NEWS

201 boxers from 43 Nations set to face-off when boxing gets underway at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games

201 male and female boxers from 43 Commonwealth Games Associations (CGAs) will face-off when the boxing competition gets underway at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games at the Scottish Event Campus (SEC).

The competition will run from 24July – 1 August 2026 and is the first Commonwealth Games in history to feature gender parity in the boxing competition with seven weight classes for both men and women.

The draw for the competition has been made and can be viewed, along with the schedule and all other competition information HERE.

Boxing has traditionally been one of the strongest sports of the home nation, Scotland, which finished third in the boxing medal table at Birmingham 2022 with three golds and two bronze.

For this Games, it is fielding a team of six men and five women. Medal hopes include light-middleweight (M70kg), Sonny Kerr, who is part of Great Britain’s Olympic programme, and light-heavyweight (M80kg) Alan Perrie, who reached the quarter finals at last year’s World Boxing Championships in Liverpool.

The two nations that finished above Scotland in Birmingham were Ireland and India, which came first and second respectively, and are both bringing strong teams to Glasgow.

The Ireland selection is made-up of seven men and five women and features Commonwealth Games legend, Micheala Walsh, who will be competing in her fourth Games and is defending the featherweight (W57kg) crown she won in Birmingham, after silvers in 2014 and 2018.

In the men’s weights, Jude Gallagher, will be looking to add a lightweight (M60kg) gold medal to the one he secured at featherweight in Birmingham last time out.

The Indian line-up of 14 boxers is one of the strongest in the competition, particularly in the women’s categories where it includes world number three, Preeti Pawar (W54kg), the reigning featherweight (W57kg) world champion, Jaismine Lamboria, and Arundhati Choudhary, who is ranked number two in the world at light-middleweight (W70kg).

India’s big hope in the men’s weights is super-heavyweight (M90kg+) Narender Berwal, who won silver at the World Boxing Cup in India in November 2025 and is ranked number five in the current World Boxing rankings.

The biggest challenge to Berwal at super-heavyweight is expected to come from England’s Damar Thomas who will be looking to follow Joe Joyce, Frazer Clarke and Delicious Orie to become the fourth consecutive English winner in the heaviest division in the competition.

Thomas is part of a 14-strong England team that is brimming with talent. It includes world number six, Sacha Hickey, at welterweight (W65kg) and 2025 World Boxing Championship bronze medallist and Paris 2024 Olympian, Chantelle Reid, at light-middleweight (W70kg).

Joining Thomas in the men’s weights is heavyweight (M90kg), Isaac Okoh, who has moved up to number eight in the world, after a career best performance at the recent World Boxing Cup in China where he defeated Paris 2024 silver medallist, Enmanuel Reyes.

The final home nation team is Wales, which features three women and four men and includes defending Commonwealth Games champion and Paris 2024 Olympian, Rosie Eccles, in what is expected to be her swansong in international boxing.

The men’s line-up includes Owain Harris-Allan, who will box at lightweight (M60kg) after winning a bantamweight bronze at Birmingham 2022, and light-heavyweight (M80kg), Daniel Pitt, who won gold at the U19 World Boxing Championships in 2024 and is a member of World Boxing’s Athlete Committee.

From further afield, Australia’s line-up includes 2025 world championship silver, Emma-Sue Greentree, at middleweight (W75kg) and Lekeisha Pergoliti who won world bronze in Liverpool at light-middleweight (W70kg).

Fiji has five boxers in the competition and includes army officer, Aminiasi Saratibau (W80kg), who competed at the 2025 World Boxing Championships in Liverpool.

Samoa’s four-person team is coached by 1992 Olympic Games medallist and multiple world title challenger, David Tua, and features 2020 Olympian, Marion Ah Tong, who will be competing in his second Commonwealth Games in the men’s light-middleweight (M70kg) division.

From the Americas, siblings Keoma Ali Al Ahmadieh and Marie Alahmadieh will represent Canada at lightweight (60kg) in the men’s and women’s competitions respectively. Team Canada has six boxers in the draw and has high hopes for Joshua Ofori who will make his Commonwealth Games debut at light-heavyweight (M80kg).

African countries have a great tradition in boxing and won 18 medals in the ring at Birmingham 2022.

Some of the names to watch out for this time around include Kenya’s Amina Feki (W54kg), who won bronze at the 2024 African Games and South Africa’s Thandolwethu Mathiba, who is an eight-time national champion.

