Brianda Tamara is a name that not many know, but she is making headlines in the wake of the backlash of Imane Khelif, who was allowed to compete in the women’s division despite reportedly failing an IBA gender test.
On Thursday, Italian opponent Angela Carini retired in her match with Khelif after just 46 seconds, having taken just two punches to the face. This made her break down into tears, as she claimed she had never been hit so hard before.
Much like Carini, Algerian boxer Imane Khelif beat Brianda Tamara so severely that she couldn’t believe that she escaped without a major injury. This bout would come months before Khelif was disqualified ahead of the IBA Women’s World Boxing Championship Finals due to high levels of testosterone in her system.
Tamara posted photos on her Instagram from the fight showing bruises covering her left cheek and eye, which had not swollen shut.
“When I fought with her, I felt very out of my depth; her blows hurt me a lot,” Tamara wrote on X after Khelif’s disqualification in March 2023. “I don’t think I had ever felt like that in my 13 years as a boxer, nor in my sparring with men. Thank God that day I got out of the ring safely, and it’s good that they finally realized.”
The controversy surrounding Khelif’s Olympic win at the Paris Olympics prompted Tamara to re-post the photos this week.
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Despite how anybody feels, Imane Khelif will continue her quest at the Paris Olympics, a decision that has sparked intense controversy.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has cleared her to participate despite the International Boxing Association disqualifying her from last year’s world championships due to elevated testosterone levels.
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Imane Khelif continues to be at the center of an ethical debate at the 2024 Olympic Games surrounding the safety of female fighters.
Khelif grabbed headlines for defeating Angela Carini inside 46 seconds in Paris, and news came out she failed a gender test last year.
Thousands of people have commented on this matter, including Jake Paul and Claressa Shields.
The boxing world champion and MMA fighter weighed in on X on Thursday, commenting on the IOC’s decision to allow Khelif to fight.
“I’m taking a stand! Women should fight against women, men fight against men, and transgenders fight against transgenders!,” she wrote. “This is ridiculous and I’m heartbroken for the women boxers at the Olympics!”
