Logan Paul Receives Backlash Over Spreading Of Misinformation About Olympic Boxing Match

WWE United States Champion Logan Paul found himself in the middle of a social media storm on August 1, with the controversial star weighing in on the Olympic women’s boxing match between Angela Carini and Imane Khelif.

Carini abandoned the bout after 45 seconds after being rocked by punches from Khelif, with Khelif’s gender the subject of speculation due to being banned from the IBA monitored 2023 Women’s Boxing World Championships after failing gender eligibility tests due to a chromosome imbalance.

Khelif's passport declares she is female, with Khelif having previously competed at the 2020 Olympic Games - getting eliminated in the quarter-final round - but her inclusion in this year's games and the manner of her win over Carini elicited a debate about the inclusion of trans women in sports, despite Khelif not identifying as trans or intersex. IBA changed their gender rules in 2023, with the 2024 Olympics being monitored by a different governing body who have found no grounds to bar Khelif from competing.

Prominent critics of transgender identity such as JK Rowling tweeted about the result, with Logan Paul weighing in with a post talking about how it was ‘the purest form of evil’ that ‘men’ could compete in women’s boxing.

Paul has since deleted his post but continues to talk about the subject, even denying reports that WWE’s PR team had reached out to him following his post. Paul’s spreading of misinformation due to his huge following and social media reach has been widely condemned by fans and commentators of pro wrestling and boxing alike.