Great Britain and USA build breakaway federation known as World Boxing

Great Britain and USA launch a new breakaway boxing federation known as World Boxing in an effort to SAVE the sport’s place at the 2028 Olympics – after the IOC left it off the initial programme after banning the IBA

• Boxing was left off the initial programme for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles
• The IOC banned the International Boxing Association after numerous issues
• Great Britain and the USA have now launched a new federation to rival the IBA

Great Britain and the USA have launched a breakaway boxing organisation in a desperate bid to save the sport’s place at the Olympics.

The new body, called World Boxing, has been set up as a rival to long-standing global federation, the International Boxing Association, which has been banned by the International Olympic Committee over issues with its governance, finances and judging.

At next summer’s Olympics in Paris, the boxing competition will be run by the IOC, as it was at Tokyo 2020. However, the sport has been left off the initial programme for Los Angeles 2028 because of the IBA’s refusal to reform and its close links with Russia.

That has led to GB Boxing making the drastic decision of joining forces with the USA and setting up a new group, which is now seeking recognition from the IOC.

Representatives from Germany, the Netherlands, the Philippines and Sweden are also on the interim executive board of World Boxing, which will be based in Switzerland.

Chief executive of GB Boxing Matthew Holt (pictured above), who has now joined forces with the USA, said: ‘It is vital that boxing continues to remain at the heart of the Olympic movement’

Matthew Holt, chief executive of GB Boxing, said: ‘It is vital that boxing continues to remain at the heart of the Olympic movement and to achieve this we need to re-establish a relationship of trust between those that the govern the sport and all of its stakeholders.

‘World Boxing aims to deliver this by creating a financially transparent organisation with strong governance structures that delivers sporting integrity and fair competition and acts in the interest of boxers and the sport.’

Welsh boxer Lauren Price, who won gold for Team GB at the Tokyo Games, will be one of World Boxing’s two athletes’ representatives.

‘Something has to be done to make sure boxing continues to be part of the Olympic Games,’ she said. ‘It provides a massive platform for the sport and for the boxers. Without it, the boxers will suffer and the sport will be damaged.’

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