German professional boxer Julia Igel says she is unafraid to face Olympic champion Imane Khelif, despite publicly questioning Khelif’s eligibility to compete in the women’s category. The bout is scheduled for April 23 in Paris.
“Someone that might have something to do with the male gender shouldn’t be in women’s boxing,” Igel told DW before the fight. “You can’t say you’re a woman and you feel like a woman. Just the punching power and the danger that you face when you have a male in front of you, it is different.”
Igel, 25, also emphasized she will not be intimidated in the ring. “I’m definitely not scared,” she said at her Berlin training camp. “When my coach asked me if I wanted to do this fight, my last thought was fear. I know my skills, I know my abilities.”
Khelif, who won Olympic gold in Paris, has been at the centre of controversy since the Games. She is not transgender and was assigned female at birth, but has acknowledged carrying the SRY gene, which is typically found on the Y chromosome and is involved in the development of male characteristics. Critics argue that the presence of SRY — and the broader questions raised about chromosomes and hormone levels — could give Khelif an unfair or unsafe advantage over other women.
The International Boxing Association, expelled by the IOC in 2023, alleged that Khelif and another female boxer, Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting, had XY chromosomes and “male levels” of testosterone in the two years before the Olympics. Lin has since been “deemed to be female” by World Boxing, the body that now governs Olympic boxing.
Khelif has said she has lowered her testosterone levels, described her genetic difference as “natural,” and told French sports daily L’Equipe in February that she had shared medical records with World Boxing but had not received a response. World Boxing requires mandatory sex testing for its amateur events, but the French Boxing Federation granted Khelif a professional license without carrying out a test. DW has approached Khelif for comment through her promoter and PR representatives.
Igel’s coach and manager, Ikram Kerwat — a four-time world champion — was blunt in her assessment. “Ever since it came out that he has XY chromosomes, he has balls, he produces testosterone … yes, it’s a he,” Kerwat said. She recalled Angela Carini’s Paris Olympic bout, when Carini stopped after 46 seconds and later said she had never felt a punch like Khelif’s. “She saved herself,” Kerwat said. “He [Khelif] should go and compete with men.” Kerwat added that several female boxers turned down the chance to fight Khelif.
Igel said she does not see a contradiction between raising safety concerns and stepping into the ring herself. “I’m here for the challenge,” she said. “I think the special thing about this fight is the reach that it has, the people talking about it. This is really something that we will do to put out a statement to the world. So this one is definitely going to take us to new heights.”
A former kickboxer who switched to combat sports while living in Switzerland during her parents’ divorce, Igel has seven professional bouts: five wins (four by knockout) and two losses, most recently on points to American Stephanie Simon in Los Angeles. She and Kerwat met in a Berlin gym two years ago, and Kerwat has overseen Igel’s rise since.
Igel accepts she will be giving up about eight centimetres (3.15 inches) in height to Khelif but says she has the tools to win. “I’ve got it all,” she said. “I’ve got the skills, I’ve got the power, I’ve got the precision, and I have something inside of me that if I unlock it and set it free, then it doesn’t matter who’s in front of me.”
Igel hopes the wider attention around the matchup will work in her favour. “It’s a lot of pressure on her, because the boxing world is not that happy to see her in pro boxing with the women,” she said. “So that’s just what we’re going to use, because I think we have the world on our side.”
Khelif has not fought since the Olympics but reportedly had a training match with French boxer Davina Michel, who competes at a higher weight. The Paris bout represents the biggest fight of Igel’s career to date and one that has drawn attention well beyond the usual boxing circles.