World Boxing, the newly formed international federation looking to become the recognized authority in the sport, has announced that its inaugural World Championships will be held in Liverpool next year. This move signifies a crucial step in World Boxing’s mission to fill the void left by the International Boxing Association (IBA), which lost its recognition from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 2022.
The championships, scheduled for September 4-14, 2024, will be a landmark event, featuring both men’s and women’s competitions concurrently. This marks a significant departure from the IBA’s practice of holding separate tournaments for men and women. Boxers will compete across ten weight categories, with the final details to be confirmed later this year.
Liverpool, renowned for its rich boxing heritage, will provide a fitting backdrop for this historic event. Boris van der Vorst, President of World Boxing, expressed his enthusiasm: “Liverpool is a globally famous city with a proud heritage in boxing and it will be a fantastic place to host our first ever Elite World Boxing Championships. This will be a superb showcase for the sport of Olympic boxing, particularly as it will be the first time ever that the men and women’s competition will run alongside each other as part of the same Championships.”
The IOC’s suspension of the IBA has led to a period of uncertainty in the sport. The IOC has not yet included boxing in the Los Angeles 2028 Games programme and has urged national federations to create a new global boxing body. World Boxing’s emergence as a potential replacement for the IBA could provide much-needed stability for the sport.
The IBA, despite losing its recognition, will continue to organize its own world championships in 2025. The men’s tournament will take place in Astana, Kazakhstan, while the women’s competition will be held in Belgrade, Serbia. The future of Olympic boxing remains uncertain, but the World Boxing Championships in Liverpool are poised to be a significant moment in the sport’s journey towards a new era.
