Imane Khelif's next opponent changes tune on Olympic boxing gender controversy

Anna Luca Hamori has voiced her concerns over the fairness of Imane Khelif's participation in the women's boxing event at the Olympics before the two meet in the ring on Saturday.

Khelif, 25, is one of two boxers who were allowed to compete at the Paris Games despite being disqualified from the Women's World Championships for failing gender eligibility tests last year. The IOC has defended and explained their participation in a statement.

The Algerian boxer is set to face Hamori in the quarter-finals of the women's 66kg category. However, Hamori expressed her reservations on social media, stating: "In my humble opinion I don't think it's fair that this contestant can compete in the women's category. But I cannot concern myself with that now. I cannot change it, it's life."

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"I can promise you one thing... I will do my best to win and I will fight as long as I can!"

The 23-year-old Hungarian boxer had previously stated that she was "not scared" of facing Khelif and was not bothered by the reaction to her win over Angela Carini earlier this week.

"I don't care about the press story and social media, Hamori said previously. " Hamori said. "If she or he is a man, it will be a bigger victory for me if I win."

She also revealed her strategy of staying away from her phone before the fight to avoid distractions. "I don't want to care about the comments or the story or the news. I just want to stay focused on myself. I did it before my last two fights, so I think this is the key, and we will see."

The drama unfolded in a blink when Khelif's initial match with Carini ended abruptly at 46 seconds as the Italian contender took to her knee , visibly distressed and in tears, pointedly avoiding a handshake with Khelif post-fight.

Carini later opened up about the incident, voicing her remorse: "All this controversy makes me sad. I'm sorry for my opponent, too. ... If the IOC said she can fight, I respect that decision."

She continued, regret evident in her tone: "It wasn't something I intended to do [ignoring the handshake]. Actually, I want to apologize to her and everyone else. I was angry because my Olympics had gone up in smoke. I don't have anything against Khelif. Actually, if I were to meet her again I would embrace her."

In response to the debate around Khelif's bout with Carini, the powers-that-be at the IOC and the Paris 2024 Boxing Unit came together to issue a firm statement cementing their stance on athlete eligibility.

Their unified message stated: "Every person has the right to practise sport without discrimination. All athletes participating in the boxing tournament of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 comply with the competition's eligibility and entry regulations, as well as all applicable medical regulations set by the Paris 2024 Boxing Unit (PBU)."