Gennadiy Golovkin joins World Boxing – can the Kazakh legend save the sport’s Olympic status?

Boxing legend Gennadiy Golovkin takes up a role with World Boxing and joins the fight to save the Olympic sport.

Is boxing still an Olympic sport?

Not as things stand. The sport is not included in the programme for the next Games in 2028, in Los Angeles.

Boxing’s scandal-plagued international federation, the IBA, has been stripped of recognition and expelled from the Olympic movement, with an International Olympic Committee (IOC) taskforce handling the boxing tournament at Tokyo in 2021 and Paris this year.

But the IOC won’t do that again. Boxing would need the IOC to appoint a new international federation and decide to admit the sport to LA 2028.

What is Golovkin’s involvement?

World Boxing is a new organisation hoping to gain recognition from the IOC and save the Olympic sport.

They have appointed legendary former middleweight champion, and now president of the National Olympic Committee of Kazakhstan, Gennadiy Golovkin as the chair of a new Olympic Commission.

His role there is to manage World Boxing’s relationship with the IOC and oversee the pathway to ensuring that boxing is restored to the sport programme for the Los Angeles 2028 Games.

Can Golovkin save Olympic boxing?

Golovkin, a silver medallist at the 2004 Olympics, is a major figure in the sport, with clear clout and influence. It is a great stride forward for World Boxing to have his backing.

But as an organisation World Boxing has to meet the IOC’s criteria for an international federation.

Part of that will be having enough national federations, from a broad enough geographical range, to satisfy the IOC’s requirements.

Launched in April 2023, World Boxing currently has 44 national federations as members and held its first formal meeting with the IOC in May 2024.

Golovkin could play a crucial role in bringing in more national federations as members and will have already added to the new body’s prestige.

What did they say?

Gennadiy Golovkin said: “For me personally, as well as for all the sports world, it is important to preserve boxing as an Olympic sport, and this will be my top priority. I also intend to work closely with the IOC on issues of boxing’s commitment to the Olympic values of honesty, fairness and transparency.

“I am confident 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 be done.”

President of World Boxing, Boris van der Vorst, said: “Gennadiy is one of the most globally significant boxers of the last decade and to have him supporting our cause and using his experience, expertise and profile to work on behalf of World Boxing is a significant boost for our organisation.

“As someone that had a hugely successful career in both Olympic-style and professional boxing, Gennadiy has a deep knowledge of the sport and completely understands why continuing to be part of the Olympic movement is so vital to the ongoing success of boxing at every level, from the grassroots to the professional ranks.

“Gennadiy will be a huge asset to our organisation and I look forward to working closely with him in delivering our mission to ensure boxing remains at the heart of the Olympic movement.”

What does the crisis mean for pro boxing?

Crashing out of the Olympic Games isn’t only a disaster for amateur boxing, it would damage the sport at every level and harm the professional sport.

“Without a doubt. On a number of levels. Number one is the profile,” promoter Eddie Hearn previously told Sky Sports.

“If there’s no Olympics and there’s nothing to aspire to I think that will filter through to bringing those kids through the sport. To me the profile of the sport being in the Olympics is so important. I think it would be a massive blow to boxing to see boxing out of the Olympics.

“Fingers crossed the IOC has got the appetite for the fight.”

Two-weight world champion Carl Frampton also said: “The knock-on effect would be huge, even for professional boxing. What happens to funding for amateurs?

“[The boxers coming through] won’t be as good, absolutely not.”