NEWS

World Boxing to hold Extraordinary Congress on 1 March 2025 to approve new membership applications

World Boxing is to hold an Extraordinary Congress on 1 March 2025 to enable members to formally approve a series of new applications from boxing National Federations that want to join the International Federation.

The Extraordinary Congress will be held virtually and overseen by independent, third-party assessors.

The 55 National Federations that were confirmed as members of World Boxing by the end of its most recent Congress (3 November 2024) will be eligible to participate in the Extraordinary Congress and vote on the new membership applications that have been received since then. 

At present, an additional 17 National Federations have had their membership applications approved by the Executive Board of World Boxing since the Congress in November 2024, however this number is expected to rise by the time of the Extraordinary Congress on 1 March 2025.

The decision to hold an Extraordinary Congress reflects the status of Congress as the highest decision-making body of World Boxing and aims to ensure that all membership applications have been approved by Congress as well as the Executive Board in advance of the forthcoming IOC Session (19-21 March 2025).

Boris van der Vorst, the President of World Boxing, said: “World Boxing is committed to upholding the highest standards of governance and transparency so the Executive Board has decided to hold this Extraordinary Congress to ensure that there is no ambiguity about the number of National Federations that are confirmed members of World Boxing, when the IOC comes to meet at its next Session in March. 

“Congress is the highest authority of World Boxing and by ensuring that every application has been assessed and voted on by Congress, we can be unequivocally clear about the precise size and composition of our membership.”

World Boxing was launched in April 2023 and is committed to ensuring that boxing remains at the heart of the Olympic movement.

On 7 May 2024, it held its first formal meeting with the IOC which signalled the start of collaboration aimed at establishing a pathway for boxing to remain in the Olympic Games.

On 26 September 2024, World Boxing announced that it had set-up an Olympic Commission, chaired by the President of the National Olympic Committee of Kazakhstan, Gennadiy Golovkin, to support and assist the process of developing a pathway to ensuring that boxing is restored to the Games.

Executive Board of World Boxing approves four new applications to join from Egypt, Gambia, Kiribati and Grenada as membership grows to 72 countries

The Executive Board of World Boxing has approved membership applications from the National Federations for boxing in Egypt, Gambia, Kiribati and Grenada, to take its membership to 72 countries.

The addition of Egypt and Gambia grows World Boxing’s footprint in Africa. The approval of Kiribati’s application means it now has seven members in Oceania.

All of the new National Federations have completed a rigorous application process to join World Boxing. They 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
  • The existence and operation of WADA-recognised anti-doping polices and processes
  • Evidence of a structured, dispute resolution and appeals process that is either fully independent or subject to external input
  • Formal recognition by either their National Olympic Committee (NOC) or Ministry for Sport
  • A solid national and international boxing sports programme

The President of World Boxing, Boris van der Vorst, said: “The approval of four more applications is a sign of the continued progress of World Boxing and the widespread desire for change that exists across the sport.

“It is clear that the only way that boxing will continue to be part of the Olympic Movement is for National Federations to support World Boxing and it is good to see that boxing leaders from all parts of the world recognise this and are applying to join us.

“We are continuing to process applications from National Federations across the world I urge all boxing leaders that want to ensure their boxers to have the opportunity to compete at a future Olympic Games to seek to be part of World Boxing.”

A full list of the 72 National Federations that are members of World Boxing can be viewed HERE.

World Boxing was launched in April 2023 and is committed to ensuring that boxing remains at the heart of the Olympic movement.

On 7 May 2024, it held its first formal meeting with the IOC which signalled the start of collaboration aimed at establishing a pathway for boxing to remain in the Olympic Games.

On 26 September 2024, World Boxing announced that it had set-up an Olympic Commission, chaired by the President of the National Olympic Committee of Kazakhstan, Gennadiy Golovkin, to support and assist the process of developing a pathway to ensuring that boxing is restored to the Games.

World Boxing to establish Continental Confederation in the Americas

World Boxing is to establish a Pan American Boxing Confederation to drive the development and growth of Olympic-style boxing in the Americas.

The Confederation is being formed by 17 National Federations from the Americas that are members of World Boxing and will be known as the Pan American Boxing Confederation.

The new Confederation will hold its inaugural Congress on 15 March 2025 in Panama City, Panama when members will approve the statutes of the new Confederation, elect its Executive Leadership, and establish operating guidelines.

The Congress will also include elections for the Confederation’s Executive Committees including seven positions on the board of directors and four committee Chair positions (Medical & Anti-Doping, Judicial, Audit & Finance, Sport & Competition).