The largest African contingents are from Lesotho, Nigeria and Uganda which have six boxers each and Ghana, which will be represented by seven men and three women.  

After coming eighth in the boxing medal table at the last Games, the Ghanaian team is hoping to do better in Glasgow and features Abdul Omar at welterweight (M65kg) who is looking to improve on the bronze medal he won at Birmingham in the light-welterweight division. 

The official draw has taken place and can be viewed HERE. The competition gets underway at 11:00 (BST) on Friday 24 July 2026 when England’s Lauren Mackie will face Amina Feki of Kenya in the women’s bantamweight division (W54kg).

The action will take place across two sessions of boxing for the first six days of competition, followed by a rest day on 30 July 2026. When it resumes there will be three sessions of semi-final action on Friday 31 July 2026 followed by two sessions of finals on Saturday 1 August 2026, when 14 Commonwealth Games champion will be crowned.

All of the action is being televised live on TNT Sports and HBO Max.

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

Jaismine Lamboria chasing Commonwealth Games gold after making World Boxing history  

Jaismine Lamboria gets her arm raised in the World Boxing Championships Liverpool 2025 women’s 57kg final

India’s Jaismine Lamboria is chasing more medals and accolades ahead of the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, later this month. 

The 24-year-old enters the tournament as the first boxer ever to win a gold medal at the World Boxing Championships, having made history in Liverpool in 2025 when her 57kg final was the first to conclude.  

Lamboria arrives in Glasgow among India’s hopefuls to achieve Commonwealth Games success but insists she does not feel the weight of expectation from her nation ahead of a crucial tournament. 

“Right now, I don’t feel any pressure because our preparation is going really very well and we are prepared to perform our best,” Lamboria told World Boxing. “For me it is more important that I give it my all. I can’t focus on results, but I’m hoping to get a gold medal.” 

Lamboria’s path to this point has been far from conventional. 

The fighting city of Bhiwani in India is where Lamboria first forged her way as an Olympic-style boxer, however, she was not the first in her family to lace up the gloves. 

“It all started by watching my uncles competing on an international level,” Lamboria said. “I grew up in a place where in almost every house you can find a boxer. The place is called Bhiwani, so that’s why I started my boxing journey, watching them from my childhood. 

“My uncles, Sandeep and Praveen, both boxed at international level and they told me I had to start boxing. From day one they have guided me and they are my personal coaches as well. My family is very supportive.” 

Jaismine Lamboria’s corner team in-between rounds at the World Boxing Championships Liverpool 2025

Few boxers have a fighting family quite like Lamboria’s. 

Her great-grandfather was a heavyweight boxer and two-time Asian Games gold medallist, while her grandfather, Hon. Captain Chander Bhan Lamboria, was a wrestler. Her uncles, who introduced her to boxing, also won national titles. 

Their guidance helped Lamboria finally claim a gold medal at last year’s World Boxing Championships in Liverpool, England, after having previously fallen short. 

“That was a special moment for me because I participated in the World Championships in 2022 and 2023, but I came back without a medal,” she said. “So, in 2025 it was a special moment for me. It was the first time for me becoming world champion.  

“It was a really proud and emotional moment for me, and I have gratitude towards the people who helped me on this journey, the Boxing Federation of India and all the coaches who helped me through my whole journey. That was a dream come true for me.”  

The nation of India, a country more known for cricket than fighting, is slowly paving its way as a dominant force in Olympic-style boxing, with fighters such as Nishant Dev making the switch to the professional ranks in recent years.  

“Right now in India, boxing is going really very well and Indian boxers are performing very well at an international level, both amateur and professional,” Lamboria said. “We have quality boxers and we have a number of boxers here. We can compete with each other and we make a good team. 

“I watched Mary Kom. She’s a six-time world champion and Olympic bronze medallist. She’s a role model for every Indian boxer. Right now we also have Nikhat Zareen and Lovlina Borgohain. 

“Indian boxing also did very well at the last World Championships. We won four medals, which is great. We are performing very well and we will do even better in the future.” 

Jaismine Lamboria receives her 57kg division gold medal at Liverpool 2025

The Commonwealth Games represent another opportunity for Lamboria to continue her rise, but her biggest ambition lies further ahead. Having gained valuable experience at the Paris Olympics in 2024, she already has her sights set on Los Angeles 2028. 

