NEWS

World Boxing confirms date of Congress 2026

World Boxing has confirmed that its third annual Congress will be held on Friday 20 November 2026 in Panama.

Congress is the highest authority of World Boxing and is held annually to vote on key decisions, discuss important issues and promote good governance and financial transparency. It has the power to amend World Boxing’s Statutes; elect the President and Executive Board; and admit, suspend, expel and reinstate member National Federations.

123 National Federation members will have an opportunity to vote at Congress 2026, which will see elections for a number of positions on World Boxing’s Executive Board and votes on more than 40 applications to join the organisation. A full agenda for Congress 2026 will be shared in advance of the event.

Alongside the main Congress session, World Boxing will hold an Executive Boad meeting in Panama on Wednesday 18 November 2026 and the continental confederation for the region, the Panamerican Boxing Confederation, will hold its annual Congress on Thursday 19 November 2026.

Invitation packages and further information about Congress 2026 will be sent to member National Federations in May 2026.

The second annual World Boxing Congress was held on 23 November 2025 in Rome, Italy, when the two-time middleweight world champion and 2004 Olympic silver medallist, Gennadiy Golovkin was named as the new President of World Boxing.

Asian Boxing Elite Boxing Championships concludes with 10 men’s finals as Kazakhstan finishes top of the medal table

After twelve days of intense competition at the Asian Boxing Elite Boxing Championships 2026 in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, the final 10 gold medals have been handed out in the men’s weight categories.

On the final day of action, Kazakhstan emerged as the most successful nation with four wins for Orazbe Assylkulov (M60kg), Sabirzhan Akkalykov (M75kg), Nurbek Oralbay (M85kg) and Aibek Oralbay (M90kg+).

The second most successful nation on the day was Uzbekistan which finished on top of the podium in three weight classes with wins for Abdulloh Madaminov (M65kg), Faziliddin Erkinboev (M80kg) and Khalimjon Mamasoliev (M90kg).

The remaining gold medals were won by Japan’s Rui Yamaguchi (M55kg), Jordan’s Zeyad Eashash (M70kg) and India’s Vishvanath Suresh (M50kg).

After yesterday’s women’s finals, it means that Kazakhstan tops the overall medal table with six golds, followed by India with five and Uzbekistan with three.

All competition documents including the draw, schedules and results can be viewed HERE.

The event was the first continental championships hosted by a confederation aligned to World Boxing and is one of three taking place in 2026. Later this year, the European Boxing Championships will be held in Bulgaria, in September, followed by the PanAmerican Boxing Championships in Mexico in October.

Ten winners crowned on women’s finals day at Asian Boxing Elite Boxing Championships 2026

Day eleven of competition in Ulaanbaatar saw the women’s finals of the Asian Boxing Elite Boxing Championships 2026 take place as ten boxers secured gold medals.

India won the most gold medals with Minakshi Minakshi (W48kg), Preeti Preeti (W54kg), Priya Priya (W60kg) and Arundhati Choudhary (W70kg) delivering four victories on Thursday.

Kazakhstan and China followed with two golds each. Nadezhda Ryabets (W80kg) and Dina Islambekova (W80kg+) came out on top for Kazakhstan while Bao Ziyi (W75kg) and Wu Yu (W51kg) earned golds for China.

Chinese Taipei’s Chen Nien-Chin (W65kg) added another gold to her medal collection while the final gold went to Thailand’s Punrawee Ruenros (W57kg).

Tomorrow sees the event come to a close with ten finals in the male weight categories with action getting underway from 13:00 local time.

All competition documents including the draw, schedules and results will be uploaded HERE.

The entire competition is being livestreamed on Asian Boxing’s new streaming platform available HERE.

The event is the first continental championships hosted by a confederation aligned to World Boxing and is one of three taking place in 2026. Later this year, the European Boxing Championships will be held in Bulgaria, in September, followed by the PanAmerican Boxing Championships in Mexico in October.

Follow Asian Boxing and World Boxing on social media to make sure you don’t miss a moment of the Asian Boxing Elite Boxing Championships 2026.

