World Boxing Federation to Host First World Championship in Liverpool

The World Boxing Federation (WB) has announced that it will host its first world championship in Liverpool, England next year. This move is part of the organization’s efforts to establish itself as a widely recognized international alliance within the boxing community.

Established in 2023, the World Boxing Federation currently has 44 member countries. The organization aims to fill the void left by the International Boxing Association (IBA), which lost its recognition from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) last year.

The IOC has urged national boxing federations to appoint a new global governing body for boxing to replace the IBA. However, the IOC has not yet included boxing in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.

The World Boxing Federation’s first World Championship will take place from September 4th to 14th next year. The event will feature both men’s and women’s competitions, a departure from the IBA’s traditional format of hosting two separate events. The competition will be divided into 10 weight classes, with the official weights to be determined later this year.

World Boxing Federation Chairman Boris van der Vorst expressed his enthusiasm for the event, stating, “Liverpool is a globally renowned city with a proud boxing tradition, making it the perfect location to host the first Elite World Boxing Championships.”

Van der Vorst added, “This will be a great preview of Olympic boxing, especially as it will be the first time that the men’s and women’s competitions will be held simultaneously at the World Championships.”

The IBA will also host two World Championships next year, with the men’s championship taking place in Astana, Kazakhstan, and the women’s championship in Belgrade, Serbia.

The World Boxing Federation is calling on countries to join the organization to ensure that boxing is included in the 2028 Olympics.