New World Boxing president Golovkin vows to ‘restore trust’ in sport

After being elected president of World Boxing, former boxing world champion Gennady Golovkin says he wants to win back confidence in the sport.

Boris van der Vorst, a Dutchman, is stepping up from Boris van der Vorst, who was unopposed for the position at World Boxing’s annual congress in Rome on Sunday.

Before the establishment of World Boxing, which was given preliminary approval by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in February and will compete at the LA Games, boxing’s place at the 2028 Olympics was in doubt.

After the International Boxing Association (IBA), the sport’s previous governing body, was expelled from the Olympic movement, the IOC organized the boxing competition for the 2020 and 2024 Olympics.

Golovkin has now pledged to make it a long-term commitment to boxing at the upcoming Olympic Games.

When he made his case for being elected president, he told the World Boxing Congress, “I am here to fight for something important – the future of boxing itself.”

At the 2004 Athens Games, Golovkin won the Olympic silver medal in the middleweight division.

Before moving up to the professional ranks, where he won the middleweight title, is widely regarded as one of his generation’s fiercest rivals, he also held world and Asian titles as an amateur.

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

Following a contentious draw in their first fight that many believed Golovkin had won, Alvarez defeated him twice in their final fight.

He stated to the World Boxing Congress that integrity, innovation, and financial stability and development would serve as the foundation of his presidency.

Due to concerns about governance, finances, refereeing, and ethical issues, the IOC suspended the IBA in 2019.

As Golovkin expanded on his vision for the future of boxing as an Olympic sport, “this is about unity.”

“We make a significant step forward today.” A federation that the Olympic family can trust and believe in is necessary.