Chair of World Boxing’s Athlete Committee Caitlin Parker urges boxers coaches and staff to sign-up for ITA education programme to promote clean sport

The Chair of World Boxing’s Athletes Committee, Caitlin Parker, has backed the International Federation’s work to promote clean sport and urged all boxers, coaches and technical staff from its member National Federation to sign-up to an upcoming series of educational webinars.

The webinars will be delivered by the International Testing Agency (ITA), which provides all of World Boxing’s anti-doping services and clean sport activities, and are designed to provide education on the importance of clean sport; testing and the anti-doping process; recent developments in anti-doping; and information on The Prohibited List, Medications, TUEs and Supplements.

Caitlin Parker, who won a middleweight bronze medal for Australia at Paris 2024 and was recently elected as the first ever Chair of World Boxing’s Athlete Committee, said: “As athletes, we are responsible for what goes into our bodies and how we show up in our sport. Education like this is really important to help everyone make better decisions and keep our sport clean.

“Everyone affiliated with World Boxing, whether you’re a boxer, coach, or wider team member, should be signing up for these sessions. Staying informed is the best way to protect everyone in boxing.”

The education programme is made-up of three webinars in April and May 2026 organised by the ITA in collaboration with World Boxing.

Dates:

22 April 2026 – 13:00 (GMT)

Webinar 1: Introduction to anti-doping

29 April 2026 – 13:00 (GMT)

Webinar 2: The Prohibited List, Medications, TUEs and Supplements

6 May 2026 – 13:00 (GMT)

Webinar 3: Testing

Boxers, coaches and support staff are able to sign up by clicking HERE.

Once people have received the automatic registration email, they can use the link in this email to access the ITA IF Webinar Handbook, which includes learning objectives and links to tools and resources of each webinar, along with information on certificate completion.

The ITA has been working with World Boxing since October 2024 and manages all of its clear sport activities, including a comprehensive programme and in-competition and out-of competition testing; the management of Athlete Biological Passports (ABPs) of boxing athletes; and the processing of Therapeutic Use Exemptions (TUEs).

All clean sport activities on behalf of World Boxing are conducted in strict compliance with the World Anti-Doping Code and its International Standards, with the ITA’s dedicated Regulatory Compliance unit ensuring full compliance with the mandatory rules. All potential anti-doping rule violations arising from the anti-doping program will be subject to independent results management by the ITA.

More than 230 male and female boxers will compete in World Boxing’s first ever continental championship when action gets underway at Asian Boxing Elite Boxing Championships 2026 in Mongolia

The Asian Boxing Elite Boxing Championships 2026 begin on Monday 30 March 2026 in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, with more than 230 athletes registered to compete from over 25 nations.

The event will be the first continental championships hosted by a confederation aligned to World Boxing and is one of three taking place in 2026. Later this year, the European Boxing Championships will be held in Bulgaria, in September, followed by the PanAmerican Boxing Championships in Mexico in October.

More than 20 Olympians and several current World Boxing champions are set to take part in the competition. Click HERE to read all about the boxers to watch in Mongolia.

The official draw takes place at 18:00 (local time) on Sunday 29 March and the action will feature 10 weight categories each for both male and female boxers.  All the women’s finals will be on 9 April and the competition will conclude the following day with 10 men’s finals.

The President of Asian Boxing, Mr. Pichai Chunhavajira, said: “We are honoured to host this prestigious event in Ulaanbaatar. Mongolia’s strong boxing tradition, respect for sport, and dedication to excellence make it an ideal host for the Asian Boxing Elite Boxing Championships.

“I extend my sincere gratitude to the host federation, the local organizing committee, and all partners and authorities whose hard work has made this event possible.”

All competition documents including the draw, schedules and results will be uploaded HERE.

The entire competition will be livestreamed on Asian Boxing’s new streaming platform available HERE.

Follow Asian Boxing and World Boxing on social media to make sure you don’t miss a moment of the Asian Boxing Elite Boxing Championships 2026.

STATEMENT FROM WORLD BOXING ON BOXER ELIGIBILITY TO COMPETE IN THE ASIAN BOXING CHAMPIONSHIPS 2026

Following a statement by the Chinese Taipei Boxing Association (CBTA) HERE which says that the Paris 2024 gold medallist Lin Yu-ting “will make her return to the ring at the Asian Boxing Championships”, World Boxing can confirm that, following an appeal by the National Federation, the boxer is eligible to take part in the forthcoming Asian Boxing Championships in Mongolia, 29 March – 10 April 2026.

