Imane Khelif, the Algerian boxer who captured a gold medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics, has officially transitioned from the amateur ranks to professional boxing. This move marks a significant new chapter in her career, following a period of intense scrutiny and global attention.
The Enduring Controversy Surrounding Khelif
Khelif’s Olympic journey and subsequent professional aspirations have been inextricably linked with a misled controversy surrounding her gender eligibility. Reports suggesting she was not born female and was a transgender athlete circulated widely, though these damaging rumours were found to be untrue. The only evidence for these claims stemmed from an unproven assertion made by a corrupt Russian board who seemingly sought to defame Khelif after she defeated a Russian prospect.
The story garnered mass media attention, with prominent figures such as JK Rowling, Piers Morgan, and Elon Musk weighing in on Khelif’s gender eligibility. The International Boxing Association (IBA) had disqualified Khelif from the 2023 World Championships, citing a failure to meet its gender eligibility criteria. The IBA later hinted that its decision related to the presence of certain “chromosomes.”
The rumours intensified after Khelif’s opponent, Angela Carini, quit their bout only seconds in at the Paris 2024 Olympics, suggesting she felt Khelif’s punch and stating in tears that it was like nothing she’d ever felt and that it wasn’t fair.
Despite the IBA’s stance, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) permitted Khelif to compete in the 2024 Games, stating she met their eligibility rules. In February 2025, World Boxing, an organization recognized by the IOC, introduced mandatory pre-competition sex verification tests for women. Khelif has not participated in events run by World Boxing since this policy was implemented, and her appeal against the requirement was ongoing as of September 2025. However, in a February 2026 interview, Khelif revealed she has high levels of testosterone, which she has been reducing under medical supervision, and expressed her willingness to undergo the mandatory sex verification tests required by the IOC. She also confirmed having the SRY gene, stating it is natural and that she has female hormones.
It was revealed that Imane Khelif is filing lawsuits against the likes of JK Rowling, and many others, for their part in spreading defamatory and baseless allegations against the boxer.
Imane Khelif’s Professional Transition and Debut Plans
While some reports indicate Khelif made a professional debut in 2023 with a win over Suwanun Antanai in Singapore, securing a 1-0 professional record, her highly anticipated entry into the mainstream professional boxing scene was widely expected to occur after her Olympic triumph. Following her Paris 2024 victory, Khelif announced her decision to join the paid professional ranks, a move that garnered significant interest from promoters.
She signed with promoter Brahim Asloum, a former Olympic champion himself, and began training under John Dovi, a former coach of the French national boxing team. Her post-Olympic professional debut was scheduled for April 23, 2026, in Paris, where she was set to face Germany’s Julia Igel at the Salle Wagram. The bout was planned for six two-minute rounds in the welterweight division.
Julia Igel, 25, has been competing professionally since 2024, holding a record of five wins and two losses. Her last fight before the scheduled Khelif bout was a defeat by decision against undefeated American fighter Stephanie Simon in February 2026.
Debut Postponed Due to Injury
However, the much-anticipated professional debut against Julia Igel was unfortunately cancelled. Organizers announced in April 2026 that Khelif had sustained a painful shoulder injury during a training session in Paris. A medical examination deemed her condition temporarily incompatible with competition, leading to the postponement of the entire event. The fight could potentially be rearranged for a later date.
Khelif, who was born on May 2, 1999, stands at 178 cm (5ft 10in) tall. Her amateur career saw her compile a record of 56 wins and 9 losses across 65 bouts, or 38-9 depending on the source, culminating in her historic Olympic gold.
Potential Opponents and Division Implications
Imane Khelif fought in the amateurs in the 66kg division, which translates to the welterweight category in the professional ranks (under 67kg). Her entry into this division promises to shake up the landscape, offering exciting potential matchups against some of the sport’s leading names.
Possible future opponents at welterweight include:
- Lauren Price: The Welsh star holds a formidable professional record of 10-0-0 (2 KOs). Price is the unified WBC, WBA, IBF, IBO, and Ring female welterweight champion, having secured these titles since March 7, 2025. Her most recent victory was on April 4, 2026, where she retained her unified titles against Stephanie Piñeiro Aquino via unanimous decision in a hard-fought battle. She also notably defeated Natasha Jonas in March 2025.
- Natasha Jonas: A two-weight world champion from the UK, Jonas currently holds a professional record of 16-3-1 (9 KOs). She previously held unified WBC and WBO light-middleweight titles between 2022 and 2025. Her last fight was a unanimous decision loss to Lauren Price in March 2025, where she lost her IBF and WBC welterweight titles. Before that, she defeated Ivana Habazin in December 2024 to become a unified welterweight champion and secured a split decision win over Mikaela Mayer in January 2024.
- Mikaela Mayer: The American boxer boasts a record of 22-2-0 (5 KOs) and is a world champion in three weight classes. She is the current unified world female super-welterweight champion (WBA, WBC, WBO) since October 2025, and also held the WBO welterweight title from September 2024. Mayer’s most recent fight was a unanimous decision victory over Mary Spencer in October 2025 for the unified super-welterweight titles. She has a notable rivalry with Sandy Ryan, having defeated her twice in 2024 and 2025.
- Sandy Ryan: An English two-weight world champion, Ryan’s professional record stands at 9-3-1 (3 KOs). She currently holds the WBC female light-welterweight title since February 2026 and was the WBO female welterweight title holder from April 2023 until September 2024. In her last outing in February 2026, she defeated Karla Ramos Zamora via majority decision to claim the vacant WBC light-welterweight title. Ryan has faced Mikaela Mayer twice, losing both bouts in September 2024 and March 2025.
Khelif’s entry into the professional ranks, once her injury has healed and her debut is rescheduled, will undoubtedly bring a new dynamic to the welterweight division. Her Olympic gold medal status and the significant media attention she commands ensure that many eyes will be on her throughout her professional career.
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