Boxing
World Boxing Plans to Expand as Part of Effort to Save Olympic Boxing
Published
5 months agoon
PARIS — The fledgling organization governing the fight to keep boxing in the Olympics is about to receive a major membership boost.
World Boxing expects to expand its membership base to at least 50 national federations in the weeks following the Paris Olympics, president Boris Van Der Vorst told The Associated Press. The organization already has 37 members, including most of the top Western national federations.
Van Der Vorst said he left Paris even more convinced that his sport could make “the greatest comeback in the history of the Olympic movement”.
Van Der Vorst has spent the Games talking to boxing leaders and federations as World Boxing tries to unite the sport under the only practical alternative to the Russian-dominated International Boxing Association, which has been exiled from the Olympic movement. World Boxing must appeal to each federation individually to bring about this seismic change in the sport — and time is running out.
Boxing is not currently on the program for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, and the International Olympic Committee has repeatedly said the sport must find a suitable recent governing body, likely in early 2025, to return to the Games lineup. The IOC body has run the last two boxing tournaments at the Olympics.
“There is only one reason to join [World Boxing]“To save our sport,” Van Der Vorst told the AP on Saturday.
Five years after the IBA was banned from the Olympics, the group unexpectedly found itself in the spotlight again in Paris, amid allegations against boxers Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-ting that they both failed questionable qualifying tests for women’s boxing at last year’s world championships.
Amidst a worldwide storm of criticism and unfounded speculation, Khelif and Lin won gold medals for the best performances of their boxing careers.
After repeating its claims without disclosing any evidence, the IBA held a bizarre news conference in Paris on Monday during which its president, Umar Kremlev, spent more time criticizing IOC President Thomas Bach on Zoom than answering questions about boxers.
Van Der Vorst knows all about the IBA’s leadership woes. He ran for president in 2022 but was barred from the elections by Kremlev in a shady move that the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled was ineffective.
But the long-time Dutch boxing executive refused to relish the IBA’s mishaps in Paris. He reiterated his determination for World Boxing to replace the IBA in the Olympic movement, while acknowledging that his sport had been cast in an unflattering lithe by the antics of the banned group.
“You have to realize that we decided that this is not a competition between us and the IBA,” Van Der Vorst said. “We have only one mission, and that is to keep boxing at the heart of the Olympic movement. We try to do what is best for the boxers and the national federations.”
Earlier in the tournament, Van Der Vorst spoke to the AP about his feelings about the controversy surrounding Khelifa and Lin, who have faced online harassment and worldwide criticism due to misconceptions about their femininity.
“We have only one mission, and that is to keep boxing at the heart of the Olympic movement. We try to do what is best for the boxers and the national federations.”
World Boxing President Boris Van Der Vorst in an interview with The Associated Press
Van Der Vorst said he supported Khelifa and Lin’s right to be in Paris under the criteria used by the IOC. World Boxing has a medical commission that will develop eligibility rules in the coming weeks and months, and Van Der Vorst said the group had noted changing attitudes and standards in other Olympic sports governing bodies.
“It’s a complicated case and also for World Boxing, it’s very critical that we have already appointed our medical committee to involve experts,” Van Der Vorst said. “Making sure that the safety and integrity of the sport are the two most critical things that should be addressed there. But it’s a really complicated case.”
World Boxing is also busy staging three major tournaments in the coming months, along with a number of smaller events, while adding staff and continuing to build a long-term plan. The body is trying to show its ability to be an authority on the sport as it hopes to win IOC approval to host another Olympic cycle.
Although World Boxing has steadily increased its membership since its inception and boasts a presence on six continents, it still faces a major obstacle in the form of the intransigence of many long-time IBA members who are either financially dependent on the banned organization or support its leadership politically.
It will be a challenge to recruit a number of key members, including some of the world’s top federations at the moment. Uzbekistan finished another excellent Olympic cycle with five gold medals – the most of any country in 20 years – while China collected three golds and two silvers. Cuba, despite winning just two medals in Paris, remains one of the most critical boxing federations in the world.
No one is sure what the IOC will think if World Boxing fails to secure partnerships with some of the most decorated federations, but Van Der Vorst is determined to continue working towards his ambitious goal.
“I respect every decision of every national federation and I understand the difficulties they face,” Van Der Vorst said. “You can’t imagine the challenges. We’ve had some setbacks, some difficulties, but we are absolutely convinced that our hand will be raised at the end of this year.”
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Boxing
Ryan Rozicki is waiting for Badou Jack’s consent to mandatory cooperation with the WBC
Published
2 days agoon
January 13, 2025The World Boxing Council (WBC) ordered world cruiserweight champion Badou “The Ripper” Jack (20-1-1, 19 KO) to make a mandatory title defense against Ryan “The Bruiser” Rozicki (20-1), number 1 in the WBC ranking – 1, 19 KOs).
If both camps fail to successfully negotiate an agreement, the WBC will organize a tender on February 4, followed by the Jack vs. Rozicki. Rozicki’s promoter, Three Lions Promotions, immediately sent Team Jacek an offer to promote the fight in Canada last week.
“We are waiting for their counteroffer,” explained promoter Dan Otter of Three Lions Promotions. “Boxing has had a huge resurgence in Canada and Ryan is leading the way. He is one of the most electrifying and hardest-hitting fighters in boxing, definitely in the cruiserweight division. He wants the WBC green belt and ultimately the unification of the division. Ryan will fight Jack anywhere for the belt.”
