Italian boxer Angela Carini has revealed she wants to apologise to her opponent Imane Khelif after withdrawing from their Olympic fight within 46 seconds.

Algerian Khelif defeated Carini in the opening round of the women’s welterweight event in Paris on Thursday after striking her with two strong blows.

Carini later revealed her decision to abandon the fight was necessary to ‘preserve my life’, after she explained how she had ‘never felt a punch’ like the one Khelif inflicted.

Khelif’s participation in the games has been a source of contention given she was disqualified from the Women’s World Boxing Championships last year and her victory on Thursday created more controversy, with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) subsequently defending her right to compete.

And Carini joined those expressing sympathy towards Khelif and admitted she had some regrets at how she acted after the fight, which included her refusing to shake hands with her opponent.

Italian boxer Angela Carini has revealed she wants to apologise to her opponent Imane Khelif

Carini withdrew from the bout within 46 seconds and was left in tears following her defeat

Khelif’s (left) victory was hugely controversial after she was disqualified from the Women’s World Boxing Championships last year due to her elevated levels of testosterone

‘All this controversy makes me sad,’ she told Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport.

‘I’m sorry for my opponent, too. If the IOC said she can fight, I respect that decision.’

‘It wasn’t something I intended to do (by not shaking hands),’ Carini said.

‘Actually, I want to apologise to her and everyone else. I was angry because my Olympics had gone up in smoke.’

‘(I would) embrace her (if I met her again).’

Carini was punched twice by Khelif in the opening round of their women’s welterweight bout in Paris.

The blows appeared to knock off the Italian boxer’s chin strap, with the fighter moving over to her corner.

Carini returned to the centre of the ring and abandoned the bout, leading to Khelif being declared as the winner.

The Italian boxer, who claimed before the fight that she could ‘only adapt to the rules of the Olympics‘, was then seen crying in the centre of the ring following the abrupt conclusion of the bout.

She later said: ‘It could have been the match of a lifetime, but I had to preserve my life as well in that moment.’

Carini hinted that she regretted how she refused to shake hands with Khelif after the fight

Carini took two heavy blows and said her withdrawal was needed in order to ‘preserve my life’

After being cleared to compete in Paris alongside Taiwan’s Lin Yu-Ting in – who was also disqualified from the World Championship last year – the Olympics website had noted that Khelif had been disqualified by The International Boxing Association (IBA) when her elevated levels of testosterone failed to meet the eligibility criteria.

Along with Yu-Tin, who won her opening fight via unanimous decision on Friday, IBA president Umar Kremlev – who ran that competition – said that further DNA tests had ‘proved they had XY chromosomes’. In short, that they had been deemed ‘biologically male’.

On the eve of Thursday’s farce between Khelif and Carini, the IBA then released a statement clarifying why the Algerian and Yu-Tin had been disqualified from last year’s World Championship.

It cited a ‘meticulous’ review which ‘was extremely important and necessary to uphold the level of fairness and utmost integrity of the competition’.

The missive added that no testosterone examinations were held, rather ‘a separate and recognised test, whereby the specifics remain confidential’. That examination ‘conclusively indicated that both athletes did not meet the required necessary eligibility criteria and were found to have competitive advantages over other female competitors’.

The IBA said the ban was also based on tests conducted at the World Boxing Championships in 2022 and said – significantly – that Khelif withdrew an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, rendering the decision legally binding.

In a dig at the IOC, they ‘expressed concern over the inconsistent application of eligibility criteria by other sporting organisations, including those overseeing the Olympic Games’. ‘The IOC’s differing regulations on these matters raise serious questions about both competitive fairness and athletes’ safety,’ they added.

Carini revealed she would embrace Khelif is they came across each other again in the future

Lin Yu-Ting of Taiwan was disqualified alongside Khelif at the World Championships, but she has also been permitted to compete in Paris and won her opening bout on Friday

Khelief has always competed in women’s boxing, with the IOC forced to defend her further in a statement on Friday.

‘The Algerian boxer was born female, was registered female, lived her life as a female, boxed as a female, has a female passport,’ IOC spokesperson Mark Adams said.

Khelif is now set to face Anna Luca Hamori of Hungary in the Olympics quarter-final on Saturday afternoon.