Female Italian boxer Angela Carini says she stopped her Olympic bout against her 'biologically male' opponent to 'save my life'. 

The clash between the 25-year-old and her Algerian opponent Imane Khelif lasted just 46 seconds, with Carini yelling 'this is unjust' before she fell to canvas and wept having had her Olympic dreams snatched away from her. 

Carini was rocked by two punches from Khelif - who had been banned from a major boxing contest before the Olympics - and said the savage force of the blows made it 'impossible to continue'.