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USA Boxing is embroiled in a dispute with the federation that oversees amateur boxing worldwide and will not compete in the world championships this spring, a person with knowledge of the decision said.
The move is the latest response to the growing controversy surrounding the International Boxing Association, which the International Olympic Committee has twice wrested control of Olympic boxing due to multiple scandals and governance issues. The IOC has repeatedly fired IBA President Umar Kremlev over questionable elections, a failure to clean up alleged ratings issues and financial irregularities, and Kremlev’s apparent attempts to move away from Olympic boxing in hopes of controlling many of the world’s professional boxing organizations, scolded. American boxing officials have also expressed serious concerns about Kremlev’s leadership.
The IBA Women’s World Championships are scheduled to be held in New Delhi in March, while the men’s championships are scheduled for May in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. The World Championships, which are held every two years, are considered the sport’s most important amateur competition outside of the Olympic Games.
Skipping the World Cup will not affect United States qualification for the Paris 2024 Olympics. The IOC, which announced last year that it would take control of boxing at the Paris Games, as it did in Tokyo 2020, will hold its own Paris qualifiers.
By staying away from the World Championships, USA Boxing distances itself even more from an organization in many countries, and the IOC insists it is not qualified to oversee Olympic boxing. Currently, boxing is not planned as part of the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, and the IOC has indicated it could withdraw boxing – a sport the IOC likes for its cultural and economic diversity, as well as its gender equity – from the Paris Games if The sport continues to have leadership problems.
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