Press Release

Pueblo in the USA to host the second World Boxing Cup event of 2024 as boxers prepare for last chance to qualify for Paris Olympics

March 22, 2024

The second World Boxing Cup of 2024 will take place at the Pueblo Convention Center, Pueblo, Colorado, 16-20 April 2024.

More than 150 boxers from over 20 countries are registered to take part in the event, which is officially known as the ‘World Boxing Cup: USA Boxing International Invitational’.

National Olympic Committees (NOCs) that have registered teams to take part in the event include: Algeria, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Great Britain, New Zealand, Nigeria, Panama, Philippines, Sweden, Chinese Taipei, US Virgin Islands and the Boxing Refugee Team.

The home nation line-up is expected to include the six boxers that have already qualified for Paris 2024:

Jennifer Lozano (50kg), Jajaira Gonzalez (60kg), Morelle McCane (66kg), Jahmal Harvey (57kg), Omari Jones (71 kg) and Joshua Edwards (92kg+).

The Pueblo event follows January’s ‘World Boxing Cup: GB Open – Sheffield 2024’ in England and is part of the new World Boxing Cup format which enables male and female boxers accrue ranking points over several stages of competition throughout the calendar year. It culminates in a year-end Finals event when the stage winners and other top-ranked boxers will compete for the World Boxing Cup trophy.

The five-day competition will take place at all 13 Olympic weight categories, seven for men and six for women. There will be two sessions per day [at 12:00 and 18:00 Mountain Time (MT) / 19:00 and 01:00 Central European Time (CET)] for the first four days and one session for the final day of action (12:00 MT).

Many of the participating countries will use the event in Pueblo as preparation for the 2^nd World Qualification Tournament in Bangkok, Thailand, 25 May – 2 June 2024, which will be the final chance for boxers to secure qualification for Paris 2024.

The draw for the World Boxing Cup: USA Boxing International Invitational, which is being delivered by USA Boxing in association with World Boxing, will take place on 15 April 2024 and all of the event information, include draw sheets, results, updates, photographs and a live stream of the action can be viewed at: https://www.usaboxing.org/2024-international-invitational.

World Boxing’s President, Boris van der Vorst, said: “We are committed to delivering high quality competition opportunities for boxers and I am very grateful to our colleagues at USA Boxing for hosting this event. I am very confident that it will build on the success of the recent World Boxing Cup in England and will provide excellent competition for all of the boxers and support the preparation of those men and women that are planning to compete in the final Olympic qualifying event in Thaliand in May.”

Mike McAtee, Executive Director/Chief Executive, USA Boxing, added: “USA Boxing is excited to host a preview of this summer’s Olympic Games on our home field with World Boxing. This competition will provide boxers with a high-quality experience before representing their respective countries in Paris, with many of these boxers expected to be boxing for a Olympic gold medal this summer. We look forward to showcasing amateur Olympic-style boxing to our community and building a fan base for our team and the other teams heading into Paris.”

More news on the World Boxing Cup: USA Boxing International Invitational will be posted on World Boxing’s social channels in the build-up to the event and throughout the competition at:

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Statement from World Boxing following the IOC Executive Board Meeting

March 20, 2024

“World Boxing welcomes the clear position provided by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) at its press conference (19 March 2024) on the status of boxing at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.

“The comments made by the IOC send a clear message to Boxing National Federations that they must join and support a new International Federation immediately if boxing is to remain on the Olympic Programme, or the sport will not be part of future editions of the Olympic Games after Paris 2024, which will have devastating consequences for young boxers, at all levels, across the world.

“World Boxing aims to be the new International Federation and has been established with the primary aim of ensuring that boxing remains at the heart of the Olympic Movement. It has been founded on the principles of integrity, honesty and excellence and is underpinned by rigorous governance practices, designed to put the interests of boxers first and ensure that the integrity of the sport is guaranteed and competition is fair.

“World Boxing will seek recognition from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and, should it choose to engage with us, we are committed to working constructively and collaboratively with National Federations and all stakeholders to develop a pathway that will preserve boxing’s place on the Olympic programme at Los Angeles 2028 and beyond.

