Fact Check: Did Mike Tyson Really Say He’s Willing to Fight Controversial Boxer Imane Khelif? Exploring Viral Rumor
Fact Check: Reports claim Mike Tyson agreed to fight Imane Khelif. Verify the authenticity and context of this potentially controversial boxing matchup.
![Imane Kheli, and Mike Tyson Instagram, Getty](https://www.pinkvilla.com/images/2024-08/60850557_untitled-design-2024-08-12t110739-567.jpg)
Boxing legend Mike Tyson has not expressed his desire to fight the controversial boxer Imane Khelif. Khelif, who is an Algerian boxer, has recently won an Olympic gold in the women’s division in Paris. However, Khelif’s road to glory was not smooth. Facing off against Angela Carini of Italy, a huge controversy broke when Carini accused Khelif of punching ‘too hard’ for a woman. Soon, the rumors spread about Khelif questioning his gender that threatened to derail the Olympic campaign of the Algerian boxer.
Amidst the uproar, an X post went viral where it was claimed that Mike Tyson is willing to box Imane Khelif while the amount generated will go towards the Battered Women’s Charity. However, this was not true as a representative of Mike Tyson, who was approached by Reuters, debunked the false news at once. According to the report submitted by Reuters, the spokesperson stated in the mail, “It’s absolutely false. Mr Tyson has yet to publicly comment about that situation.”
As a matter of fact, Mike Tyson was supposed to take on Jake Paul in July for a much hyped boxing match. However, just a few weeks prior to the fight, Tyson announced complications with his health that resulted in the bout getting postponed. Jake Paul fought BKFC champion Mike Perry as a replacement and secured a comfortable sixth round KO victory to further establish his dominance. But good news for Tyson’s fans soon came in as the icon announced his readiness for the fight. As of now, the Mike Tyson vs Jake Paul fight is scheduled for November 15, at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Coming back to Imane Khelif, the Algerian boxer was found to have failed a gender eligibility test of the IBA. This further upped the tensions with people blaming the IOC for allowing a banned athlete into the Olympics. Soon after the chaos ensued, the IOC released an official statement saying that Khelif has ticked all the boxes for qualifying in the women’s division.
Next up, Khelif also came out to claim that she was born and raised as a female and her father too, showed ‘official looking documents’ to prove her gender. According to a report from SportsKeeda, Imane Khelif has a rare case of DSD (Disorders of S*x Development). Under such a condition, an individual suffers imbalances in reproductive parts, genes, and hormones. With the controversy not looking to subside anytime soon, it remains to be seen how things pan out in future.
ALSO READ: Does Imane Khelif Have a Child? Exploring Viral Controversy Surrounding Paris Olympics Star
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