“Paris was my first Olympics and I learnt a lot there,” she said. “Watching the best fighters and all the different matches was a very good experience for me as a young boxer.” 

And Lamboria’s ambition for the tournament? 

“My dream is to get an Olympic gold medal,” she said. 

Tom Ivers for World Boxing 

Japanese amateur Sewonrets Okazawa vows to become the face of boxing ahead of LA28

Okazawa
Sewonrets Okazawa competing in the 70kg final of the World Boxing Championships Liverpool 2025

“I was laughed at for my colour,” recalled Japanese-Ghanaian Sewonrets Okazawa when discussing his upbringing and the adversity that came with being a rare Japanese schoolboy of African heritage.

Rather than allowing the prejudice he experienced to define him, Okazawa learned to embrace the visibility that came with standing out. “My skin colour attracted attention,” he explained. “This made me happy. I like being the centre of attention.”

Perhaps, that familiarity of being over-analysed and constantly under the microscope as a youth has served Okazawa well in his boxing career, as opponents attempt to dissect his awkward style and develop plans to overcome it. Nevertheless, it is additional attention that Okazawa continues to yearn for, keen to bring more Japanese eyes to the amateur version of the sport by medalling at the Los Angeles 28 Olympic Games in two years’ time.

Who is Sewonrets Okazawa?

The Olympics has always been the target for the Yamagata-born southpaw, who originally aspired to represent Japan as a wrestler until an intimidating boxer approached him at his school and asked him to join the local boxing club. Without hesitation, more due to fear than excitement, Okazawa nodded his head in agreement and never looked back.

Okazawa
Sewonrets Okazawa posing at the World Boxing Championships Liverpool 2025

From that point onwards, he has grown to love the sport – or ‘art’ as he calls it – inspired by Cuban standouts such as Guillermo Rigondeaux and Lazaro Alvarez, taking influence from their fights whilst simultaneously building a reputation of his own.

Olympic experience and international glory

Okazawa picked up the silver medal of the 2019 Asian Championships in Bangkok before achieving his dream of competing at the Olympics and doing so on home soil at Tokyo 2020, only to be eliminated in the second round of the welterweight (63-69kg) tournament. However, the now 30-year-old bounced back and claimed two high-profile tournament victories, including the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou to re-emerge as a threat to the Olympic podium. 

Despite those feats, at Paris 2024, Okazawa was left wanting again, eliminated in the second round once more, this time as a light-middleweight (71kg).

Still, his goal is clear and his will is as infectious as ever as LA28 and a third consecutive Olympic Games loom. In an interview with World Boxing, Okazawa, who trains alongside pound-for-pound Japanese professional boxing star Naoya Inoue at Kanoya Gym in Kagoshima, explained that his burning desire to claim gold in the United States also serves a wider purpose.

“I am obsessed with amateur boxing, I love this sport. I want to make amateur boxing a more popular sport in Japan, that is why I appear on such a variety of shows. My greatest achievement was the World Championship gold, it was the biggest title for me but I felt sad after it.

“I thought winning a gold medal at the World Championships [in 2021] would bring about a major change, but the public simply wasn’t interested. The reaction back home was even greater for the Asian Games victory than for that [World Championship win]. 

“Yet, the event that had an even bigger impact, despite the loss, was the Paris Olympics. Witnessing the influence of Olympic-related competitions, I vowed to win an Olympic gold medal and become the face of the sport, not just for me but for all Japanese amateur boxers. 

“If I can take gold in Los Angeles, I can be a star in Japan, I am sure of that. It’s not something that I want, it is something that I need.”

Okazawa
Sewonrets Okazawa receives his World Boxing Championships silver medal

Since his Paris 2024 elimination, Okazawa has responded well, finishing as the runner-up to the highly rated Odel Kamara (ENG) at the World Boxing Cup Finals Sheffield 2024 before adding another silver medal, from the World Boxing Championships Liverpool 2025, to his growing list of accolades – trumped only by Torekhan Sabyrkhan (KAZ) in a razor-tight final.

These experiences, alongside Okazawa’s mentality and the company in which he surrounds himself with at Kanoya make him one to watch during the run-up to Los Angeles, where he hopes his long-standing thirst for Olympic glory may finally be quenched. 

Tom Eaton for World Boxing

WORLD BOXING PUBLISHES UPDATED RANKINGS FOLLOWING WORLD BOXING CUP IN CHINA

WORLD Boxing has published its latest rankings for elite men and women: https://worldboxing.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/World-Boxing-Ranking-2026-July.pdf.