In preparation for the Congress, the Pan American Boxing Confederation’s Interim Board of Directors will work with a third-party provider to establish an independent vetting panel to review all applications for leadership roles.

Boris van der Vorst, the President of World Boxing, said: “The creation of the Pan American Boxing Confederation is further evidence of the progress of World Boxing and the widespread desire for a change that exists across the sport. 

“World Boxing has consistently enjoyed strong support in this part of the world and I would like to express my gratitude to all of our members in the Americas for taking this important step which will deliver huge benefits to the boxers and everyone connected with the sport in the region.”

A statement from the Interim Board of Directors of the Pan American Boxing Confederation said: “We are incredibly excited to see the Americas collaboratively establish the Pan American Boxing Confederation. This a step that further proves the progress made within the sport of Olympic-style boxing over the past few years and further solidifies our Continent within the sport in the years to come.

“Our goal with the creation of the Pan American Boxing Confederation is to provide exceptional competitions for each of our national federations and their many boxers. Olympic-style boxing is a sport built upon hard work and dedication to the craft, and we hope to embody that philosophy with the Pan American Boxing Confederation.”

The President of the Brazilian Boxing Federation (CCBoxe), Marcos Brito, added: “Today, the Americas celebrate a historic day. We take immense pride in announcing the establishment of the Pan American Boxing Confederation, created with great hope and faith in the future of Olympic-style boxing. This endeavour demonstrates to the world the power of collaboration among individuals driven by a common goal, free from personal interests.

“The Pan American Boxing Confederation is dedicated to realizing top-tier competitions and is committed to the development of boxing through mutual collaboration by empowering athletes, coaches, referees, and judges. Through World Boxing, we strive to contribute to the growth of Olympic-style boxing globally.”

The 17 countries whose National Federations will have the opportunity to participate and vote at the inaugural Congress include: Argentina, Barbados, Bermuda, Brazil, Canada, Caymen Islands, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Panama, Peru, USA, Suriname and the Virgin Islands.

The Pan American Boxing Confederation is the second Continental Confederation established by World Boxing following the announcement in November 2024 that an Asian Confederation is being created.

World Boxing was launched in April 2023 and currently has 68 National Federations as members covering all five Continents that take part in Olympic-style boxing.

It is committed to ensuring that boxing remains at the heart of the Olympic movement and on 7 May 2024, it held its first formal meeting with the IOC which signalled the start of collaboration aimed at establishing a pathway for boxing to remain in the Olympic Games.

On 26 September 2024, World Boxing announced that it had set-up an Olympic Commission, chaired by the President of the National Olympic Committee of Kazakhstan, Gennadiy Golovkin, to support and assist the process of developing a pathway to ensuring that boxing is restored to the Games.

Eight more National Federations join World Boxing to increase membership to 68 countries

World Boxing has approved applications from eight more National Federations to take its membership to 68 countries.

The new applications, which have been approved by the Executive Board of World Boxing, are from the National Federations for boxing in France, Croatia, Poland, Iran, Malaysia, Nepal, Turkmenistan and Samoa, which is represented by Independent Boxing Samoa.

All eight of the new National Federations have completed a rigorous application process to join World Boxing. They 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
  • The existence and operation of WADA-recognised anti-doping polices and processes
  • Evidence of a structured, dispute resolution and appeals process that is either fully independent or subject to external input
  • Formal recognition by either their National Olympic Committee (NOC) or Ministry for Sport
  • A solid national and international boxing sports programme

The President of World Boxing, Boris van der Vorst, said: “To add eight more National Federations to our ever-increasing membership is another significant step for World Boxing and further evidence of the widespread support, across the sport, for our work to ensure boxing remains at the heart of the Olympic Movement.

“It is clear that the only way that boxing will be on the programme for LA2028 is for National Federations to support World Boxing and I invite all boxing leaders that care about the future of the sport and their boxers to apply for membership of our oragnisation as we continue to grow and go from strength to strength.”

A full list of the 68 National Federations that are members of World Boxing can be viewed HERE.

World Boxing was launched in April 2023 and is committed to ensuring that boxing remains at the heart of the Olympic movement.

On 7 May 2024, it held its first formal meeting with the IOC which signalled the start of collaboration aimed at establishing a pathway for boxing to remain in the Olympic Games.

On 26 September 2024, World Boxing announced that it had set-up an Olympic Commission, chaired by the President of the National Olympic Committee of Kazakhstan, Gennadiy Golovkin, to support and assist the process of developing a pathway to ensuring that boxing is restored to the Games.

