Several athletes came out against USA Boxing's latest policy change to allow biological males who identify as transgender women to compete in the organization's women's division.
Athletes opposing USA Boxing's policy change include UFC fighter Colby Covington, former NCAA swimmer Riley Gaines, and professional tennis player Martina Navratilova.
Covington referred to USA Boxing's decision as "despicable" during a Wednesday appearance on Fox News.
"Biological men shouldn't be allowed to compete in women's sports," he asserted. "Doesn't matter what their hormone levels or pronouns are — they're still biological men."
The UFC fighter referenced an often used social media meme saying, "when they dig up their bones in 200 years, their bones won't leave pronouns, they're just gonna leave XX and XY chromosomes."
"Unfortunately, boxing is a sport that could potentially have fatal consequences," Covington added. "So to let women go against men is completely irresponsible, unethical, and dangerous."
Covington suggested the move was a PR stunt by USA Boxing.
"Anyone sincerely suggesting this is a good idea needs to seek serious professional help immediately," he concluded.
Gaines, who also appeared on the network Wednesday, echoed Covington's sentiment, saying the move would compromise the safety of female boxers.
"Of course we all know this," Gaines said. "You don't even have to have a science degree to know this. This is basic common knowledge."
"We know about the unfair competition aspect," the former NCAA swimmer continued. "But the safety of women has been compromised by USA Boxing's new policy and guidelines.”
Gaines said her biggest issue with the policy was the glorification of men as "champions" who could receive titles and prize money for "punching women in the face."
"That's the purpose of boxing, or any MMA, any fighting sport that requires physical contact," Gaines said. "We're glorifying that and we're calling it 'progressive.'"
"Make no mistake, this is not progress, this is not moving us in a positive forward direction," she continued. "This is regressive. This is taking us back in time. It's utterly misogynistic."
Martina Navratilova responded to the decision in a late 2023 X post saying USA Boxing's new policy was "so not ok" and "beyond irresponsible."
USA Boxing's policy was originally introduced in August 2022 and noted biological males who identify as transgender women could fight in the women's division after undergoing "gender reassignment surgery" and have their testosterone levels tested for four years following the procedure.
