Boxing legend Gennadiy Golovkin takes on the role of World Boxing and joins the fight to save the Olympic sport.
Is boxing still an Olympic sport?
As it stands, that is not the case. This sport will not be included in the program of the next competition in Los Angeles in 2028.
IBA, the scandal-plagued international boxing federation, has been stripped of its recognition and expelled from the Olympic movement, along with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) task force responsible for boxing tournaments in Tokyo in 2021 and Paris this year.
But the IOC will never do that again. Boxing requires the IOC to appoint a new international federation and decide to approve boxing for LA 2028.
What was Golovkin’s intervention?
World Boxing is a new organization hoping to gain recognition from the IOC and save the Olympic sport.
They appointed Gennadiy Golovkin, legendary former middleweight champion and current president of the National Olympic Committee of Kazakhstan, as chairman of the new Olympic committee.
His role will be to manage World Boxing’s relationship with the IOC and oversee the path to ensure that boxing is restored to the sports program for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
Can Golovkin save Olympic boxing?
Golovkin, a 2004 Olympic silver medalist, is a major figure in the sport with clear influence and influence. Having his backing is a huge step forward for World Boxing.
However, World Boxing as an organization must meet the IOC’s standards for international federations.
Part of that is having enough national federations with a wide enough geographic scope to meet the IOC’s requirements.
World Boxing, launched in April 2023, currently has 44 national federations as members, and held its first official meeting with the IOC in May 2024.
Golovkin could play a key role in attracting more national federations as members and would already enhance the new organization’s reputation.
Golovkin defeats Japan’s Murata to become single middleweight champion (Photo: AP)
What did they say?
Gennady Golovkin said: “It is important for me personally and for the whole sporting world to preserve boxing as an Olympic sport and this will be my top priority. I also intend to work closely with the IOC on the issue of boxing’s commitment to the Olympics. The value of transparency.
“I am confident that my experience as a professional athlete will help build systematic work within World Boxing and that through joint efforts we will be able to give a new impetus to the development of boxing. But there is still work to be done. There’s a lot left.”
World Boxing President Boris van der Vorst said: “Gennadiy is one of the most important boxers globally over the past decade and having him support our cause and use his experience, expertise and profile on behalf of World Boxing is a great addition to our organization.
“As someone who has achieved great success in both Olympic-style boxing and professional boxing, Gennadiy has deep knowledge of the sport and fully understands why being part of the Olympic movement is so important to the continued success of boxing at all levels, grassroots. From professionals to professionals.
“Gennadiy will be a great asset to our organization and we look forward to working closely with him in delivering on our mission to ensure boxing remains at the heart of the Olympic movement.”
Preserving Olympic boxing is Golovkin’s “top priority” (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
What does the crisis mean to professional boxing?
Being left out of the Olympics would not only be a disaster for amateur boxing, it would be detrimental to the sport at all levels and would be detrimental to professional sport as well.
Promoter Eddie Hearn previously said: “There’s no doubt about it, the most important thing on many levels is the profile.” sky sports.
“If there is no Olympics and there is nothing to aspire to, I think those kids will be able to learn through sport. For me the profile of the sport at the Olympics is very important. I think it will be a huge blow to boxing. Boxing at the Olympics To see the appearance of.
“Fingers crossed the IOC gets an appetite for the fight.”
Two-weight world champion Carl Frampton also said: “Even for professional boxing the knock-on effect will be huge. What will happen to amateur funding?
“(The boxers coming in) won’t be very good. Absolutely not.”
