Governance

Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan continue to lead the way in year-end World Boxing rankings

December 8, 2025

BOXERS from Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan continue to lead the way in the year-end World Boxing Rankings published HERE with both countries having six boxers ranked number one in the world.

Uzbekistan remains dominant in the men’s categories where is has the number one boxer at 60kg, 65kg, 75kg, 80kg, 85kg, and 90kg. Boxers from Kazakhstan, claim top spot in the four remaining men’s categories, at M50kg, M55kg, M70kg and M90kg+, and two of the women’s weight classes W70kg and W65kg where Aida Abikeyeva shares top spot with Chinese Taipei’s Olympic bronze medallist Chen Nien-Chen.

Other countries with boxers at the top of the pile in the women’s weights include Poland (W57kg and W80kg+), India (W48kg), Türkiye (W51kg), Chinese Taipei (W54kg), Brazil (W60kg), Ireland (W75kg) and Australia (W80kg).

The new rankings are the second set published by World Boxing and include a number of changes following the ‘World Boxing Cup Finals 2025 – Greater Noida’ in November where the success of the home nation, which topped the medal table with nine golds, has had an impact.

In the women’s light-flyweight division (W48kg), India’s Minakshi has risen to number one after securing gold in Greater Noida. It completed a dominant year for the World Boxing Champion who added another major title to her résumé with victories over Korea’s Chorong and Uzbekistan’s Farzona, to earn the maximum 300 ranking points.

At bantamweight (W54kg), India’s Preeti Preeti has entered the rankings at number eight after topping the podium in Great Noida, where she delivered the upset of the tournament, beating World Boxing Championships gold and bronze medallists, Hsiao-Wen Huang of Chinese Taipei and Sirine Charaabi of Italy, on-route to gold.

In the women’s middleweight (W75kg) division, Australia’s Emma Sue Greentree has moved into the top three after she upgraded her World Boxing Championships bronze to gold medal in Greater Noida where she beat Italy’s Melissa Gemini in a tense final.

In the men’s weights, Sachin Sachin of India delivered a big move climbing from 14^th to ninth at lightweight (M60kg) after winning gold in Greater Noida, where he defeated Olympic silver medallist Munarbek Seiitbek Uulu of Kyrgyzstan in the final.

Gold medal performances in India also saw two English boxers move up the rankings. At light-heavyweight (M80kg), Dimeji Shittu rose one place to sixth. At heavyweight (M90kg), Isaac Okoh went up six places from twelfth to sixth.

At the end of the year, the leading female boxer in the world is still Polish featherweight (W57kg), Julia Szeremeta, who has 2,075 points accrued from her performances at the World Boxing Championships 2025, the World Boxing Cup – Foz do Iguazu 2025 in Brazil and the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

In the men’s weights Uzbekistan’s Abdumalik Khalokov and Asadkhuja Muydinkhujiaev, who box at lightweight (M60kg) and welterweight (M65kg) respectively, are tied on 3,000 points, based on their gold medals at the recent World Boxing Championships in Liverpool and the Paris 2024 Olympics.

The top five ranked male and female boxers at the end of 2025 are:

MALE BOXERS			FEMALE BOXERS
	Boxer details	Points		Boxer details	Points
1^st =	Abdumalik KHALOKOV, 60kg, UZB	3,000	1^st	Julia SZEREMETA, 57kg, POL	2,075
1^st =	Asadkhuja MUYDINKHUJAEV, 65kg, UZB	3,000	2^nd	Buse CAKIROGLU, 51kg, TUR	1,975
3^rd	Erislandy ALVAREZ, 65kg, CUB	2,100	3^rd	Jaismine JAISMINE, 57kg, IND	1,950
4^th	Aibek ORALBAY, 90kg+, KAZ	2,025	4^th	Minakshi MINAKSHI, 48kg, IND	1,750
5^th =	Sanzhar TASHKENBAY, 50kg, KAZ	1,650	5^th	Hsiao-Wen HUANG, 54kg, TPE	1,875
5^th =	Makhmud SABYRKHAN, 55kg, KAZ	1,650
5^th =	Fazliddin ERKINBOEV, 75kg, UZB	1,650
5^th =	Javokhir UMMATALIEV, 80kg, UZB	1,650
5^th =	Turabek KHABIBULLAEV, 90kg, UZB	1,650

The World Boxing Ranking Points are awarded for at Olympic Games, World Boxing Cups, World Boxing Championships, Continental Multi-Sport Games and the World Boxing Cup Finals.