“With its comments, the IOC has sent a direct and unequivocal message to everyone connected with the sport and we call upon all National Federations and everyone that cares about boxers and the future of boxing to join and support World Boxing and work with us to ensure that boxing remains at the heart of the Olympic Movement.”

World Boxing’s Executive Board approves the nominations of Tammara Thibeault and Caitlin Parker to join its Athlete Committee

March 6, 2024

Canada’s Tammara Thibeault and Caitlin Parker from Australia have joined World Boxing’s Athlete Committee after their nominations were approved at a recent meeting of its Executive Board.

The pair, who both competed at the 2020 Olympic Games and have qualified for Paris 2024, join Athlete Representatives, Lauren Price and Richard Torrez Jr, who sit on World Boxing’s Executive Board, to form a cohort of boxers that will strengthen the athlete focus of the organisation.

The Athletes Committee is responsible for representing the views of boxers worldwide and providing advice, guidance and opinions to World Boxing. The members of the Athletes Committee are regularly consulted on relevant matters to ensure the views of boxers are reflected in World Boxing’s decision making. They also represent the organisation publicly and are invited to attend and contribute to meetings of the Executive Board and the World Boxing Congress.

The two new additions to the Athletes Committee both compete at middleweight (75kg) and have previously boxed each other, most recently in the semi-final of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games when the Canadian edged the bout and went on to take gold.

Tammara Thibeault is also the current 2023 Pan-American Games champion and won gold at the 2022 world championships in Istanbul. In addition to her bronze from Birmingham, Caitlin Parker, won a silver medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games and a bronze at the 2014 Youth Olympics.

Tammara Thibeault said: “I am honoured to be a part of World Boxing’s future and thrilled to have the opportunity to contribute to the effort to keeping Olympic boxing in the Games. As we manage this significant shift in our sport’s leadership, it is up to athletes like us to speak for future generations. In this new chapter of amateur boxing history, I am dedicated to bringing about change through integrity and excellence.”

Caitlin Parker added: “I am looking forward to positively contributing to the future of World Boxing, as we work together to secure boxing as part of the Olympic programme.”

Both boxers were approved as members of the Athlete Committee at the most recent meeting of the World Boxing Executive Board on 26 February 2024.

The Executive Board meeting made decisions on a wide range of measures to enable the organisation to build on the success it has achieved since it was publicly launched in April 2023. They included:

World Boxing’s Strategic Plan 2024-2028 was formally approved. This will be published shortly on the World Boxing website
The approval of World Boxing’s new Competition Rules which will be published shortly on the World Boxing website
The new certification process for Referees and Judges (R and J’s) was formally approved and will be rolled-out amongst National Federation from March 2024 onwards
It was confirmed that the next World Boxing Cup event will be in the USA in April 2024 and that discussions are at an advanced stage with a member country to host the season finale of this competition in November or December 2024
An update was provided on recent meetings hosted by members of the Executive Board with key sporting stakeholders in Lausanne
A series of decisions were made in relation to key committees:
- Boxing Scotland board member, Daryl Broadfoot, was added to the Marketing and Commercial Development Commission
- The Sports and Competition Committee was given the go ahead to create two sub-commissions, a Technical Commission and a Coaches Commission, for which member National Federation will be asked to submit suitable candidates
- The composition of the Continental Confederation Commission was approved by the Executive Board
- The Medical and Anti-Doping Committee committed to hold a face-to-face meeting at the next World Boxing Cup event in the USA
- The Finance Committee outlined the financial planning and auditing process

Boris van der Vorst, President of World Boxing said: “Ensuring the views of athletes are at the centre of decision making is core to World Boxing’s way of working and it is fantastic that we have been able to attract two such high calibre candidates as Tammara and Caitlin to join the organisation. They have both achieved a great deal, inside and outside of the ring, and I am sure they will make a fantastic contribution to the future development of World Boxing.

“As the outputs from Executive Board meeting demonstrate World Boxing continues to make excellent progress across all aspects of its operations, including competition delivery, officiating, commercial activities and continuing to enhance the infrastructure of our organisation.

