The inaugural World Boxing Championships get underway this week with the world’s best Olympic-style boxers descending on the M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool, England for ten days of boxing action, 4-14 September 2025.
More than 540 men and women from over 66 national federations will compete in the tournament which will the first time ever that the men and women’s version of the world championships has been held as part of the same event.
It will be the biggest ever Olympic-style boxing event held in Great Britain and features 17 medallists from Paris 2024 and more than 30 boxers that competed at that most recent Olympic Games.
The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has secured a historic agreement with World Boxing to stream the World Boxing Championships 2025 on Eurovision Sport, the EBU’s premier digital platform, bringing the action to audiences worldwide. To see the full list of territories this is available in, click HERE.
80 medals will be on offer, including 20 golds, when the action gets underway on Thursday, across 10 weight classes each for men and women. Full details of the weight categories and the competition schedule are available HERE.
The two gold medallist from Paris are Abdumalik Khalokov of Uzbekistan and Erislandy Alvarez of Cuba.
Khaolokov is part of a powerful Uzbek team that is hoping to build on the success that saw it finish top of the boxing medal table in Paris with five golds. Although he is the only one of those that will be boxing in Liverpool, the team also includes five of the men that topped the podium at this summer’s World Boxing Cup in Poland: Mirazizbek Mirzakhalilov (55kg), Asadkhuja Muydinkhujaev (65kg), Fazliddin Erkinboev (75kg), Akmaljon Isroiliv (85kg), Jakhongir Zokirov (90kg+).
From a nation that is synonymous with Olympic-style boxing, Alvarez is joined in an eight-man Cuban line-up that features one of the all-time greats in Julio César La Cruz.
Now 35 and boxing at super heavyweight, La Cruz is the most decorated boxer in the competition with two Olympic golds (from Rio and Tokyo) and five golds and one bronze from previous iterations of the world championships. The Championships in Liverpool may be a final hurrah for one of the great boxers of the modern era who is bound to be one of the star attractions.
In the women’s categories, competition looks fierce in the women’s featherweight (57kg) division which will feature Poland’s Paris silver medallist, Julia Szeremeta, and up-and-coming Brazilian, Jucielen Cerqueira Romeu. Other Paris Olympians that will be hoping to contest the medals in this weight class include the USA’s Alyssa Mendoza and Ireland’s high-experienced two-time Olympian and three-time Commonwealth Games medallist, Michaela Walsh.
At the higher weights, the women’s middleweight (75kg) division offers up the possibility of a clash between Panama’s highly experienced Atheyna Bylon and Norwegian rising star, Sunniva Hofstad. Bylon won silver in Paris where Hofstad made history by becoming the first Norwegian women in history to box at an Olympic Games. She has been in terrific form in 2025 with three straight gold medals at World Boxing Cup events in Brazil, Poland and Kazakhstan.
Other Olympic medallists from 2024 that hope to be stepping onto the podium in Liverpool include Türkiye’s Buse Naz Cakiroglu (51kg) and Hatice Akbas (54kg) and Liu Yang (65kg) from China who all won silver in Paris. They are joined by bronze medallists, Nazym Kyzaibay (48kg) of Kazakhstan, South Korea’s Aeji Im (54kg) and Chin Chen (65kg) from Chinese Taipei.
The host nation, England, is fielding a full team of 20 that includes 16 boxers from the GB Boxing Olympic programme. It includes Paris Olympian, Chantelle Reid at light middleweight (57kg) and two men light-middleweight (70kg) Odel Kamara and middleweight Callum Makin (75kg), who will be hoping to secure big support as they are competing in home city.
All five continents that participate in Olympic-style boxing are represented in Liverpool and African interest comes from Nigeria, which is sending a team of five men and five women that includes Paris Olympian, Adam Olaore. Born in Lagos, but based in England, Olaore will be hoping to build on the success he enjoyed at the 2024 World Boxing Cup Finals in Sheffield when he made the podium with a bronze medal at heavyweight (90kg).
The full list of national federations competing at the World Boxing Championships 2025 are: Albania, Algeria, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Chinese Taipei, Colombia, Croatia, Cuba, Czechia, Denmark, Dominican Republic, England, Estonia, Fiji, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Iran, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Republic of Korea, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Lithuania, Mexico, Mongolia, Montenegro, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Panama, Philippines, Poland, Samoa, Saudi Arabia, Scotland, Singapore, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Türkiye, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, United States of America, Uzbekistan, Venezuela and Wales.
World Boxing President, Boris van der Vorst, said: “Coming six months after the International Olympic Committee confirmed that boxing will be part of the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games, this is a major milestone for World Boxing and is the first time in history that elite male and female boxers are competing for the title of world champion at the same tournament.
“As a host city, Liverpool is the perfect location. Culturally, Liverpool is famous across the globe, while from a sporting perspective, it is known in every corner of the world.
“Liverpool is also a place with a proud tradition of boxing, with many boxers from the city that have represented Great Britain at the Olympic Games or won titles in the professional ranks.”
Councillor Liam Robinson, Leader, Liverpool City Council, said: “On behalf of the city of Liverpool, it is my great pleasure to welcome athletes, officials, and fans from every corner of our planet to the 2025 World Boxing Championships.
“We will witness incredible talent, determination, and sportsmanship as the best boxers compete for world glory in the stunning setting of the M&S Bank Arena. This famous venue has regularly played host to some of the most memorable boxing nights this country has witnessed.
“Beyond the ring, we invite you to explore everything Liverpool has to offer – from our iconic waterfront and cultural landmarks to our diverse communities and world-class entertainment. This championship is more than a sporting event; it’s a celebration of unity, resilience, and the power of sport to inspire and connect us all.”
The World Boxing Championships 2025 will be livestreamed on World Boxing’s website via Eurovision Sport (available in selected territories) at https://worldboxing.org/watch-the-world-boxing-championships/
Draws, daily schedules, results and additional information can be found on the event’s official website: https://www.worldboxingliverpool.com/
World Boxing will be posting updates throughout the competition on its social media channels:
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/officialworldboxing/
X – https://x.com/RealWorldBoxing
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/OfficialWorldBoxing