Entries open for first World Boxing Cup of the year in Brazil in March 2025

Entries are open for the first World Boxing Cup of 2025 which will be held in Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil, from 31 March – 5 April 2025.

The “World Boxing Cup: Brazil 2025 – Foz do Iguaçu” will take place in the Rafain Palace Hotel & Convention which has previously hosted numerous major events in a wide range of sports, including Brazil’s national boxing championships.

It will be followed by a World Boxing Cup in Kazakhstan in June and a third one in July at a location to be confirmed. The World Boxing Cup season finals will be held in New Delhi, India, in November 2025.

Details of all of the World Boxing Cup 2025 events are featured in World Boxing’s recently published competition calendar for 2025 which can be viewed HERE.

The World Boxing Cup series is a new competition format developed by World Boxing whereby elite male and female boxers accrue ranking points over several stages of competition during the calendar year. It is designed to bring greater structure and meaning to the competition calendar in Olympic-style boxing and culminates in a Finals event where the stage winners and other top-ranked boxers compete for the World Boxing Cup trophy.

The 2025 events follow the first series of the World Boxing Cup in 2024 which featured competitions in England, USA and Mongolia and culminated in a Finals event in England in November 2024, where Brazil was the top-performing nation with four gold medals for Jucielen Cerqueira Romeu (W50kg), Luiz Oliveira (M57kg), Breno De Carvalho (M63.5kg) and Joel Ramos Da Silva (M92kg+).

For this year’s series the number of weight classes has been extended to ten each for men and women to reflect World Boxing’s updated competition rules HERE. The weight classes are:

MEN’S WEIGHTS CLASSES WOMEN’S WEIGHT CLASSES
Category nameWeight classCategory nameWeight class
Flyweight / M50kg47-50 kgLight-flyweight / W48kg45-48 kg
Bantamweight / M55kg50-55 kgFlyweight / W51kg48-51kg
Lightweight / M60kg55-60 kgBantamweight / W54kg51-54 kg
Welterweight / M65kg60-65 kgFeatherweight / W57kg54-57 kg
Light-middleweight / M70kg65-70 kgLightweight / W60kg57-60 kg
Middleweight / M75kg70-75 kgWelterweight / W65kg60-65 kg
Light-heavyweight / M80kg75-80 kgLight-middleweight / W70kg65-70 kg
Cruiserweight/ 85kg80-85 kgMiddleweight / W75kg70-75 kg
Heavyweight / M90kg85-90 kgLight-heavyweight / W80kg75-80 kg
Super-heavyweight / M90+kg90 kg+Heavyweight / W80kg+80 kg+

Elite male and female boxers from the 60 plus National Federations that are members of World Boxing are eligible to take part in the event. National Federations that are not currently members will be able to participate provided their request is approved by the Executive Board of World Boxing.

A full competition pack, including entry details is available on request from the World Boxing sport department at sport@worldboxing.org.

Boris van der Vorst, President, World Boxing, said: “World Boxing is committed to delivering high quality competition opportunities for our member’s boxers and after the resounding success of the first World Boxing Cup in 2024, which saw us deliver a series of top-class events across three Continents, it is fantastic to see that activities are already underway for this year.

“I would like to thank my colleagues at the Brazilian Boxing Confederation (CBBoxe) for hosting this first event of the 2025 series and I look forward to working closely with them on what I am sure will be another top-class competition.”

The President of CBBoxe, Marcos Cândido Brito, added: “After the success our boxers enjoyed in last year’s competition, we are very proud to have be hosting the first World Boxing Cup of the new series and on behalf of all my colleagues at CBBOXE and our partners at World Boxing, I look forward to welcoming all of the boxers, coaches, officials, staff and volunteers to Brazil for this event.”

World Boxing was launched in April 2023 and is committed to ensuring that boxing remains at the heart of the Olympic movement.  On 7 May 2024, it held its first formal meeting with the IOC which signalled the start of collaboration aimed at establishing a pathway for boxing to remain in the Olympic Games.

On 26 September 2024, World Boxing announced that it had set-up an Olympic Commission, chaired by the President of the National Olympic Committee of Kazakhstan, Gennadiy Golovkin, to support and assist the process of developing a pathway to ensuring that boxing is restored to the Games.

Further information on World Boxing is available at www.worldboxing.org.

World Boxing publishes Competition Calendar for 2025

World Boxing has published an initial competition calendar for 2025 which features four World Boxing Cup Events and the inaugural World Boxing Championships 2025 for Elite men and women.