“We have come a long way in a very short space of time and I have no doubt, that with the ongoing support of our colleagues and our members, World Boxing will continue to go from strength-to-strength as we work towards our goal of ensuring boxing remains at the heart of the Olympic Movement.”

World Boxing was launched in April 2023 and aims to ensure that boxing remains at the heart of the Olympic movement. It will seek recognition from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and plans to work constructively and collaboratively to develop a pathway that will preserve boxing’s ongoing place on the Olympic competition programme at Los Angeles 2028 and beyond.

27 National Federations, covering every continent that participates in Olympic-style boxing are members of World Boxing. The first cohort was made-up of USA Boxing, New Zealand Boxing, Boxing Australia, GB Boxing, England Boxing and the Dutch Boxing Federation. They were joined in August 2023 by the National Federations for boxing in Canada, Brazil, Argentina, Germany, Honduras and Sweden. The next two groups to join included Denmark, Mongolia, Panama, French Polynesia, Finland, Iceland, Jamaica, Nigeria, Norway and the Czech Republic. The most recent cohort of members in October 2023 was comprised of Philippines, Scotland, Wales, Suriname and the US Virgin Islands.

Sheffield to host new international World Boxing Cup event in January 2024

December 15, 2023

A new international boxing competition hosted by England Boxing and World Boxing in association with GB Boxing, will take place from 17-20 January 2024 at the English Institute of Sport Sheffield, England.

The event, known as the ‘World Boxing Cup: GB Open, Sheffield 2024’, is a new addition to the elite international boxing calendar and will be part of the World Boxing Cup series developed by World Boxing, the new international federation which has been established to ensure boxing remains at the heart of the Olympic Movement.

The World Boxing Cup is a new format in which male and female boxers accrue ranking points over several stages of competition throughout the calendar year. It culminates in a year-end Finals event when the stage winners and other top-ranked boxers compete for the World Boxing Cup trophy.

The World Boxing Cup event in Sheffield will be first event of the 2024 series and feature seven men’s weight categories and six for women, the same as those that will be used at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

The event will be delivered by England Boxing in association with World Boxing and GB Boxing and is supported by the National Lottery, UK Sport and Sheffield City Council.

World Boxing’s Secretary General, Simon Toulson, explained: “World Boxing is committed to delivering a calendar of high quality competition opportunities that are designed in the interests of the boxers and it is fantastic that we will be bringing this event to England as part of the new World Boxing Cup series. The timing of the event is great for all concerned, as it leads into the Olympic qualifier in Italy and shows that we are delivering a competition structure that works for the boxers and will benefit the sport.”

GB Boxing’s Chief Executive, Matt Holt, said: “We have been aiming to have an international boxing competition in the UK for some time now, so it is great that we have been able to link-up with the new international federation and key local stakeholders to develop an event that can be part of next year’s World Boxing Cup series. It is very good news for the boxers in our squad, who usually compete abroad, and means they will be able to box at home where their family and friends will be able to watch them.

“This is a huge year for our boxers and being able to host this event at home, prior to the second Olympic qualifying event (in Italy from 29 February – 12 March 2024), is ideal preparation for the men and women in our squad as they look to secure their places at Paris 2024.”

Jerome Pels, Chief Executive, England Boxing, added: “We are very proud to be a part of the new World Boxing Cup series and are looking forward to being part of this event which will be a superb opportunity to showcase the popularity of boxing in England. Our staff, officials, and volunteers all possess the skills and expertise necessary to deliver a top-class competition and are looking forward to collaborating with World Boxing and GB Boxing to bring this event to life.

“Having a World Boxing Cup event in England is fantastic for the sport at all levels. It is a tremendous opportunity for Great Britain’s elite boxers to showcase their talent on home soil and, at the same, provides a platform for us to promote, develop and grow the sport at the grassroots.”

Councillor Martin Smith, Chair of the Economic Development Committee at Sheffield City Council said: “It’s great to see this event coming to Sheffield, the home of the Team GB boxing programme. Events like this are really beneficial to the city and we look forward to working with World Boxing, England Boxing and GB Boxing to deliver a great competition.”

