Ukrainian Klychko enters World Boxing presidential race, facing another iconic legend
Photo: Volodymyr Klychko (Getty Images)
Former heavyweight champion Volodymyr Klychko will run for president of World Boxing, reports Inside The Games.
When the election will be and who the competitors are
The current head of World Boxing (the organization that will oversee the boxing tournament at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics) has decided not to seek re-election. Dutch official Boris Van der Vorst announced this in a letter to the organization's members.
Three candidates will compete in the presidential election in November 2025:
- Gennady Golovkin, a famous former middleweight world champion and current president of the National Olympic Committee of Kazakhstan.
- Volodymyr Klychko, 1996 Olympic champion and former heavyweight world champion.
- Haris Mariolis, president of the Hellenic Boxing Federation.
What World Boxing is
World Boxing is an international organization established in 2023 as an alternative to the International Boxing Association (IBA). Its main goal is to keep boxing in the Olympic program and ensure transparent and fair governance of the sport.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has repeatedly criticized the IBA for opaque judging, financial violations, and reliance on Russian influence. In June 2023, the IOC officially stripped the IBA of its recognized federation status.
This puts boxing's spot in the Olympics after Paris 2024 in jeopardy. As a result, several national federations initiated the creation of a new organization, World Boxing.
As of 2025, more than 120 national federations have joined World Boxing, including the USA, the UK, Canada, Germany, Sweden, Australia, and others. The Ukrainian Boxing Federation has also joined the organization.
World Boxing is gradually becoming the main platform for the development of amateur boxing worldwide.
