When is Imane Khelif’s next fight and against who?
The Algerian boxer will be looking to take a step closer to the gold medal when she competes in the tournament’s semifinals.
Imane Khelif has become one of the athletes with the biggest impact in the 2024 Paris Olympics, not only for her fights but also for the controversy surrounding her gender identity and eligibility to compete with women.
The two-time Olympian has already made history for her country by securing a medal and she’s now only two fights away from clinching gold. If she accomplishes that feat, she will become the second Algerian boxer to win the gold, following Hocine Soltani in 1996.
Khelif had little trouble defeating her two first opponents, but her biggest ‘rival’ to date has been the criticism she has faced around her gender identity and the influence it has had on her performances.
She first defeated Angela Carini in 46 seconds. The Italian quit and after the bout she said, in tears, she was in too much pain from Khelif’s punches. Following her debut fight, she beat the Hungarian Anna Luca Hámori to set up an interesting semifinal clash.
Who’s Imane Khelif’s next opponent at the Paris Olympics?
Khelif will try to stay away from the controversy around her persona to focus on her next rival, Janjaem Suwannapheng, in the welterweight division. The Thai boxer will try to get the favorite into trouble, as she proved she has the tools to pull off an upset after beating the 2021 Tokyo Olympics champion Busenaz Surmeneli.
That victory over the Turkish fighter means she’s the only boxer from the eight-fighter delegation that flew to Paris that secured an Olympic medal.
Janjaem admitted she had previously fought Khelif in India, losing to the Algerian. She stated she wasn’t at his best when she met Khelif in the ring and also admitted that Khelif’s punching power was notable.
However, the Asian fighter sent a warning message to Khelif.
“I’ve improved since then, and I’ll fight with all I’ve got. I’ve looked into it too, about her hormones, and I know she’s lost to female boxers before, but that was a long time ago. I’m not sure if she’s gotten stronger or if her male hormones have increased”, she said.
“But I’m not afraid because we’re evenly matched. I’ve prepared my body well too, and trained a lot. I just think that no matter how strong or tough, we’re both human, we both have two fists. Having come this far, I want to go all the way to the gold medal”, she added.
When and how to watch Imane Khelif’s next fight
The semifinal fight between Khelif and Suwannapheng will take place at the Roland Garros tennis facilities, on Tuesday, August 6, at 4.34 p.m. ET / 1.30 p.m. PT.
If you are in the US, you will be able to watch the fight on NBC.
You can also enjoy the fight live on Peacock.