Former US swimmer Riley Gaines has castigated the new transgender policy implemented by USA boxing which will allow trans fighters to compete against women, citing it as a safety hazard for the female athletes.
As per their new policies, the governing body will now allow transgender fighter to face female boxers, which has been received with widespread criticism across the combat sports scene.
Their policy states that any boxer who identifies as a female, has undergone hormone testing four times every years and gives the organization documentation of hormone levels for a minimum of four years, as well as their testosterone levels have been under 5 nanomoles per liter 48 months prior to their first fight, will be allowed to compete in the female categories.
Riley Gaines terms USA Boxing’s policy as “utterly misogynistic”
Well known for her stance and campaigns against the participation of transgender fighters in women’s sports, Gaines has once again spoken up against the latest policy implemented by USA boxing.
“Of course, we all know this. I don’t even have to have a science degree to know this. This is basic common knowledge. And let me be the first to say women are not just a testosterone level. And we’re not just men who merely don’t have male genitalia, which is the policy that USA Boxing has in place now. Of course, we know in regard to this topic, we know about the unfair competition aspect,” Gaines told Fox Sports.
A former member of the University of Kentucky NCAA swimming team and the 2022 Southeastern Conference Women’s Swimming and Diving Scholar-Athlete of the Year, Gaines termed the new rules are only regressive and is heavily detrimental to the female fighters.
“But the safety of women has been compromised by USA Boxing’s new policies and guidelines. And I think my biggest problem with this new implementation is that we are now glorifying men — we’re calling them champions, we’re giving them titles, they’re winning prize money — for punching women in the face. That’s the purpose of boxing or MMA, any fighting sport that requires physical contact like boxing does. We’re glorifying that. We’re calling it progressive. Make no mistake, this is not progress. This is not moving us in the positive, forward direction. This is incredibly regressive. This is taking us back in time and it’s utterly misogynistic,” she added.
USA Boxing receives criticism from UFC fighter Colby Covington, Mikaela Mayer
One of the most recognized names in combat sports, UFC Welterweight star Colby Covington was one of the earliest athletes to criticise the new policy implementation.
Earlier this week, Covington opined to Tomi Lahren of OutKick that “biological men” have no place in women’s sports, and called the latest policy by the governing body will jeopardize the safety of female athletes.
Former unified super featherweight world champion Mikaela Mayer also spoke up against the rules, stating that they will “disrupt the level playing field” in the sport of the sweet science.
Hormone therapy is banned. By default this should make trans athletes ineligible for competition. Period. Doesn’t matter how you feel about the situation, fact is, it’s illegal & completely disrupts the even level playing field that sport works so hard to create. https://t.co/saLFdUHgvk
— Mikaela Mayer (@MikaelaMayer1) December 30, 2023
