Legend Golovkin to run for World Boxing presidency

Gennady Golovkin, the legendary boxer, will run for president of World Boxing in an effort to safeguard the future of the sport.

Following the removal of the International Boxing Association (IBA) from the Olympic movement, boxing was initially excluded from the Los Angeles 2028 program.

World Boxing, a new federation established by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), secured boxing’s place at LA 2028, and restored the sport’s Olympic standing.

With your support, Golovkin, 43, pledges to ensure that every federation, coach, and athlete has a fair chance to grow and secures boxing’s Olympic future, restores global confidence, and ensures that no matter how small or far away it may be,

Kazakhstan’s Golovkin, a silver medalist at the Olympics, is widely regarded as one of his generation’s fiercest competitors. He also won the middleweight title.

He hasn’t fought since September 2022 when he lost the third fight in his trilogy to Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, despite being formally retired.

After suspending the IBA in 2019 due to concerns about governance, finances, refereeing, and ethical issues, the IOC organized boxing for the Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Olympics.

Boris van der Vorst, the current world boxing president, will step down after confirming that he won’t seek a second term during the election in Rome on November 23.

Our goal for 2026 is simple: to win full IOC recognition and secure our spot in Los Angeles 2028 and Brisbane 2032, Golovkin continued.

Beyond recognition, however, lies a bigger goal: to reaffirm our standing as a united boxing family, guided by respect, transparency, and unity.

Mariolis Charilaos, who oversaw significant governance changes and led the Hellenic Boxing Federation from 2021 to 2025, is Golovkin’s challenger.

According to Charilaos, “boxing was one of the first Olympic sports to be born in Greece.”