The appeal process was conducted in line with World Boxing’s Sex Eligibility policy which was

introduced in August 2025 and includes mandatory sex testing, to determine the eligibility of male and female athletes that want to participate in its competitions.

The policy is designed to ensure the safety of all participants and deliver a competitive level playing field for male and female athletes and means that all athletes over the age of 18 that want to participate in a World Boxing owned or sanctioned competition need to undergo a once-in-a-lifetime PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test to determine their sex and their eligibility to compete in either the male or female category. The PCR test is a laboratory technique used to detect specific genetic material, in this case the SRY gene, which reveals the presence of the Y chromosome that is an indicator of male biological sex.

World Boxing’s policy HERE, includes an appeal process detailed in Clause 5.1.4 which enables boxers that screen positive for the SRY gene to lodge an appeal and provide supporting evidence that will be reviewed by World Boxing’s Medical Committee.

Following an initial test in 2025, the National Federation for boxing in Chinese Taipei began an appeal process on behalf of one of its boxers and submitted a series of medical documents that were reviewed and analysed by World Boxing’s Medical Committee.

Following the conclusion of the appeal process, and in line with World Boxing’s Sex Eligibility policy, World Boxing wrote to the CTBA. The letter stated: “The World Boxing Medical Committee considered and evaluated the medical documentation presented and determined that the boxer was deemed to be female and eligible to compete in the female category.”  

The Secretary General of World Boxing, Tom Dielen, explained: “Following the conclusion of an appeal process by the National Federation, which was conducted in-line with World Boxing’s Sex Eligibility policy and overseen by World Boxing’s Medical Committee, we can confirm that the boxer is eligible to compete in the female category at World Boxing competitions.

“We recognise that this has been a difficult period for the boxer and the CTBA and appreciate the way they have approached the appeal process and their acknowledgement of World Boxing’s requirement to ensure that its eligibility policy, which is designed to deliver safety and sporting integrity, has been correctly implemented and followed.”

Executive Board of World Boxing endorses nine new applications to take membership total to 168 countries

The Executive Board of World Boxing has endorsed nine new applications to join the organisation from the National Federations for boxing in Belarus, Cyprus, Mozambique, Niue, Papua New Guinea, Russia, Tanzania, Tonga and Zambia.

The endorsements means that World Boxing now has 168 member National Federations made-up of 123 ‘Full Members’, one ‘Associate Member’ and 44 ‘Endorsed Members’.

To secure the endorsement of the Executive Board, all nine National Federations have completed a rigorous application process and are deemed to be in good standing and, through their statutes and operating processes, able to demonstrate a transparent and open election process for the appointment of office bearing roles, showcase the existence and operation of WADA-recognsied anti-doping polices and processes, and provide evidence of a structured, dispute resolution and appeals process that is either fully independent or subject to external input.

While the Executive Board has endorsed the applications from the Russian and Belarusian National Federations, World Boxing will seek guidance from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on the conditions for participation in its competitions. It is expected these will follow the AIN procedure – ‘Athlètes Individuels Neutres’ (Individual Neutral Athletes) –  deployed by the IOC for Russian and Belarusian athletes that competed at the recent 2026 Winter Olympic Hames in Milan Cortina.

Adopting the AIN procedure would mean that boxers from Russia and Belarus will participate as individual athletes without a flag or national anthem. World Boxing will also conduct a series of checks to ensure that Russian and Belarusian boxers who want to participate in its competitions do not have a history of supporting the war in Ukraine and are not members of clubs linked to the army or police force.

The decision to endorse the applications from Cyprus, Mozambique, Niue, Papua New Guinea, Tanzania, Tonga and Zambia means that all seven countries will be able to compete in the boxing competition at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games this summer, which will be held under World Boxing’s rules.