The rankings, which cover performances from July 2024 – June 2026, have been updated to include the recent ‘World Boxing Cup: China 2026 – Guiyang City’ which has seen a number of boxers make progress following their success at the tournament.

In the women’s categories, Kazakhstan’s Viktoriya Grafeyeva has entered the top three at lightweight (W60kg)after her gold in China, while Ziyi Bao has gone from three to two after her middleweight (W75kg) win at home. A silver medal in Guiyang City has seen England’s Sacha Hickey move from eight to six at welterweight(W65kg), while China’s Liu Yang, has jumped six places from 14 to eight at light-middleweight (W70kg), thanks to her gold at the same tournament.

The main movers in the men’s weights are three boxers that won silver medals at the most recent World Boxing Cup. At light-middleweight (M70kg), India’s Deepak Deepak has gone from 12 to nine; at heavyweight, England’s Isaac Okoh has moved up two places to number eight in the world; and at super-heavyweight Nikita Putilov of Germany has risen from 16 to 12.

Six boxers consolidated their position at the top of the rankings with gold medals in Guiyang City. They included Paris 2024 gold medallist, Wu Yu of China (W51kg), Kazakhstan’s 2025 World Boxing Champions, Sanzhar Tashkenbay (M50kg) and Aibek Oralbay (M90kg+) and Abdumalik Khalokov (M60kg), JavokhirUmmataliev (M80kg) and Turabek Khabibillaev (M90kg) of Uzbekistan.

The new rankings are the fifth set published by World Boxing with points being 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.

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

The next ranking event of 2026 will be the European Boxing Championships in Sofia, 15 – 26 September 2026followed by The Asian Games in Aichi/Nagoya, 19 September – 4 October 2026.

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

World Boxing Extraordinary Congress strengthens governance with new Ethics Committee

World Boxing today held an Extraordinary Congress, at which member federations approved a series of measures further strengthening the organisation’s governance framework.

Opening the Congress, World Boxing President Gennadiy Golovkin underlined the organisation’s continued commitment to transparent, accountable and athlete-centred governance as it builds toward full IOC recognition and boxing’s long-term Olympic future.

With the quorum of member federations confirmed, delegates approved three governance measures.

First, a constitutional amendment on the Ethics Committee was adopted by the required two-thirds majority. It establishes a permanent Ethics Committee, appointed by Congress on the recommendation of the Executive Board, replacing the previous ad interim body.

Second, delegates approved the composition of the World Boxing Ethics Committee, which takes office on 2 July 2026. The Committee will be chaired by Margot Foster, alongside members Norihide Ishido, Daniel Pitt — appointed by the Athletes’ Committee and independent member Kirsty Burrows.

Third, the Congress approved the appointment of Nexio Fiduciaire SA as auditors for the 2025 accounts. 

Each measure was carried with overwhelming support from the membership.

“Today’s meeting is a big step for our future. We must make decisions, which follow the recommendations from the ASOIF Governance Review and support our recognition by the IOC. This is fundamental to creating a strong and trusted International Federation,” said World Boxing President Gennadiy Golovkin.

The decisions reinforce the independent oversight and financial-governance structures World Boxing has put in place over recent months. The organisation’s governance program continues at its Congress in Panama in November 2026, where members will consider the next set of governance and athlete-focused measures, including an Athletes’ Rights Charter aligned with the IOC Athletes’ Declaration.

Boxing competition at Dakar 2026 Youth Olympics will deliver gender parity with 60 men and 60 women from 79 National Olympic Committees selected to compete

The athlete selection process for the Boxing competition at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games has been completed with 120 athlete quota places allocated to 79 National Olympic Committees (NOCs).

The final allocation of 60 male and 60 female athletes achieves full gender parity and will maintain the sporting integrity of the competition while also delivering strong global representation across all five continents.

The allocation reflects the IOC Participation Principles for Dakar 2026 which are based on the six key pillars of:

  • Universality
  • Continental Representation
  • Athlete Performance
  • Gender Equality
  • NOC Representation
  • Event Representation

To support the principle of Athlete Performance, in March 2026 World Boxing organised the World Boxing Futures Cup in Bangkok, Thailand, for boxers under the age of 19. The competition featured more than 450 boxers and demonstrated that the boxers who are eligible for selection for Dakar 2026 possessed the competitive standard required for participation at the Youth Olympic Games.