All of the National Federations that have joined World Boxing have been invited to take part in the ‘World Boxing Cup: GB Open, Sheffield 2024’. National Federations that are not currently members will be able to participate provided their request is approved by the Executive Board of World Boxing.

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Boris van der Vorst elected first President of World Boxing at inaugural Congress

November 25, 2023

Boris van der Vorst has been elected as the first President of World Boxing at its inaugural Congress in Frankfurt.

The Dutchman secured 63 per cent of the vote against Elise Seignolle from USA Boxing and will serve an initial two-year term.

In his inaugural Presidential speech following the election, Boris van der Vorst, said: “I am humbled and honoured to have been elected President of World Boxing and I would like to thank everyone that has supported me in recent weeks and over the last few years. My campaign was based on the principles integrity, honesty and trust and I will continue to promote these values within our growing boxing family.

“Making sure boxing remains at the heart of the Olympic Movement is our number one priority and I look forward to working together with the newly elected board and all of our member National Federations to help us deliver this.”

The Presidential election was one of a series of votes at the Congress which covered a range of positions including three Vice Presidents (VP), four places on World Boxing’s Executive Board and the Chairs of the Sport and Competition Committee, the Medical and Anti-Doping Committee and the Finance and Audit Committee.

Three women and five men took part in the Vice Presidential elections which saw Canada’s Ryan O’Shea, Matt Holt from GB Boxing and the CEO of Boxing Australia, Dinah Glykidis emerge with the most votes to secure the three places.

The four candidates elected to the Executive Board were: Michael Muller from Germany, Victorico Vargas from the Philippines, Sweden’s Susanne Karrlander and Marcos Candido de Brito of Brazil.

In the election to chair World Boxing Committees, Hernan Salvo or Argentina secured the role as Chair of Sport and Competition Committee; Dr Armando Sanchez from the USA got the most to Chair the Medical and Anti-Doping Committee and Julia Felton from Australia will Chair the Finance and Audit Committee.

The 11 winners in today’s elections will form a 14-person Executive Board, along with the two Athlete Representatives, Lauren Price and Richard Torrez Jr, and the Secretary General, Simon Toulson.

The Vice Presidents and Executive Board members will serve terms of two or four years. The difference in the length of terms is designed to enhance democratic accountability and means that World Boxing will hold elections every two years.

The Congress was attended by 26 of World Boxing’s 27 member countries. Delegates had one or two votes in line with the policies set out in the World Boxing statutes.

The Secretary General of World Boxing, Simon Toulson, said: “The inaugural Congress is a very significant milestone in the development of World Boxing and to have so many members attend in person, is a sign of people’s commitment to the organisation and everything we are trying to achieve for the sport.

“Hosting open, fair and transparent elections is a central element of World Boxing’s commitment to operating to the highest standards of governance and today’s events today have shown that the organisation is delivering on this commitment and I look forward to working with the newly appointed Executive Board and to help create a better future for the sport.”

A full list of the people elected to office is below:

Office	Name	Length of term
President	Boris van der Vorst (NED)	Two years
Vice President	Ryan O’Shea (CAN)	Two years
Vice President	Matt Holt (GB)	Four years
Vice President	Dinah Glykidis (AUS)	Four years
Executive Board	Michael Muller (GER)	Two years
Executive Board	Victorico Vargas (PHI)	Four years
Executive Board	Suzanne Karrlander (SWE)	Two years
Executive Board	Marcos Candido de Brito (BRA)	Two years
Chair Sport and Competition Committee	Hernan Salvo (ARG)	Four years
Chair, Chair Medical and Anti-Doping	Dr Armando Sanchez (USA)	Four years
Chair Finance and Audit Committee	Julia Felton (AUS)	Four years

First commerical partnership for World Boxing sees it agree a four-year sponsorship deal for Sting to become its Official Competition Equipment Supplier

November 24, 2023

World Boxing, the new international federation established to keep boxing at the heart of the Olympic Movement, has agreed its first commercial partnership with Sting, one of the world’s leading manufacturers and suppliers of premium boxing kit and equipment.