They are then used for seeding boxers at competitions with the points issued on a 3-year cycle. Boxers may not accumulate ranking points from more than four competitions at a given time.

Full details on how the rankings are calculated, and the allocation of points, are available HERE.

Two-time middleweight world champion Gennadiy Golovkin confirmed as new President of World Boxing at Congress 2025 in Rome

November 23, 2025

The two-time middleweight world champion and 2004 Olympic silver medallist, Gennadiy Golovkin, has been named the new President of World Boxing at its Congress 2025 in Rome.

The Kazakh was the only candidate for the role on the final ballot paper and was named President by acclamation at the Congress.

Other candidates had put themselves forward in October 2025 to contest the Presidential election, however Golovkin was the only person approved to stand by an independent Vetting Panel, which assessed the backgrounds of all the candidates.

The Vetting Panel is made-up of three independent, external experts and supported by the leading independent provider of sport-specific arbitration and mediation services, Sport Resolutions, and is designed to ensure World Boxing adheres to the highest standards of governance by providing independent, third party checking and oversight of Congress and the election process.

Golovkin will serve an initial three-year term and succeeds Dutchman, Boris van der Vorst, who did not seek re-election following the completion of his term.

Gennadiy Golovkin, said: “It is a privilege to be elected as the new President of World Boxing. But this is just the beginning. Starting today, athletes will be at the heart of every decision we make. On the road to LA28, we will restore trust in Olympic boxing to secure our place in Brisbane and beyond. Now it’s time to move forward as one united boxing family.”

The Presidential election was one of four votes at the Congress which included one position as Vice President and two seats on the World Boxing Executive Board.

In the election for Vice President, Ryan O’Shea from Canada secured a second term with 57 per cent of the vote in a two-person contest with Thailand’s Chaiwat Chotima.

The election for the Executive Board had six candidates and saw Michael Muller from Germany and Tatsuya Nakama from Japan emerge with the most votes.

The four winners of today’s elections will join the World Boxing Executive Board which is made-up of the President; three Vice Presidents; four Executive Board members; four Continental Confederation Presidents; two Athlete Representatives; the Chairs of the Committees for Sport and Competition, Medical and Anti-Doping, and Finance and Audit.

Congress 2025 was chaired by World Boxing Vice President, Dinah Glykidis. In accordance, with World Boxing’s Statutes, 59 National Federations were eligible to take part in the voting which was conducted in-person and online and overseen by an independent, third-party organisation. Scrutineers were onsite to validate the veracity of the election processes and ensure candidates were treated in a fair and equitable manner.

World Boxing Vice President and Chair of Congress 2025, Dinah Glykidis, said: “Congress is the ultimate authority of World Boxing and to have so many of our members be able to participate in it today and express their views on the future direction of the organisation is very important, and a positive sign that World Boxing is continuing to deliver on its commitment to transparency and rigorous governance.

“Since it was launched in April 2023, World Boxing has achieved an enormous amount in a short space of time and I am confident that with our new President and the Executive Board that we now have in place, following today’s elections, that it will continue to go from strength to strength as we build towards the next Olympic Games at LA28.”

Other business concluded at the World Boxing Congress 2025 included:

Acceptance of a series of amendments to the Statutes of World Boxing following provisional recognition by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in February 2025
Ratification by Congress of the membership applications of 49 National Federations to join World Boxing
Acceptance of a series of proposals which included the incorporation of World Boxing’s Sex Eligibility Policy into the Competition Rules and associated operational documents
Approval of the 2025 Accounts and the provisional budget for 2026
The acceptance of Panama’s bid to host World Boxing’s next annual Congress in 2026

World Boxing was launched in April 2023 with a mission to ensure that boxing remains at the heart of the Olympic movement. It held its first formal meeting with the IOC in May 2024 and on 25 February 2025, it was granted provisional recognition by the IOC as the International Federation (IF) within the Olympic Movement governing the sport of boxing at world level.

Born in 1982, Gennadiy Golovkin is widely considered to be Kazakhstan’s greatest ever boxer. He won a silver medal at the Athens Olympics in 2004 before entering the professional ranks where he won the middleweight world title twice in a career made-up of 42 wins, two losses and a draw. He has been the President of Kazakhstan’s National Olympic Committee since 2024.

