathe anymore. I thought about my family, I looked at my brother in the stands and I went to my corner to retire.”

Why Carini Apologised to Khelif Afterwards

Later on, Carini apologised to Khelif for not shaking Khelif’s hand after the fight — for those who aren’t heavily involved in the sports scene, it’s common courtesy to shake your opponent’s hand after a match.

Carini shared that her refusal to shake Khelif’s hand wasn’t something she intended to do. The 25-year-old boxer added: “Actually, I want to apologise to her and everyone else. I was angry because my Olympics had gone up in smoke.”

The Italian boxer also clarified that she does not have anything against Khelif, and would embrace Khelif if she were to meet the Algerian boxer again.

Controversy Over The Fight and the Olympics Organisers’ Response

However, not everything is rosy just yet — the fight has since triggered an uproar online about whether Carini’s opponent should have been allowed to compete in the first place.

For context, Khelif had failed a gender eligibility test from the now-banned International Boxing Association at the World Champions last year. In light of this, some netizens have claimed that the Carini-Khelif fight was a “man vs woman” fight.

The fight has also caught the attention of those with high profiles. For one, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni shared her hopes that Carini would one day earn what she deserves “in a finally fair competition”.

So che non mollerai, Angela, e so che un giorno guadagnerai con sforzo e sudore quello che meriti. In una competizione finalmente equa. pic.twitter.com/bJ2GfAUTzq

— Giorgia Meloni (@GiorgiaMeloni) August 1, 2024

In response to the controversy, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) defended its decision to permit Khelif to compete, sharing that the gender and age of athletes are determined by their passports.

IOC spokesperson Mark Adams also added: “The Algerian boxer was born female, was registered female, lived her life as a female, boxed as a female, has a female passport.”