The exclusive, four-year sponsorship deal means Sting will become World Boxing’s Official Competition Equipment Supplier and provide all the gloves, protective clothing, handwraps and training equipment used by boxers during tournaments including the World Boxing Cup series and the U19 and elite World Boxing Championships.

The agreement, which was formally signed at World Boxing’s inaugural Congress in Frankfurt (24-25 November 2023), will also see Sting provide expertise and advice on the development of competition equipment and contribite to the work of World Boxing’s Sport and Competition Committee. As part of this, both parties have also committed to explore the use of Artificial Intellgience (AI) in the development of intelligent kit for fitness.

World Boxing’s Secretary General, Simon Toulson, said: “Signing our first commerical partnership with one of the world’s top suppliers of premium boxing equipment is extremely positive for World Boxing. It shows that leading boxing brands like Sting share our values and principles and want to be associated with World Boxing as they believe in what we are trying to achieve for the sport and everyone connected with it.

“This will significantly enhance the quality and prestige of our competitions and is great news for all of the boxers using Sting equipment in World Boxing tournaments in the coming years, as they know they will be competing with top quality products and equipment.”

Amir Anis, Managing Director, Sting International, added: “It is great for Sting to be World Boxing’s first commercial partner and we are very excited to agree this four-year sponsorship deal that will ensure boxers competing at World Boxing events will have access to the safest and best equipment which will enable them to perform at their best and achieve their full potential.”

Sting is a supplier of premium boxing equipment for Olympic boxers, professionals and fitness participants. Products include gloves, protective equipment, coaching products, accessories and punch bags which use the best materials, the latest design techniques and the most skilled craftsmen to create items of unrivalled quality. Sting was the official kit supplier for boxing to the 2016 Rio Olympic Games and has supply agreements with numerous leading National Federations including Australia, England, Germany, Scotland, USA and GB Boxing.

World Boxing announces 2024 competition calendar and opens bidding process for elite and U19 world championships

November 23, 2023

World Boxing, the new international federation established to keep boxing at the heart of the Olympic Movement, has announced a competition calendar for 2024 and opened the bidding process for its first two global tournaments.

The competition calendar details the events World Boxing will deliver in association with member National Federations in 2024 and includes two new competition formats, the World Boxing Cup and the World Boxing Challenge.

The event bidding process invites expressions of interest from countries that have the capability to host the U19 World Boxing Championships in November 2024, and the first Elite World Boxing Championships in November 2025. Both events will include male and female weight categories.

National Federations interested in hosting either the 2024 U19 World Boxing Championships or the 2025 Elite World Boxing Championships can request further information by contacting info@worldboxing.org.

Simon Toulson, Secretary General, World Boxing explained: “Providing high-quality competiton opportunities that enable boxers to develop and progress is central to the work of World Boxing and, by working with key stakeholders, National Federations and trusted organisations, we have developed a calendar that will make this possible.

“The growth in our membership means World Boxing is now represented on every continent that participates in the sport. It has enabled us to begin the planning process for staging world championships and we look forward to receiving expressions of interest from cities and countries that are keen to work with us on hosting these events in 2024 and 2025.”

The tournament calendar for 2024 has been created to ensure that boxers from National Federations aligned to World Boxing have a range of competitive opportunities in the next 12 months. The calendar also references the Paris Olympic Qualification Tournaments as World Boxing members are eligible to compete in these events as part of the pathway to the 2024 Olympic Games.

Boxers from countries that are members of World Boxing can compete in all World Boxing tournaments. To ensure that competitions are inclusive, boxers from countries that are not members can take part in events that take place before the 2024 Olympic Games, provided it has been approved by the Executive Board of World Boxing.

The two new formats, World Boxing Cup and World Boxing Challenge, have been designed in the interests of boxers and will provide a better structure and greater meaning to the current calendar in Olympic-style boxing by bringing a common standard to the existing network of international tournaments staged by National Federations.

The World Boxing Cup is a new, annual competition series in which elite male and female boxers will accrue ranking points over several stages of competition throughout the calendar year. It will culminate in a year-end Finals event in which the stage winners and other top-ranked boxers will compete for the main trophy.

