Amid continued scrutiny about her gender, embattled Algerian boxer Imane Khelif is pursuing a gold medal with one of the best minds in boxing grooming her skills.
A boxing sage who once coached the powerful Cuban boxing team, Pedro Diaz, is working Ms. Khelif’s corner at the Paris Olympics, offering his unique level of expertise that can turn an average boxer into a champion.
“He’s got impeccable credentials both in the amateurs and pros,” a Florida-based manager of several world champion boxers, Tony Gonzales, tells the Sun. “He’s the type of coach who can take her skills to another level. He’s very much a disciplinarian. But he knows what he’s doing — that’s for sure.”
How long Ms. Khelif has worked with Mr. Diaz, 63, is uncertain. They posed together with coach Mohammed Chaoua for a photo posted two weeks ago on Instagram saying, “Imane Khelif has successfully completed her training camp at the Vittel Olympic Training Center, preparing for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.”
Since arriving at Paris, Ms. Khelif defeated Angela Carini of Italy, who quit 46 seconds into their first-round bout, and Anna Luca Hamori of Hungary in the quarterfinals to reach the semifinals of the women’s 66 kilogram in women’s boxing. That guarantees her at least a bronze medal. Ms. Khelif faces Janjao Suwannapheng of Thailand on Tuesday for the right to compete for gold.
There continues to be discussion about whether Ms. Khelif should be competing in the Olympics. She and Lin Yu-ting of Chinese Taipei were disqualified at the 2023 world championships when the International Boxing Association ruled they failed gender eligibility tests for having high levels of testosterone. It was later claimed Ms. Khelif, who was raised as a girl and boxed as a girl for several years, was born with the male XY chromosome.
Allowed by the International Olympic Committee to compete in her second Olympics after not advancing past the quarterfinals in Tokyo, Ms. Khelif has benefited from Mr. Diaz’s vast experience.
He was part of the coaching staff on the once-dominant Cuban national boxing team from 1992 to 2004, producing 20 medal winners and future world champions. While in Cuba, he earned a Ph.D. in Pedagogical Sciences and served as a professor at the University of Sports in Cuba. He left his native country in 2007 but remained a part of the Olympic landscape earning the Olympic Merit Medal for guiding the Dominican boxing team to a gold medal in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. He also worked with the Canada Olympic Boxing Federation.
He became the trainer for world champion and recent Hall of Fame inductee Miguel Cotto in 2011, working the corner for the Puerto Rican’s memorable bouts against Antonio Margarito and Floyd Mayweather Jr. Mr. Diaz also trained Olympic and professional world champions Yuriorkis Gamboa and Guillermo Rigondeaux among others. He currently trains WBC cruiserweight champion Noel Mikaelian of Armenia and also works with MMA fighters.
Florida-based trainer Stacy McKinley, whose list of champions includes Mike Tyson, tells the Sun that Mr. Diaz is the type of trainer who can take an average boxer to another level. “Sure he can,” Mr. McKinley said. “He’s been around a long time. He’s a good trainer.”
Ms. Khelif, 25, was not known as a power puncher until she overwhelmed Ms. Carini in the opening bout, prompting the Italian to quit in tears. Her dominance sparked an outcry over gender identity and its regulation in sports, drawing critical comments from President Trump and Caitlyn Jenner.
Others supported Ms. Khelif, including the IOC, which reaffirmed her eligibility. “The Algerian boxer was born female, was registered female, lived her life as a female, boxed as a female, has a female passport,” Mark Adams, chief spokesperson for the IOC, said at a press in Paris.
“This is not a transgender case,” he continued. “There has been some confusion that somehow it’s a man fighting a woman. This is just not the case, scientifically.”
Ms. Khelif’s second bout against Ms. Hamori is where Mr. Diaz’s influence was evident. The Algerian used her long jab, counterpunching, and footwork to keep the Hungarian off-balance and win a unanimous 5-0 decision. Mr. Diaz and Ms. Khelif left the ring arm-in-arm to the cheers of Algerian fans in attendance.
“Bronze medal. On to the next one,” Mr. Diaz posted on his Instagram page.
Ms. Lin also ensured herself of a medal, defeating Svetlana Kamenova Staneva of Bulgaria, 5-0, in a women’s 57-kilogram quarterfinal. She faces Esra Yildiz Kahraman of Turkey Wednesday. Ms. Lin is also competing in her second Olympics after not earning a medal in Tokyo.
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