The people that make up the Executive Board of World Boxing are:

Office	Name
President	Gennadiy Golovkin (KAZ)
Vice President	Ryan O’Shea (CAN)
Vice President	Matt Holt (GBR)
Vice President	Dinah Glykidis (AUS)
Executive Board	Michael Muller (GER)
Executive Board	Victorico Vargas (PHI)
Executive Board	Tatsuya Nakama (JPN)
Athlete Representative (Chair)	Caitlin Parker (AUS)
Athlete Representative (Vice Chair)	Richard Torrez Jr (USA)
President, Asian Boxing	Pichai Chunhavajira (THA)
President, European Boxing	Lars Brovil (DEN)
President, Oceania Boxing	Beulah Daunakamakama (FJI)
President, Panamerican Boxing	Elise Seignolle (USA)
Chair Sport and Competition Committee	Hernan Salvo (ARG)
Chair Medical and Anti-Doping Committee	Dr Armando Sanchez (USA)
Chair Finance and Audit Committee	Julia Felton (AUS)

Final list of candidates announced for elections at World Boxing Congress 2025

November 21, 2025

The final list of candidates that will contest elections at World Boxing’s Congress 2025 in Rome on 23 November has been published (HERE) and includes nine candidates from nine countries.

In line with the processes set-out in World Boxing’s Statutes, Rules for Electoral Voting and Rules for Candidates of Elections (HERE), all of the candidates have been assessed and approved to stand by an Independent Vetting Panel made-up of three independent, external experts and supported by the leading independent provider of sport-specific arbitration and mediation services, Sport Resolutions.

The conclusions of the Independent Vetting Panel, which has reviewed the applications of all the men and women that initially put themselves forward for election in October 2025, means there is now one candidate for the office of President, Gennadiy Golovkin from Kazakhstan.

In accordance with World Boxing’s current Statutes (HERE), which state (Elections: Clause 11.15) “Unanimous acclamation from Congress can be accepted if there is only one candidate for any Office Bearing Position” , it means that Gennadiy Golovkin will become President of World Boxing by acclamation at the Congress on Sunday 23 November 2025 when he will assume the mantle from the incumbent President, Boris van der Vorst.

In addition to the Presidency, the World Boxing Congress will include elections for one position as Vice-President and two places on the Executive Board. As part of the World Boxing’s commitment to transparency and rigorous governance, key papers from the Congress including a full list of candidates and details of their relevant experience and expertise can be viewed (HERE).

World Boxing’s Acting Secretary General Mike McAtee, said: “On behalf of World Boxing I would like to thank the Independent Vetting Panel for its diligent work and ensuring we have a list of candidates that are of the highest calibre, both in terms of their experience and capabilities and also their commitment to upholding the principles of integrity, honesty and excellence on which World Boxing has been founded.

“I have no doubt that every candidate has the potential to make a very positive contribution to the future development of the organisation and can play an important role in the future development of World Boxing and the sport of Olympic boxing.”

Congress is the ultimate authority and supreme decision-making body of World Boxing. The Congress in Rome on 23 November 2025 will be chaired by World Boxing Vice President, Dinah Glykidis, and the elections overseen by an experienced, independent, third-party organisation. Scrutineers will be onsite to validate the veracity of the election processes and ensure candidates are treated in a fair and equitable manner.

ITA publish report outlining the success of anti-doping educational activities at the 2025 World Boxing Championships in Liverpool

November 14, 2025

The International Testing Agency (ITA) has published a report that outlines the anti-doping education activities they conducted during the 2025 World Boxing World Championships in Liverpool, England.

The ITA hosted a two-day education booth aimed at educating athletes and support personnel on anti-doping issues.

Participants learned about ADRVs, their rights and responsibilities, key doping control terms, and the Doping Control Process. The booth also covered the Prohibited List, consequences of doping, and the importance of reporting concerns.

The booth attracted up to 100 participants daily, with positive feedback highlighting the importance of the education provided. Overall success was rated 9/10, with high scores for awareness raising and information provision.

These activities helped continue to foster a greater understanding of clean sport among participants. Click HERE to read the full report (included within Anti-Doping).

World Boxing appoints New Zealander Ian Hunt as its new Ethics Chief

November 12, 2025

World Boxing has appointed Ian Hunt as its new Ethics Chief.

Hunt has more than 40 years’ experience of legal practice covering a wide range of areas that includes litigation and advice in civil and commercial areas including trusts and estates, medico-legal, insurance, employment, professional discipline, governance, and sport related matters.