The publication of the competition calendar was welcomed Tokyo 2020, middleweight gold medallist, Lauren Price, who is an Athlete Representatives on the World Boxing Executive Board. Price said: “Providing high-quality, international competition opportunities is central to supporting the development of boxers as it enables them to work on their their skills against a wide variety of opponents and styles.

“The World Boxing calendar and the two new formats it has created will provide a better structure and greater meaning to the existing circuit of international tournaments which will benefit the boxers by giving them goals, titles and rewards to aim towards in the course of the year.”

Stage one of the World Boxing Cup 2024 will be held in England, 16-21 January 2024. This event is a new addition to the international boxing calendar and will be delivered by GB Boxing and England Boxing in association with World Boxing.

The second stage of the World Boxing Cup 2024 will be in Pueblo, Colorado in the USA in April. It will be followed by two further rounds of the competition and culminate in the World Boxing Cup Finals in late 2024.

The World Boxing Challenge is designed to provide a structure to the existing calendar of smaller competitions delivered by National Federations. Ranking points will be awarded to boxers based on their performances at these events which will count towards their eligibility to compete in the World Boxing Cup and other major tournaments including Continental and World Championships.

Making these existing events part of a wider, more meaningful, competition structure with longevity over the course of the year will enhance their profile and prominence.

In the build-up to Paris 2024, the weight categories at World Boxing’s senior elite competitions will mirror the 13 classes that will be used at the Olympic Games.

Simon Toulson, Secretary General, World Boxing added: “The creation of new competiton formats shows that we are delivering a structure that works for boxers and will benefit the sport.

“As World Boxing grows as an organisation, we will add to the calender with the creation of more competitions at all levels. These will become part of a dedicated, regular and reliable schedule of events that boxers and coaches can have faith will take place when they are scheduled to and will enable them to develop and improve as athletes.”

Full details of the calendar and a list of the scheduled competitions are available HERE.

An FAQ containing further details of World Boxings competition calendar is available HERE.

Beyond the confirmed events in England and the USA, World Boxing is in discussions with potential hosts for World Boxing Cup and World Boxing Challenge events in 2024.

Timelines and processes for bidding for events will be transparent, timely and fair. Decisions on hosting and timing will be made in the interests of boxers.

All the World Boxing competitions will be subject to independent, third-party scrutiny of the processes for selecting technical officials, including referees and judges, to ensure sporting integrity and deliver fair competition for the boxers.

111 boxers from 15 countries to compete in ‘World Boxing Cup Cologne 2023’

October 28, 2023

111 boxers from 15 countries will take part in the ‘World Boxing Cup: Cologne 2023’ (28-31 October 2023) which starts today in Germany following yesterday’s draw.

The tournament is being delivered by the German Boxing Association in collaboration with World Boxing, the new international federation (IF) which has been established to ensure boxing remains at the heart of the Olympic movement.

The 15 nations taking part in the competition include 11 countries that are members of World Boxing: Australia, Canada, Denmark, England, Finland, Germany, Mongolia, Norway, Scotland, Sweden and Wales. Three countries that are not currently members of the new IF, Cuba, France and Switzerland, have been given approval to compete by the Executive Board of World Boxing. The final entrant is representing the Refugee team.

The competition will follow the new World Boxing Cup format and features six women’s categories and seven for men, which reflect the weight classes that will be used at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

60 men and 51 women are taking part in the four-day competition. There will be two sessions of boxing on each of the first three days starting at 14:00 and 19:00 (CET). Finals day on 31 October 2023 will feature one session starting at 17:00.

Weight classes competing in today’s first session from 14:00, when there will be two rings in action, include 50kg, 54kg and 60kg in the women’s competition and 63.5kg, 71kg, 80kg, 92kg and 92kg+ for the men.

The action is being streamed live and can be viewed at: https://sportdeutschland.tv/dbvboxen

A full list of entrants and details of the draw can be viewed at: https://www.boxverband.de/cologne-boxing-cup-der-ablaufplan-des-turniers-in-koeln/

World Boxing will be posting updates throughout the competition on its social channels:

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Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/OfficialWorldBoxing