Mike Tyson is not planning to fight Algerian Olympian Imane Khelif
Mike Tyson is not planning to fight Algerian Olympian Imane Khelif
(Web Desk) - Former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson did not say he is willing to fight with Algerian Olympic boxer Imane Khelif for a “battered women’s charity”, contrary to suggestions made online. A spokesperson for Tyson said the narrative is fake.
Social media accounts shared a screenshot of an X post saying: “Mike Tyson says he's willing to Box Olympic DUDE with all Proceeds to go to a Battered Women's Charity."
A spokesperson for Tyson said in an email, “It’s absolutely false. Mr Tyson has yet to publicly comment about that situation.”
Tyson, who has a 50-6 record with 44 knockouts, was one of the most feared heavyweights in history but has not fought a professional fight since 2005. He will fight YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul on Nov 15 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
The 25-year-old Algerian boxer Imane Khelif and Taiwan's Lin Yu-tin have been at the center of a debate about gender in sports after failing unspecified International Boxing Association gender eligibility tests last year.
"We are talking about women's boxing. We have two boxers who were born as women, raised as women, who have passports as women and who have competed for many years as women and this is a clear definition of a woman," the International Olympic Committee president said on Aug 3.
