UFC star Colby Covington ripped USA Boxing’s decision to allow transgender female fighters to compete against biological women in the ring if they meet certain benchmarks.
Covington made his remarks Thursday on OutKick’s “Tomi Lahren is Fearless.”
“My first reaction is that I think it’s a PR stunt. I think they’re just doing this because no one cares about USA Boxing anymore,” Covington said.
“Nobody’s talking about USA Boxing, so they have to do something to get some publicity because anybody in the right mind thinking that this is a ‘good idea’ needs to seek help immediately. This is disgusting.
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Colby Covington rests between rounds of a UFC welterweight championship fight during UFC 296 at T-Mobile Arena Dec. 16, 2023, in Las Vegas. (Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
“Biological men should have no place in women’s sports. I mean, I can’t imagine being a woman my whole life and having a fair playing field, competing against other women, and then, all of a sudden, they just say, ‘Hey, we’re gonna let biological men come compete in our sports.’ It’s unethical, it’s dangerous and I don’t want to see anybody get killed.
“We need to reverse this, and we need to hold the line and not let this happen.”
Colby Covington before his welterweight fight against Jorge Masvidal during UFC 272 at T-Mobile Arena March 5, 2022, in Las Vegas. (David Becker/Getty Images)
Covington said the No. 1 issue boxing commissions talk about is “fighter safety.” He wondered how the rules around trans inclusion in women’s boxing adhere to that notion.
Boxing champions Ebanie Bridges and Amanda Serrano and Olympic gold medalist Claressa Shields also spoke out against the policy.
Ebanie Bridges, Claressa Shields and Amanda Serrano. (Getty Images)
USA Boxing says a fighter who transitioned from male to female can compete in the female category under several conditions spelled out in the rulebook:
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“The boxer identifies as a female and has completed gender reassignment surgery. The fighter has undergone quarterly hormone testing and gives the organization documentation of hormone levels for a minimum of four years.
“The fighter’s testosterone levels have been below 5 nanomoles per liter 48 months before their first fight, the fighter’s total testosterone level must remain below 5 nmol/L through their eligibility to compete against females and the conditions will be monitored and tested at the fighter’s expense with a 12-month suspension for failing to meet the standards.”
“Tomi Lahren is Fearless” is out OutKick.
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