Thread by @Unity_MoT

Throughout the still-developing Imane Khelif story there's been a significant focus on their boxing record and, specifically, the nine defeats on their record, all to women about whom there are no doubts as to their biological sex.

This echoes a very common argument in... /1

...debates around the inclusion of transwomen in women's sports, which is that it's not really a problem just so long as the advantage from male puberty isn't so glaringly obvious that the transwoman wins all the time.

This is nonsense and, of course, we are not dealing... /2

...here with a transgender athlete but with a suspected male DSD athlete, but the argument remains much the same - Khelif has lost nine of their fifty fights to female boxers, so that shows that they don't have an unfair advantage, even if they do have a male DSD -

- except.. /3

It's just not that simple.

I took a look at Khelif's full record as an amateur and the first thing to leap out was that five of their nine defeats occurred in their first six fights as a 19/20 year old novice.

This is by no means unusual in women's amateur boxing... /4

...because the current lack of depth in the sport, compared to the men's game, means there are limited opportunities for young women to gain experience without competing in international event against boxers some of whom have considerably greater experience, leaving young... /5

...boxers overmatched in the early part of their career,

In fact, Khelif lost 6 of their first 9 fights, all of which were in either elite level international tournamants or the preliminary rounds of the world championships and in most cases these were narrow defeats by... /6

...split decision. Khelif lost only one fight during this period on a unanimous decision and that was to a Swedish/Australian boxer, Anja Stridsman, who was 12 years older and had, at the time, a 29-9-0 record compared to Khelif's record of 1-2-0.

Since that early run... /7

...Khelif has lost just 3 out of 41 fights, all to much older and more experienced opponents.

Defeat no. 7 came in Khelif's 16th fight with Mira Potkonen, who was 18 years older and fighting in the 263rd match of her career.

The next loss was to Ireland's Kellie... /8

...Harrington in the quarter finals of the Olympic boxing tournament in Tokyo. This was Khelif's 22nd fight against an opponent 9 years their senior with a 77-16-1 record.

And Khelif's most recent defeat, in the 2022 women's world championship final was to England's... /9

...Amy Broadhurst, who is only a couple of years older but was still considerably more experienced, having had 89 fights compared to Khelif's 35.

So, yes, Khelif has lost nine fights over their career, but six of those were as a novice fighting well above their level of... /10

...experience at that point in their career, and their three defeats since have come against significantly more experienced opponents.

Most of Khelif's defeats were early in their career and at an age (19/20) where - if they are female - then their natural physiological.. /11

...development through puberty will be complete. Women, generally speaking, stop growing taller at around 15-16 years of age but don't reach their full adult size and bone mineral density until they're around 19-20.

However, if Khelif does have a male DSD then not only... /12

...would they have continued growing taller until they were 17-18 years of age but the 'filling out' process through which males reach their full adult size and bone density typically continues on beyond that age and well into their 20s.

At 25 years of age, Khelif - if... /13

...they do have a male DSD - has only quite recently reached their full natural size and begun to experience the benefits of male puberty to their fullest extent.

/end