'No Longer Represents Me...': Algerian Boxer Imane Khelif Slams Former Manager Over Retirement Rumours

Last Updated:August 21, 2025, 09:39 IST

The 26-year-old pugilist accused her former manager, Nasser Yesfah, of betraying her trust and her nation with false statements.

Imane Khelif (X)

Olympic gold medal-winning Algerian boxer Imane Khelif denied claims made by her former manager Nasser Yesfah, about putting her career on hold on Wednesday.

The 26-year-old pugilist, who was at the centre of a gender row at the Paris Olympics 2024 as she claimed gold in the 66Kg category, accused her former manager, Yesfah, of betraying her trust and her nation with false and malicious statements.

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“I would like to make it clear to the public that the reports of my retirement from boxing are false," she said in an update on social media platform Facebook.

“This person no longer represents me in any way," she said.

“I have never announced my retirement from boxing," the boxer reiterated.

“I remain committed to my sporting career, I train regularly and I maintain my physical condition between Algeria and Qatar in preparation for upcoming events," the pugilist added.

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A French newspaper quoted Yesfah, stating that the Algerian had retired from boxing, without specifying if it was permanent.

The world boxing championships are scheduled to take place in Liverpool from September 4-14, with the registration deadline set for Monday.

Khelif missed the event in Eindhoven after World Boxing introduced mandatory gender tests amid demands to strip her of the medal she won at the quadrennial event in Paris.

Khelif secured a gold medal at the Paris Olympics last summer, facing international scrutiny along with Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting, another gold medalist. The previous governing body for Olympic boxing, the Russian-dominated International Boxing Association (IBA), disqualified both fighters from its 2023 world championships for failing unspecified eligibility tests.

However, the IBA was removed due to prolonged controversy and misconduct. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) supervised the last two Olympic boxing tournaments, applying sex eligibility rules from previous Olympics, under which Khelif and Lin were allowed to compete.

World Boxing has since been provisionally approved as the boxing organiser for the 2028 Los Angeles Games and faces pressure from boxers and their federations to establish sex eligibility standards.

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Location :

Algeria

First Published:

August 21, 2025, 09:39 IST

News sports 'No Longer Represents Me...': Algerian Boxer Imane Khelif Slams Former Manager Over Retirement Rumours

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