World Boxing also provided travel and accommodation support to 23 participating National Federations and NOC’s, through Olympic Solidarity funding, to reduce financial barriers to participation and facilitate athlete access to the qualification process.

A full breakdown of NOCs per weight category can be seen below.

Table of Women’s Weight Categories for Dakar 2026:

W48W51W54W57W60
ALGBOTEGYALGALG
NGRKENMARSENEGY
MARALGBENTUNSEN
AZEBELROUHUNNED
GBRPOLGERFRALTU
MGLBHUJPNIRIKGZ
INDJORKAZKAZJPN
COLVENVENECUUZB
MEXPANCOLBRAUKR
TURAUSAUSTPEFIJ
THACANKORPOLCHN
ITANZLUZBUKRSVK

Table of Men’s Weight Categories for Dakar 2026

M50M55M60M65M70
SENTOGSEYALGEGY
NAMMRIMRIEGYGHA
SOMLBAGAMTJKLBA
IRLGEOTURARMLAT
ROUSWESVKESPCZE
INDLBNTHAJPNBAN
TKMKSACHNJORUAE
MEXDOMHONTTOMEX
COLCANGUAMEXECU
NZLAUSFIJISRSAM
IRQFINGEQMDAGBR
HKGTKMPURUZBKAZ

The YOG World Boxing Athlete Selection report is available HERE.

The YOG Dakar 2026 Participation Principles are HERE.

The YOG Dakar 2026 Boxing Quota Allocation Report is HERE.

World Boxing confirms two-year suspension for boxer after three whereabouts failures in 12 months

World Boxing can confirm that Mongolia’s Enkhtur Tegshjargal has accepted a two-year period of ineligibility for an Anti-Doping Rule Violation (ADRV).

Following an agreement in October 2024, all of World Boxing’s clean sport activities are delegated to the International Testing Agency (ITA) which provides a high-quality anti-doping programme that includes education, in competition and out of competition testing, and results management.

Under Article 2.4 of the World Boxing Anti-Doping Rules (available HERE) Enkhtur Tegshjargal committed three whereabouts failures within a 12-month period.

The athlete has accepted the ADRV and agreed with the consequences proposed by the ITA. Accordingly, the case was resolved by way of an agreement on consequences and the athlete’s period of ineligibility is from 10 June 2026 – 9 June 2028.

All of the athlete’s competitive results obtained from the date of commission of the ADRV (29 November 2025) until the start of the period of Ineligibility (10 June 2026) are disqualified, including forfeiture of medals, points and prizes.

Details of the ITA’s statement on this case are HERE.

Detail of the agreement between World Boxing and the ITA are HERE.

World Boxing Leaders Attend Historic IOC Session on “Fit for the Future”

World Boxing President Gennadiy Golovkin and Secretary General Tom Dielen attended the 146th IOC Session on “Fit for the Future” in Lausanne today, joining representatives from across the Olympic Movement as discussions took place on the long-term future of sport and the continued evolution of the Olympic Games.

Led by IOC President Kirsty Coventry, the “Fit for the Future” initiative is examining how the Olympic Movement can remain relevant, sustainable and impactful in a rapidly changing world. The process focuses on key areas including governance, athlete welfare, youth engagement, innovation, sustainability and the long-term strength of the Olympic Games and Olympic values.

As a provisional member of the Olympic Movement, World Boxing welcomed the opportunity to observe and learn from the discussions and to contribute to the broader dialogue about the future of international sport.

World Boxing President Gennadiy Golovkin said:

“For a recently established International Federation such as World Boxing, it is a privilege to be part of the continuing dialogue about the future of the Olympic Movement. The ‘Fit for the Future’ initiative demonstrates the IOC’s commitment to ensuring that the Olympic Games and the values they represent remain relevant and meaningful in a rapidly changing world. We also support the IOC’s decision to create a $100 million fund for athletes, allowing those who have competed in the Olympic Games to apply for grants of $10,000.”

Secretary General Tom Dielen said:

“As a developing federation, we know that strengthening governance is a continuous journey. We have made this a key priority and remain committed to learning from best practice across the Olympic Movement. World Boxing fully supports this process and recognises the importance of the themes being discussed, particularly the emphasis on good governance, transparency and accountability. 

The participation of World Boxing’s leadership at the Session reflects the federation’s commitment to aligning itself with the highest standards of governance and integrity while contributing positively to the future development of the Olympic Movement.