Italian boxer abandons bout against Algerian disqualified from previous competition for elevated testosterone

Algerian Imane Khelif's Paris Olympics welterweight fight against Angela Carini in the round of 16 lasted 46 seconds after the Italian had to stop following a powerful punch to the nose.

Khelif is one of two boxers in France in the spotlight after previously failing International Boxing Association (IBA) eligibility rules.

She was ruled eligible, however, to compete in Paris, a competition run by the IOC, after the Olympic body stripped the IBA of international recognition last year over issues related to governance and finance.

Khelif entered the packed North Paris arena amid loud cheers from fans waving Algeria flags, and the Italian was instantly no match for her opponent's speed and longer reach.

Carini went to her coach after 30 seconds to fix her headgear but after briefly resuming the fight, she returned to her corner and stopped before quickly leaving the ring.

"I put an end to the match because after the second blow, after years of experience in the ring and a life of fighting, I felt a strong pain in my nose," she said.

"I said: 'That's enough' because … I could not bring the match to an end. So I thought, maybe it's better to put an end to the match."

Carini wept while talking to reporters before being taken away.

Some sports have limited the levels of testosterone allowed for athletes competing in women's competition, while others ban everyone who has been through male puberty.

Boxing is run by the International Olympic Committee after the IBA's recognition was stripped because of longstanding corruption concerns, and it has not updated eligibility rules but used those applied in previous Olympics.

The IOC has cleared the way for Khelif as well as Taiwan's double world champion Lin Yu-ting, who lost her