He is currently a barrister at Left Bank Chambers in Christchurch and is a member of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), the World Athletics Disciplinary and Appeals Panel, Sport Resolutions International Panel, the FIA Anti-Doping Disciplinary Committee, the FIS (International Ski and Snowboard Federation) Ethics Committee, the International Tennis Federation (ITF) Independent Tribunal and the World Aquatics ad hoc Legal Committee. He has also worked in legal disciplinary roles for over 20 years and is a member of the New Zealand Lawyers and Conveyancers Disciplinary Tribunal

As World Boxing’s Ethics Chief, Hunt will advise on issues and disagreements related to governance and operations; review policies and programmes to ensure they are consistent with World Boxing’s ethics and values; respond to complaints and enquiries of an ethical nature; bring forward issues of ethical importance to the Executive Board and Secretary General; and ensure World Boxing’s operational activities are ethical, fair and transparent.

In this independent position, he will be the first point of contact for all issues and determine, in the first instance, if a complaint is required to be elevated to the approved World Boxing independent third-party organisation for further action or can be dealt with reasonably and fairly within the existing governance remit of the organisation. The full Terms of Reference for the role of World Boxing’s Ethics Chief can be viewed HERE.

Hunt was nominated for the role by an independent three-person panel and his appointment was ratified by the Executive Board of World Boxing. He succeeds Professor Jack Anderson, who recently stepped down from the role after two years.

World Boxing’s Acting Secretary General, Mike McAtee said: “As an organisation which places enormous emphasis on strong governance and ethical practice, the role of Ethics Chief is very important at World Boxing, and the Executive Board is very happy to be able to appoint such an outstanding candidate.

“Ian has a superb track record in sports legal practice and we have no doubt that he will play an important role in enabling World Boxing to ensure it continues to operate with the highest standards of governance and ethical practice.”

Ian Hunt added: “World Boxing has committed to a culture of transparency and integrity supported by strong governance and leadership as it works towards full IOC recognition and becomes a leading international sports federation, focussed upon the advancement of the sport of boxing and the protection of its athletes.

“The role of the Ethics Chief is critical to establishing and maintaining clear and transparent ethical standards and the opportunity to do so is what attracted me to this position. I look forward to building on the strong foundations created by my predecessor, Professor Jack Anderson, in this important and independent role.”

A native of New Zealand, Hunt has practiced at all levels of the New Zealand Court system and in Courts in the United Kingdom. His experience covers a wide range of sports law practice and includes acting for individuals, national and regional sporting organisations and clubs in a wide range of sports, including: archery, boxing, canoe racing, cricket, lawn bowls, motor sport, mountain biking, netball, road cycling, rugby, rugby league, shooting, surfing, swimming, triathlon, weightlifting, winter sports (including ice hockey, ice speed skating and alpine and free ride skiing), wrestling and numerous other sports.

He has represented individual athletes and national and regional sporting organisations and clubs, and the New Zealand Olympic Committee, in various matters including proceedings before the High Court of New Zealand, the Sports Tribunal of New Zealand, the Court of Arbitration for Sport, and numerous domestic disciplinary and related tribunals in connection with anti-doping, ethical, conduct related, selection and governance matters.

Hunt is a former director of High Performance Sport NZ, Snowsports NZ and Swimming New Zealand and is a former president of ANZSLA, the Australian and New Zealand Sports Law Association. Recent appointments to various judicial panels and Tribunals include Chair of the Independent Panel of the Commonwealth Games Federation Court for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games; a World Sailing Independent Tribunal; the 2022 Rugby League World Cup ad hoc Panel; the 2022 Billie Jean King Cup Finals Independent Tribunal; and the 2023 and 2024 Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup Finals Independent Tribunal, along with other confidential appointments in respect of various sports.

Candidates announced for elections at World Boxing Congress 2025

October 24, 2025

17 candidates from 16 countries are due to contest elections for office at World Boxing’s third annual Congress in Rome on 23 November 2025.

The Congress will include elections for the office of President, one position as Vice-President and several other places on the World Boxing Executive Board. The Presidential election will not feature the current holder, Boris van der Vorst, who announced in September 2025 that he is not standing for a second term.

The two candidates that have put their names forward for the Presidency are Gennadiy Golovkin from Kazakhstan and Mariolis Charilaos from Greece.

A former boxer, Gennadiy Golovkin, won a silver medal at the Athens Olympics in 2004 and the middleweight world title twice in a professional career made-up of 42 wins, two losses and a draw. He is the President of Kazakhstan’s National Olympic Committee and has served as the Chair of World Boxing’s Olympic Commission since September 2024.

Mariolis Charilaos served as President of the Hellenic Boxing Federation from 2021 to

2025 where he implemented governance reforms with a strong focus on transparency, strengthened international partnerships, and the establishment of athlete-centred programmes.