The calendar is available on the World Boxing website and can be viewed HERE.

The centrepiece of the calendar is the World Boxing Championships 2025 in September in Liverpool, England which will be the first ever global championships for Elite men and women hosted by World Boxing.

It will be preceded by three events in the World Boxing Cup series, which is a new competition format developed by World Boxing whereby elite male and female boxers accrue ranking points over several stages of competition during the calendar year. It is designed to bring greater structure and meaning to the competition calendar in Olympic-style boxing and culminates in a Finals event where the stage winners and other top-ranked boxers compete for the World Boxing Cup trophy.

The World Boxing Cup 2025 follows the 2024 series which featured competitions in England, USA and Mongolia and culminated in a Finals event in England in November 2024.

The first event of the World Boxing Cup 2025 will be the “World Boxing Cup: Brazil 2025 – Foz do Iguaçu” which will be held at the Rafain Palace Hotel & Convention from 29 March – 6 April 2025.

It will be followed by a World Boxing Cup in Kazakhstan in June and a third one in July at a location to be confirmed. The World Boxing Cup season finals will be held in New Delhi, India, in November 2025 following the World Boxing Championships.

The competition calendar for 2025 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.  It will be supplemented by a calendar of smaller competition opportunities delivered by World Boxing member National Federations, which will be published shortly in the Competition section of the World Boxing website.

Elite male and female boxers from the 60 plus National Federations that are members of World Boxing are eligible to take part in these events. National Federations that are not currently members will be able to participate provided their request is approved by the Executive Board of World Boxing.

For the World Boxing Championships and this year’s World Boxing Cup the number of weight classes has been extended to ten each for men and women to reflect World Boxing’s updated competition rules HERE.

The weight classes are:

MEN’S WEIGHTS CLASSES WOMEN’S WEIGHT CLASSES
Category nameWeight classCategory nameWeight class
Flyweight / M50kg47-50 kgLight-flyweight / W48kg45-48 kg
Bantamweight / M55kg50-55 kgFlyweight / W51kg48-51kg
Lightweight / M60kg55-60 kgBantamweight / W54kg51-54 kg
Welterweight / M65kg60-65 kgFeatherweight / W57kg54-57 kg
Light-middleweight / M70kg65-70 kgLightweight / W60kg57-60 kg
Middleweight / M75kg70-75 kgWelterweight / W65kg60-65 kg
Light-heavyweight / M80kg75-80 kgLight-middleweight / W70kg65-70 kg
Cruiserweight/ 85kg80-85 kgMiddleweight / W75kg70-75 kg
Heavyweight / M90kg85-90 kgLight-heavyweight / W80kg75-80 kg
Super-heavyweight / M90+kg90 kg+Heavyweight / W80kg+80 kg+

India to Host World Boxing Cup Finals and World Boxing Congress in November 2025

The World Boxing Cup Finals and the World Boxing Congress in 2025 will be held in New Delhi, India in November 2025.

The decision underscores India’s growing prominence on the global boxing stage and reaffirms its capability to host world-class sporting events.

The World Boxing Cup Final 2025 will be the culmination of the World Boxing Cup series in 2025 and will be preceded by three ranking events which are scheduled to take place in Brazil, Kazakhstan and Germany.   

The competition will take place at the same time as the World Boxing Congress 2025 which will host stakeholders, officials, and dignitaries from the global boxing community. The Congress will include elections for the Presidency and Executive Board and serve as a platform to discuss critical developments, strategies, and the future roadmap for the sport.

The President of the Boxing Federation of India, Mr. Ajay Singh, said: “”It is a proud moment for India to be recognized by World Boxing for hosting such prestigious events. This opportunity not only highlights India’s organizational excellence but also underscores our unwavering commitment to ensuring boxing remains an integral part of the Olympic movement. We are honoured to contribute to the sport’s legacy and look forward to welcoming the global boxing community to India in 2025.”

The President of World Boxing, Boris van der Vorst, added: “I am delighted to announce that India has been awarded the hosting rights for the World Boxing Cup Final and the World Boxing Congress, both scheduled for November 2025.  India is an important leader in the world of boxing and has consistently demonstrated its passion for the sport and its ability to organise successful international events.

“With a proven track record, including hosting global championships, India is a deserving host for these, our most prestigious events. I want to thank India and especially the President of the Boxing Federation of India, Ajay Singh, for his leadership in World Boxing and helping ensure that Boxing remains a part of the Olympics in Los Angeles 2028.