The nine new National Federation members are:

  • Belarussian Boxing Federation
  • Cyprus Amateur Boxing Federation
  • Mozambique Boxing Federation
  • NIUE Boxing Federation
  • Russian Boxing Federation
  • PNG Boxing Union Inc.
  • Tonga Federation of Boxing
  • Boxing Federation of Tanzania
  • Zambia Boxing Federation

Under World Boxing Statutes HERE the nine new National Federations have ‘Endorsed Member’ status which means they are able to compete in World Boxing competitions (subject to the AIN procedure for Russia and Belarus) but cannot vote at Congress 2026 as they do not have ‘Full Member’ status.

‘Full Member’ status can only be conferred by Congress, which is the ultimate authority of World Boxing, and will be voted on at Congress 2026. ‘Endorsed Members’ that are successful in having their membership applications ratified at this Congress and become ‘Full Members’ will be able to vote at the following year’s Congress in 2027 and all those thereafter.

Lists of the 124 National Federations that have ‘Full Member’ or ‘Associate Member’ status and the 44 National Federations that are ‘Endorsed Member’ can viewed be in the membership section of the World Boxing website HERE.

World Boxing was launched in April 2023. 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.

Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan continue to lead the way in updated World Boxing Rankings

World Boxing has published its updated rankings (HERE) for elite men and women covering the performances of boxers at competitions in 2024 and up until the start of 2026.

The updated rankings reveal that boxers from Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan continue to lead the way with both countries having six boxers ranked number one in the world.

Uzbekistan remains dominant in the men’s categories where it has the number one boxer at M60kg, M65kg, M75kg, M80kg, M85kg, and M90kg. 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.

Other countries with boxers at number one in the world 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 third set published by World Boxing and have been updated (in line with RULE 1.10.10 in the World Boxing Competition Rules HERE) whereby the total amount of points accumulated from competition is reduced by 25% on 1 January of the following calendar year, by 50% on 1 January of the second calendar year and by 100% on 1 January of the third calendar year.

At the start of 2026, the leading female boxer in the world is still Polish featherweight (W57kg), Julia Szeremeta, who has 1475 points, however two Indian boxers have moved up to second at third. Featherweight (W57kg) Jaismine Jaismine is hot on the heels of her Polish rival with 1462.5 points and light-flyweight (W48kg), Minakshi Minakshi, is now in third place with 1425 points.

At the top of the men’s weights Uzbekistan’s Abdumalik Khalokov and Asadkhuja Muydinkhujiaev, who box at lightweight (M60kg) and welterweight (M65kg) respectively, remain tied on 2125 points. The only change in the order of the top five men has seen Kazakhstan’s super-heavyweight (M90kg+) world champion, leapfrog Cuba’s Erislandy Alvarez to take third spot.

The top five ranked male and female boxers at the start of 2026 are:

MALE BOXERSFEMALE BOXERS
 Boxer detailsPoints Boxer detailsPoints
1st =Abdumalik KHALOKOV, 60kg, UZB21251stJulia SZEREMETA, 57kg, POL1475
1st =Asadkhuja MUYDINKHUJAEV, 65kg, UZB21252ndJaismine JAISMINE, 57kg, IND1462.5
3rdAibek ORALBAY, 90kg+, KAZ1487.53rdMinakshi MINAKSHI, 48kg, IND1425
4thErislandy ALVAREZ, 65kg, CUB14504thBuse CAKIROGLU, 51kg, TUR1400
5th =Sanzhar TASHKENBAY, 50kg, KAZ1237.55thHsiao-Wen HUANG, 54kg, TPE1387.5
5th =Makhmud SABYRKHAN, 55kg, KAZ1237.5 
5th =Fazliddin ERKINBOEV, 75kg, UZB1237.5
5th =Javokhir UMMATALIEV, 80kg, UZB1237.5
5th =Turabek KHABIBULLAEV, 90kg, UZB1237.5

World Boxing ranking points are awarded for performances at the Olympic Games, World Boxing Cups, World Boxing Championships, Continental 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.

The first ranking event of 2026 will be the Asian Boxing Championships in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, 28 March – 11 April 2026. It will be followed by the ‘World Boxing Cup – Brazil 2026’ in Foz Do Iguacu, 20 – 26 April 2026.

World Boxing’s competition calendar for 2026 can be viewed HERE