Blood, sweat, and tears! The last few weeks have been an emotional rollercoaster for Algerian boxer Imane Khelif. As if the pressure to win a medal for the country wasn’t stressful enough, Khelif was subjected to vicious online slander as her gender was brought into question. So much so that her father was forced to show an official document dated 2 May 1999, confirming that she was in fact born female. Amidst the controversy, Khelif has secured her place in the Olympic semifinal in the welterweight class. After her victory against Hungarian boxer Luca Anna Hamori in the quarterfinals, an emotional Khelif said, “Bullying can destroy people; it can kill people’s thoughts, spirit, and mind. And it can divide people. They (my family) are worried about me. God willing, this crisis will culminate in a gold medal and that would be the best response.”

Khelif has already secured a bronze medal by making her way into the semis. According to the current rules, The IOC will hand out two bronze models to the losers of the semifinal fights. She has already entered the history books by becoming Algeria’s first boxing Olympic medalist since 2000, and the first in women’s boxing to secure an Olympic medal for her country. But, she is clearly hungry for more. The recent controversy has made her more resolute in her pursuit of the much-vaunted Olympic Gold. She will be facing Thailand’s Janjaem Suwannapheng in the semi-finals on Tuesday. Ahead of the thrilling showdown, let us explore how both Olympians match up against each other.

Janjaem Suwannapheng vs. Imane Khelif: Who wins on paper?

Khelif stands at five foot eleven inches or 180.34 cm and has a significant height advantage over her opponent Suwannapheng who is five foot seven inches or 170.18cm tall. However, information regarding the reach of both boxers is unavailable. In the Olympics, the boxers have to strictly adhere to the weight limit. Both boxers would have met the requirements of women’s 66 kg, or 145.5 lbs weight class.

As per Boxrec, the 25-year-old Algerian fighter has had thirty-eight wins in her amateur career, having made her debut in 2018. Meanwhile, Suwannapheng made her debut a year later in 2019, and has secured fourteen victories in her amateur career so far. As per the records, Khelif has more boxing experience in the amateur circuit than the Thai boxer.

Paris Olympics 2024 marks the 23-year-old Thai boxer’s debut at the biggest sporting event in the world. Meanwhile, Khelif made her Olympic debut in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. But, who among the two boxers poses the greater threat of defeating their opponent? Khelif, with a knockout ratio of 13.16%, edges over Suwannapheng with a KO percentage of 7.14%.

As things stand, based on the wealth of amateur boxing experience and a significant height advantage, the Algerian boxer Imane Khelif seems to be the favorite in the draw. Nonetheless, let’s explore both boxers’ achievements and their Olympic journey so far.

Janjaem Suwannapheng vs. Imane Khelif: Their Journey in Paris so far…

In her Paris Olympics campaign, Khelif has been nothing but dominant. The welterweight round-of-16 bout on August 1 saw Khelif winning the match in 46 seconds as her opponent, Italian boxer Angela Carini, withdrew after taking some power-packed punches from the Algerian which proved to be too much for her to handle. Two days later, in the quarterfinals, she inflicted a loss on Hungarian boxer Luca Anna Hamori, winning by unanimous decision.

Previously, Khelif had won gold medals at the 2022 Mediterranean Games, and African Championships, in the light welterweight (63 kg) category. Additionally, she won the gold medal in the 66kg division at the 2023 Arab Games, beating Belahbib Oumayma in the final. What’s more, she won the silver medal at the 2022 World Championships, becoming the first female Algerian boxer to win a world championship medal. Furthermore, she has prior experience in the biggest sporting event, reaching the quarterfinals of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in the lightweight category where she was defeated by the Gold medalist, Ireland’s Kellie Harrington.

On the other hand, Janjaem Suwannapheng was involved in two neck-and-neck battles at this year’s Olympics. In her journey to the semifinal, the Thai boxer won against Brigitte Mbabi in the round-of-16, and Busenaz Surmeneli in the quarterfinals, both by split decisions.

Suwannapheng is a two-time world championship medalist, winning bronze in 2022, and silver in 2023. She also won a few regional championships like the Southeast Asian Games in Cambodia and silver at the Asian Games in the People’s Republic of China.

Interestingly, both boxers had met before in the semifinals of the 2023 World Championships where Khelif won the showdown. Unfortunately, Khelif was disqualified by the IBA after she failed their gender eligibility tests, and was found to have high testosterone levels.

Nonetheless, the International Olympic Commission(IOC) has firmly backed the Algerian amidst the gender row, and this time her victory will not be taken away if she wins against Janjaem Suwannapheng. Now, all that remains is a showdown between the two.

Who are you backing in the competition – Imane Khelif or Janjaem Suwannapheng? Let us know in the comment section below.