In line with the processes set-out in World Boxing’s Statutes, Rules for Electoral Voting and Rules for Candidates of Elections (HERE), all of the candidates will need to be approved by an independent Vetting Panel to make it on to the ballot paper at Congress. The Vetting Panel is made-up of three independent, external experts and supported by the leading independent provider of sport-specific arbitration and mediation services, Sport Resolutions.

A list of candidates and details of their relevant experience and expertise can be viewed HERE.

The Congress will be chaired by World Boxing Vice President, Dinah Glykidis and the elections overseen by an experienced, independent, third-party organisation. Scrutineers will be onsite to validate the veracity of the election processes and ensure candidates are treated in a fair and equitable manner.

Oceania Boxing Confederation elects Beulah Daunakamakama from Fiji as first President at its inaugural Congress in Fiji

October 13, 2025

The newly established Oceania Boxing Confederation has elected Beulah Daunakamakama from Fiji as its first President at its inaugural Congress in Fiji.

The establishment of the new Confederation, which is affiliated to World Boxing, marked the beginning of a new era for the sport in Oceania aimed at strengthening and promoting boxing in the region.

The Congress was hosted by the Fiji Amateur Boxing Association and attended by the National Federations for boxing from Aotearoa, Australia, Fiji, Kiribati, Samoa, Tahiti, and Tuvalu.

It was chaired by Dinah Glykidis, Chief Executive of Boxing Australia and a Vice President of World Boxing and included welcomes from Kathy Wong, President of the Fiji Association of Sports and National Olympic Committee (FASANOC) and Board Member of the Oceania National Olympic Committee (ONOC), and Ratu Meli Nacuva, Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Youth and Sports (Government of Fiji).

The business of Congress included the ratification of Oceania Boxing’s Statutes, and elections for the Executive Board, including the position of President and two Vice Presidents. The election process was scrutinised by FASANOC to ensure it was fair and transparent.

The full list of people elected to the Executive Board include:

President: Beulah Daunakamakama (Fiji)
Vice President (1): Phil Goodes (Australia)
Vice President (2): Tavui Mike Lemisio (Samoa)
Board Members: Ishmael Tahiata (French Polynesia), Lefau Francis Joseph Ainuu (Samoa), and Ms Manaema Saitala (Tuvalu – subsequently co-opted)
Chair of Sports and Competition Committee: Scott Bindloss (Kiribati)
Treasurer (Chair of Audit & Finance Committee): Vacant
One additional Board position remains vacant.

In speeches during the Congress, delegates expressed appreciation to World Boxing for its ongoing support in maintaining the Olympic pathway for athletes and enabling the revitalisation of boxing in the Oceania region.

The Congress also extended thanks to the current President of World Boxing, Boris van der Vorst, for his support in helping Oceania to establish the new Confederation.

World Boxing to hold Athletes Committee elections at World Boxing Championships 2025

August 29, 2025

World Boxing will host elections for its Athletes Committee at the inaugural World Boxing Championships 2025 in Liverpool, 4-14 September.

Six places (three men and three women) are available on the Committee which provides advice, guidance and opinions to World Boxing and is designed to ensure that boxers have a voice in the development of the organisation.

In addition to its role as a forum for discussing the needs of athletes, the group of six will nominate two of its members to serve as Athlete Representatives, who will be invited to attend and contribute directly to Executive Board meetings and sessions of Congress.

Every athlete in attendance at the World Boxing Championships will have the opportunity to vote in the electoral process. Every candidate has been validated by the Executive Board.

The full list of nominees is:

Name	Surname	Nation	Gender
Buse Naz	Çakıroğlu	Türkiye	Female
Caitlin	Parker	Australia	Female
Daniel	Pitt	Wales	Male
Emilia	Koterska	Poland	Female
Lamin	Bojang	Gambia	Male
Li	Qian	China	Female
Luca	Hamori	Hungary	Female
Richard	Torrez Jr.	USA	Male
Yojerlin	Cesar	France	Man
Zareen	Nikhat	India	Female

Candidate must at all times act in compliance with the World Boxing Statutes, the World Boxing Code of Ethics and the Olympic Charter.

Candidates must not have incurred any measure or sanction in relation to any violation of the Olympic Charter, World Boxing Statutes, World Boxing Code of Ethics, the World Anti-Doping Code, the World Boxing Code for Prevention of Manipulation of Competition or other applicable policies by the International Olympic Committee, World Boxing, or a National Federation.