29-year-old Rozicki, born in Sydney (Nova Scotia) and living in Hamilton (Ontario), fought 22 professional fights against 21 different opponents (twice against Yamil Alberto Peralta), stopping 19 of the 20 opponents he defeated. an eye-opening 95-KO percentage.
Jack, 41, was a 2008 Olympian representing his native Sweden. He is a three-division world champion, as well as the WBC super middleweight and World Boxing Association (WBA) lightweight heavyweight title holder. Jack has a record of 5-0-2 (2 KO) in world championship fights.
“We respect Jack and I don’t want to sound disrespectful,” Otter added, “but he’s over 40 years vintage and has been relatively inactive for two years (only one fight). He brings a lot of experience and respect to the ring, but he will fight a newborn defender with a lot of power. Jack is going to struggle and honestly, I don’t think he’ll make it past the first few rounds.”
Ryan Rozicki is on a mission to become the first Canadian cruiserweight world champion.
The next move is Badou Jack’s.
Boxing
Floyd Mayweather’s record is not normal, it can’t happen in 70 years
Published
3 days agoon
January 12, 2025Floyd Mayweather’s incredible 50-0 record is not normal and cannot be repeated in sports for another seventy years.
This is the view of Saudi Arabian president Turki Alalshikh, who wants to adopt the UFC model in which fighters lose many fights during their career.
In a speech as he hosted the Ring Magazine Awards after acquiring the long-running boxing publication from Oscar De La Hoya, Alalshikh was unequivocal in his opinion.
“Now losing some fights in boxing must be normal,” he explained. “All fighters want a career similar to Floyd Mayweather – no losses. This may happen once every 50, 60 or 70 years.
“We need it [to be] like currently in the UFC model, where champions lose and win,” added the matchmaker during the Riyad season.
Mayweather rose through the sport in the tardy 1990s to become one of its youngest superstars. Mayweather’s professional success came after winning a bronze medal at the Olympics after losing to Serafim Todorov.
Winning world titles in five weight classes, Mayweather was untouchable. The Grand Rapids native only came close to defeat a few times. He dominated Manny Pacquiao and overtook Canelo Alvarez and Oscar De La Hoya after heated debates, with decisions that should have been made unanimously.
Towards the end of his career, Mayweather chose to face Andre Berto and Conor McGregor, easily winning and ending his boxing career at the age of 50 without ever going out. Calling himself “the greatest of all time,” Mayweather earned first-ballot Hall of Fame honors and is widely considered one of, if not the greatest defensive fighter of all time.
However, Alalshikh says this type of career needs to end so that fans can get the most out of boxing, as is the case with the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Boxing needs to become more attractive, and Alalshikh sees the failures of top stars as a way to keep interest at an all-time high.
In this sport, many boxers enjoy undefeated streaks, the most notable of which is Oleksandr Usyk. The Ukrainian Pound for Pound King is 23-0 and has beaten the best he has to offer in his division and cruiserweight classification.
It remains a mystery how Alalshikh plans to make Usyk suffer while he dominates everyone else. By the time his grand plan goes into action, Usyk will be long gone, and Gervonta Davis, Shakur Stevenson and Devin Haney may be more realistic targets.
Boxing
Manny Pacquiao remains the favorite to win the title against Mario Barrios
Published
1 week agoon
January 6, 2025WBN understands that despite alternative options emerging, it is more likely that Manny Pacquiao will face Mario Barrios next.
Bob Santos, coach of WBC welterweight champion Barrios, told World Boxing News that he is currently in contact with Pacquiao’s team. Asked by WBN if he had spoken to Pacquiao or representatives of any other challenger, Santos replied: “Yes, Pacquiao’s promoter, Sean Gibbons.” Pressed on whether Barrios vs Pacquiao might happen next, he added: “It’s challenging to say. We’ll have to see how this plays out.”
WBN contacted Santos after Conor Benn emerged as a potential alternative to Barrios. The British fighter, who recently returned from a suspension following two positive drug tests, is keen to return to competition.
Benn showed favor with the World Boxing Council at the recent WBC Convention, the WBC Evaluation Committee and during an interview with the sanctioning body over the weekend. “The Destroyer” is ranked second in the rankings at 147 pounds, despite less than solid opponents during his time in exile, during which Benn competed twice in the United States while his career in the United Kingdom was in doubt.
As he battled to clear his name and with the British Anti-Doping Authority finding no evidence that Benn had intentionally taken ostarine, the 28-year-old’s career took a pointed nosedive. Despite this, he remains highly rated and at least one step away from fighting for an eliminator or one of the remaining championship titles.
However, Pacquiao remains Barrios’ favorite. Now it’s up to the boxing legend and Hall of Famer who got the first votes to secure his shot. WBN believes a July date – most likely at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas – is the most realistic date for a Nevada swan song.
Pacquiao could extend his record as the oldest welterweight champion by six years if he can secure a huge victory over the 29-year-old world champion. At 46 years antique, such a scenario remains unlikely, but he can never be compared to one of the greatest players of this generation.
Unlike heavier boxers and his training regiment, Pacquiao looks in great shape despite his advanced age. Everything is set for a massive return to the boxing capital of the world, provided Pacquiao and his team can manage his political ambitions, which are expected to run from this month until May. After that time, Pacquiao could find himself in the summer finals and become the all-time champion, regardless of the result.
Barrios is based in the city, where he trained with Santos, and would be the perfect opponent to see out the career of one of the greatest fighters in history.
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