Budva

Future stars take center stage as World Boxing U19 World Championships open in Budva.

Budva, Montenegro, 16 October 2026 — The World Boxing U19 World Championships officially opened in Budva with a ceremony welcoming young athletes, National Federation delegations, officials and guests from across the international boxing community.

The second edition of the Championships will run until 27 October at the Mediterranean Sports Centre. The opening programme featured a parade of participating teams, the National Anthem of Montenegro, official addresses and a musical performance, marking the start of eleven days of international youth boxing.

Competition will be contested across ten men’s and ten women’s weight categories under the official slogan, “Future Stars. One World”.

Among those addressing the ceremony were Alexander Klemenko, President of the Boxing Association of Montenegro; Dusan Simonovic, President of the Montenegrin Olympic Committee; Zoran Jojic, Minister of Sports and Youth; Nikola Jovanovic, President of the Municipality of Budva.

A message from World Boxing President Gennadiy Golovkin was delivered during the ceremony by World Boxing Technical Delegate Michael Norford. In his message, President Golovkin focused on the role of youth and grassroots development in shaping the future of boxing. “To all the young athletes competing here in Budva, welcome to the World Boxing U19 World Championships. This is an important stage in your development and an opportunity to test yourselves against some of the best young boxers from around the world.”

“Youth and grassroots boxing are the foundation of our sport. We want young athletes to have the opportunity to develop, compete in a safe and fair environment and see how far boxing can take them. I wish every athlete the very best and hope you enjoy this experience.”

President Golovkin will join the Championships in Budva for the closing stages, where he will support the finalists and meet athletes, officials and members of the World Boxing community.

Minister of Sports and Youth Zoran Jojic spoke about the value of international youth sport and the opportunity for young athletes to compete, develop and build lasting connections through sport. “It is a great pleasure to welcome young athletes from around the world to Montenegro. This Championship is not only about competition, but also about friendship, respect and the experiences that young athletes will carry with them throughout their sporting careers. I wish everyone a successful Championship and a memorable stay in Budva.”

President of the Boxing Association of Montenegro Alexander Klemenko reflected on the significance of hosting another major international youth boxing event in the country.

“We are proud to welcome the World Boxing family to Budva. Hosting the World Boxing U19 World Championships is a great honour for Montenegro and for our boxing community. We hope every athlete has the opportunity to compete at their best, enjoy the experience and leave Budva with positive memories.”

President of the Montenegrin Olympic Committee Dusan Simonovic also addressed the athletes and delegations, underlining the importance of youth development and international competition within the wider Olympic movement. President of the Municipality of Budva Nikola Jovanovic welcomed participants to the host city and noted the importance of major international sporting events in bringing athletes and communities together.

Budva edition of the World Boxing U19 World Championships is a second one following the inaugural competition held in Colorado, USA, in 2024. Montenegro also brings recent experience of staging international youth boxing, having hosted the European Championships for athletes under the age of 17 shortly before this event.

Competition begins on 16 October, with preliminary bouts continuing across the following days before the semi-finals on 25 October and the finals on 27 October, when the 2026 World Boxing U19 World Champions will be crowned.

All bouts from the World Boxing U19 World Championships will be available to watch live and on demand on WorldBoxing.TV.

Routes to U19 World Boxing titles confirmed as draw completed in Budva, Montenegro

Budva, Montenegro, 15 October 2026 — The official draw for the World Boxing U19 World Championships was completed today in Budva, confirming the pathways to the medals across 20 weight categories ahead of the opening session on 16 October.

The Championships bring together 474 athletes, with 306 male and 168 female competitors across ten weight categories in each competition.

Competition begins tomorrow at 18:00 local time, with the opening programme taking place across both rings and featuring bouts in the men’s 55kg, women’s 60kg and men’s 90+kg categories.