“We are confident that India will deliver an exceptional experience for athletes, officials and fans alike, demonstrating global appeal of boxing. We look forward to an unforgettable celebration of boxing in 2025”.

India’s bid to host these events is expected to inspire aspiring athletes, attract global attention to Indian boxing, and strengthen India’s in the international boxing arena.

The Boxing Federation of India is fully committed to delivering a memorable and impactful experience for athletes, officials, and fans worldwide. Preparations are underway to ensure that the two events set new benchmarks for excellence in hosting international sporting events within the country.

World Boxing reaches 60 members as Executive Board meeting approves five new applications and selects hosts for 2025 World Boxing Cup series and 2027 World Boxing Championships

World Boxing has reached the milestone of 60 members after the applications to join from the National Federations for boxing in Cambodia, Dominican Republic, Jordan, Myanmar and Palestine were approved at the most recent meeting of its Executive Board (12 December 2024).

The five new members have completed a rigorous application process to join World Boxing. They are deemed to be in good standing and, through their statutes and operating processes, are able to demonstrate: a transparent and open election process; the existence and operation of WADA-recognised anti-doping polices and processes; a structured, dispute resolution and appeals process; a solid national and international boxing sports programme; and formal recognition by either their National Olympic Committee (NOC) or Ministry for Sport

The meeting of World Boxing’s Executive Board also confirmed a series of decisions relating to its competition calendar which included:

  • To progress negotiations with the National Federations of Brazil, Germany, Kazakhstan and India to host World Boxing Cup events in 2025. The plan is to hold the first World Boxing Cup of the year in Brazil in March 2025, followed by competitions in Germany, Kazakhstan and India. Dates and venues will be confirmed in January 2025
  • The final World Boxing Cup of the year in New Delhi, India, in November 2025 will also host the third World Boxing Congress, which will include elections for the Presidency and Executive Board
  • Following a bidding process, Astana in Kazakhstan was selected as the location for the 2027 Elite World Boxing Championships for men and women

Full details of World Boxing’s competition calendar for 2025 will be published once it has been approved by the Sport and Competition Committee.

The President of World Boxing, Boris van der Vorst, said: “World Boxing has achieved an enormous amount in the last 12 months and to approach the end of the year with 60 members is a fantastic achievement and conclusive evidence of the widespread desire for change that exists in international boxing.

“The decision of so many National Federations to join World Boxing is a sign of the critical importance of remaining part of the Olympic Movement to the future health and stability of our sport and a recognition that this can only be achieved by countries joining and supporting World Boxing.

“After the huge success of our first World Boxing Cup series in 2024, it is fantastic that we have four such strong bids to host the competition in 2025 and I would like to thank the National Federations of Brazil, Germany, Kazakhstan and India for their ongoing support and commitment.

“It is great news that we have been able to confirm Astana in Kazakhstan as the host of our second Elite World Boxing Championships in 2027 after next year’s first edition which will take place in Liverpool, England in September 2025. I would like to thank the Kazakhstan Boxing Federation for its commitment to World Boxing in agreeing to host both a World Boxing Cup and a World Boxing Championships over the next three years.

“I am also very grateful to the Boxing Federation of India for its ongoing support in bidding to host both a World Boxing Cup and our next Congress in 2025 in New Delhi.

“That we are able to put these dates in place and continue to build our competition calendar is a sign of the increased stability that World Boxing is bringing to the sport for our members and augurs very well for the future.

“The momentum is building and I look forward to announcing more members in the near future as we are continuing to process applications from more countries who want to be part of World Boxing and support our mission to ensure that boxing remains at the heart of the Olympic Movement.”

Gennadiy Golovkin, President of the Kazakhstan National Olympic Committee and Chair of World Boxing’s Olympic Commission, added: “It is a great honour and responsibility for Kazakhstan to host the 2027 World Boxing Championship, which will take place in the pre-Olympic cycle. Our country has successful experience in hosting large-scale world sports competitions at the highest level, and I am confident that this tournament will be no exception. Understanding the importance of this World Championship on the eve of the Olympics in Los Angeles, I thank World Boxing for the trust placed in us.”

World Boxing was launched in April 2023. On 7 May 2024, it held the first formal meeting with the IOC which signalled the start of formal collaboration aimed at establishing a pathway for boxing to remain in the Olympic Games.

On 26 September 2024, World Boxing announced that it had set-up an Olympic Commission, chaired by President of the National Olympic Committee of Kazakhstan, to support and assist the process of developing a pathway to ensuring that boxing is restored Games.