Despite having made its debut in about Olympics For more than a century, boxing has not guaranteed its place for the next edition in Los Angeles 2028.
Various situations have hit the reputation of this sport in recent months, since the breakdown of relations between the International Boxing Association (IBA) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 2023 to discrimination and harassment claims against a pair of female boxers at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
In general, boxing is experiencing a fragile moment in the face of the Olympic Games. Your position is not assured and therefore World Boxingan organization created as a result of the IOC’s ignorance of the IBA, has decided to appoint an international reference as mediator: Gennady Golovkin.
Multiple world middleweight champion and current president of the Olympic Committee of his country, Kazakhstan, Golovkin He was appointed by World Boxing to manage relations with the IOC and thus seek to preserve this sport within the Olympic program.
“Gennadiy Golovkin has been appointed President of a new Olympic Commission by World Boxing, the International Federation created to ensure that boxing remains at the heart of the Olympic Movement. As chair of the new commission, he will work closely with World Boxing leaders to manage the organization’s relationship with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and oversee the path to ensuring boxing is restored to the sporting program for Los Angeles 2028“, dictates the official statement.
Golovkin is 42 years old and on his resume is a silver medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics in middleweight. He then expanded his professional legacy against rivals such as Sergey Derevyanchenko, Daniel Jacobs, Ryota Murata and Saúl ‘Canelo’ Álvarez.
In February of this year he was appointed president of the Kazakhstan Olympic Committee and, under his coordination, his country’s delegation won seven medals at the Paris Olympic Games; two of them were in boxing.
The focus areas of the new World Boxing commission consist of 4 points: promotion of world boxing, membership and recruitment, financial sustainability and support for the IOC process for recognition of your organization.
“For me, as well as for the entire world of sport, it is important to preserve boxing in the Olympic program and that will be my top priority. “I also intend to work closely with the IOC on issues related to boxing’s commitment to the Olympic values of honesty, fairness and transparency,” Golovkin stated.
“I am sure that my experience as a professional athlete will help build systemic work within World Boxing and, through joint efforts, we will be able to give boxing a new impetus to its development, but there is still much to do.”
Golovkin finished his professional career in September 2022 against ‘Canelo’ Alvarez. There he achieved his second defeat, although, on the contrary, he left a legacy of 42 wins and 37 by knockout (he also recorded a draw).
During the Paris 2024 Olympic Games He was seen accompanying the Kazakh delegation at the closing ceremony. From now on, your task is to guide the steps of world boxing to continue in the most important sporting event in the world.
“As someone who had a hugely successful career in both Olympic and professional boxing, Gennady has a deep knowledge of the sport and fully understands why remaining part of the Olympic Movement is so vital to the continued success of boxing at all levels. , from the grassroots to the professional ranks. He will be a great asset for our organization,” concluded World Boxing president Boris van der Vorst.
