Riley Gaines calls female boxer a ‘hero’ for forfeiting match against fighter with XY chromosomes, slams IOC

Riley Gaines is one of the most prominent figures to speak out against the gender controversy in the Olympic boxing competition.

Algerian boxer Imane Khelif advanced to the women’s 66-kilogram quarterfinals on Thursday after Khelif’s opponent forfeited just 46 minutes into the match.

Khelif fought Italian boxer Angela Carini, who said she decided to take the loss after getting punched harder than she had ever been punched in her career.

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Riley Gaines (Michael Clevenger/Courier Journal/USA TODAY NETWORK/File)

Khelif is under fire for having previously been deemed to have XY chromosomes; the Algerian fighter was banned from last year’s IBA World Championships for failing to meet gender requirements.

Gaines praised Carini, though, for using “the most effective way to send the message that enough is enough.”

“It was very clear that this athlete was different than the athletes from the fight before. I felt heartbroken,” Gaines said on OutKick’s “Hot Mic.”

“In reality, she is the winner. She is a hero for every young girl watching that … and reality all of humanity for forfeiting,” the “Gaines for Girls” podcast host said.

Algeria’s Imane Khelif, left, punches Italy’s Angela Carini during their bout at the Paris Olympics in Villepinte, France, on Aug. 1, 2024. (MOHD RASFAN/AFP via Getty Images)

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Gaines also shamed the IOC for “doubling down” on allowing Khelif to compete, which maintained Thursday that the boxers in its women’s competition “comply with the competition’s eligibility and entry regulations, as well as all applicable medical regulations set by the Paris 2024 Boxing Unit (PBU).”

“That’s just the obligatory piece they have to say. They don’t mean it, they don’t care about Angela Carini. They don’t care that she could have potentially lost her life. That sounds exaggerated, but that’s the reality of it. If it’s a fatal injury, the IOC doesn’t care. …

“The message that [the IOC is] sending loud and clear … is that we, as women, don’t matter, we’re not worthy of equal opportunity, we’re not worthy of calling ourselves champions; we exist to validate the feelings and identity of a man.”