Ring A will open with Lee Largey Snoddon (IRE) against David Mlacic (AUS) at 55kg, followed by Ariel Kansler (ISR) against Hayk Karapetyan (ARM). The women’s 60kg programme includes Brooke Miller (NZL) against Sevara Mamatova (UZB), Xenia Scharapinski (GER) against Ekaterina Nesvetaeva (RUS), and Shasha Wang (CHN) against Meriem Sari (ALG).

The opening 90+kg bouts in Ring A will see Ivan Baibakov (RUS) face Krish Krish (IND), Oluwayomi Remmele (GER) meet Niks Cepurs (LAT), Volodymyr Derkach (UKR) take on Rani Charanek (LBN), and Jose Pacheco (MEX) face Caleb Stewart Reid (USA).

Ring B will also feature nine bouts on the opening evening. The 55kg action includes Abdyrasul Arslanov (TKM) against Wenxuan Huang (CHN), Nursultan Duishonaliev (KGZ) against Nihat Gasimov (AZE), and Kit Fu Tang (HKG) against Liam Moohan (SCO).

In the women’s 60kg category, Karolina Radziunaite (LTU) will face Viktoriia Rosetska (UKR), while Canada’s Suri Pafford meets Antonina Biniecka (POL).

The Ring B 90+kg programme includes Safdar Mammadzada ((AZE) against Kiryl Zhukouski (BLR), Vladislav Samozhonov (KAZ) against Hakan Deniz Coskun (TUR), Tomislav Japirko (CRO) against Denis Cristian Cucu (ROU), and Islam Salikhov (UZB) against Luan Rrahmani (KOS).

The draw also features a number of athletes arriving in Budva with recent international success. Several champions from the 2026 World Boxing Futures Cup are in the field, including Christian Paez (USA) at 55kg, Bibarys Ashirbay (KAZ) at 70kg, Asadbek Sultanboev (UZB) at 90kg, Islam Salikhov (UZB) at 90+kg, Guadalupe Ruiz (USA) at 54kg, Brijhana Epperson (USA) at 57kg, Lauryn Elmore (USA) at 65kg and Aidana Ubaidullakyzy (KAZ) at 80kg.

The men’s competition features particularly strong depth in several categories. The 65kg division is the largest of the Championships with 45 athletes, while 38 athletes will compete at 60kg, 37 at 55kg and 35 at 70kg.

At 65kg, one of the early contests will see Kazakhstan’s Akzhurek Kalabay face China’s Kun Wang on 17 October.

The women’s competition features 168 athletes across categories from 48kg to 80+kg. The largest women’s field is at 51kg with 23 athletes, followed by 22 at 65kg and 21 each at 48kg and 60kg.

At 48kg, the bracket includes Brazil’s Elissandra Santos, Ukraine’s Anastasiia Stoianova, Uzbekistan’s Mukhtasar Alieva and Japan’s Hiyori Miki among an international field of 21 athletes.

The 51kg competition includes Japan’s Momoko Hasebe, China’s Shu Liu, Kazakhstan’s Madira Zhumakan and Uzbekistan’s Nazokat Mardonova, with athletes from across Europe, Asia, the Americas and Africa also in the draw.

Twenty athletes will compete in each of the 54kg and 57kg categories, while the women’s 65kg division contains 22 athletes. The heavier categories feature 16 athletes at 70kg, 13 at 75kg and six athletes in each of the 80kg and 80+kg divisions.

The schedule expands across both rings from 17 October, with women’s 54kg and 65kg and men’s 60kg, 65kg, 70kg and 90kg among the categories in action.

On 18 October, the programme moves into the women’s 48kg and 57kg categories and the men’s 50kg competition, with another full programme of preliminary bouts across both rings.

The tournament will continue through the preliminary rounds and quarter-finals before the semi-finals on 25 October and the finals on 27 October, when the 2026 World Boxing U19 World Champions will be crowned.

Bouts from the World Boxing U19 World Championships will be available to watch live and on demand on WorldBoxing.TV.

With the draw now confirmed, athletes from across the World Boxing membership know their route through the competition as Budva prepares for eleven days of international U19 boxing.