Get ready to laugh because it looks like World Boxing is emerging as the new kid on the block. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has had enough of the International Boxing Association (IBA) and its heavyweight controversies. The IOC wants to take over the sport at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics but has left it out of the initial program. The timing of these moves puts one of the Games’ long-established sports (aka Boxing) in dire straits.
According to inside sources, the IOC wants a new kid on the block, given allegations of match-fixing at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games, which had everyone’s head spinning. It’s no secret that the IOC has been unhappy with the IBA, which has experienced enough controversies from the get-go. Something had to give, and it looks like World Boxing fits the IOC’s criteria. So, the good news is that change is in the pipeline.
The United States is being joined by the boxing federations of Great Britain, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, the Philippines, and New Zealand – an impressive lineup, right? World Boxing will be led by the experienced Simon Toulson, who has run the International Canoe Federation (don’t ask). And Richard Torrez Jr., the heavyweight boxer, is one of two athlete representatives on World Boxing’s interim executive board – so you’re basically in safe hands.
The IOC has a soft spot for boxing because it provides diversity in terms of race, economic status, and gender – aka criteria that many of the other Olympic sports do not possess. However, the IOC wants boxing to ‘clean up its act’ by fixing its governance problems. The clock is ticking for boxing, and the Los Angeles program will be finalized in October. Boxing’s only chance is to have a clear alternative to the IBA by then.
Many IOC executives and leaders from several national boxing federations are concerned about President Umar Kremlev, the Russian businessman accused of manipulating the IBA. They fear that the IBA is being funded primarily by the Russian energy company Gazprom, which supported Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Yikes!
It’s worth noting that the USA Boxing Executive Director Mike McAtee has been in deep discussions with other countries about forming a breakaway organization since 2019. The plan was put on hold when Umar Kremlev was elected in 2020 and promised to fix the IBA’s problems – no word of a lie. But after the IOC’s Boxing Task Force ran a well-organized tournament at the Tokyo Olympics, free of judging controversies (unlike the IBA), McAtee and a few of his federation heads grew suspicious of Kremlev’s plans.
Last year, Dutch Boxing Federation President Boris van der Vorst ran for IBA president, challenging Kremlev – only to be disqualified by the organization’s ethics commission for early campaigning. The Court of Arbitration for Sport forced another election last fall, which was canceled after enough member countries voted against another vote following a power outage delay.
In February, it became publicly apparent that the USA Boxing Executive would not send fighters to this spring’s IBA world championships. In a letter to USA Boxing members explaining why American boxers will not fight at the world championships, McAtee laid out a series of complaints, including charges that the IBA wasn’t implementing its own guidelines to eliminate fears of favoritism from referees and judges, as well as concerns about the sources of the organization’s funding.
So, there you have it – World Boxing is starting to take shape now, and other countries are hitching their wagons to the new party. In May, the nonprofit will start taking applications from more countries, and all bound to go a whole lot better than the IBA’s past performances. Here’s to boxing’s bright future!
