World Boxing

What is World Boxing?

World Boxing is an international federation for Olympic-style boxing. Its Statutes, in the edition in force from 1 July 2026, state: “World Boxing is a civil association founded for an unlimited period of time having its own legal identity as a non-profit organisation in accordance with Article 60 of the Swiss Civil Code.”^[1] Among its stated objects are to promote, develop and govern boxing and to maintain IOC recognition as the international federation for Olympic-style boxing.^[1]

Olympedia describes its origin as follows: “World Boxing was formed in April 2023 as a breakaway boxing federation by 18 nations who wished to withdraw from the International Boxing Association (IBA, formerly AIBA) and form a new international federation to govern non-professional boxing.”^[6] The International Boxing Association is a separate body. On 2 April 2024 the Court of Arbitration for Sport dismissed the IBA’s appeal “against the decision taken by the IOC Session on 22 June 2023 withdrawing the IOC’s recognition of the IBA as the IF for the sport of boxing”.^[15]

Professional boxing’s world titles sit with separate sanctioning organisations. The Association of Boxing Commissions lists 24 sanctioning organisations as “Ali Act Compliant”, among them the WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO.^[16]

What does World Boxing govern or do?

Competition and rankings. World Boxing owns and sanctions senior and age-group competitions. It describes the World Boxing Cup as “an annual competition series in which elite male and female boxers compete throughout the year across several stages to accrue ranking points”.^[14]

Anti-doping. The Statutes commit World Boxing to “strictly enforce WADA’s rules and the Olympic Movement Code on the Prevention of the Manipulation of Competitions”.^[1]

Sex eligibility. On 20 August 2025 World Boxing published a “Sex Eligibility” policy under which “all athletes over the age of 18 that want to participate in a World Boxing owned or sanctioned competition will need to undergo a once-in-a-lifetime PCR (polymerase chain reaction)” or equivalent genetic screening test “to determine their sex at birth and their eligibility to compete”. Its release stated: “The new policy comes into effect from 20 August 2025 and will be applied in the female category at the forthcoming World Boxing Championships in Liverpool, 4-14 September 2025,” and “Testing will be applied for boxers in the male category at all World Boxing competitions from 1 January 2026.” It added that “National Federations will be responsible for testing and will be required to confirm the sex of their athletes when entering them into World Boxing competitions”.^[13] The wider debate is covered under eligibility in the women’s category.

Russian and Belarusian boxers. In March 2026 the Executive Board endorsed membership applications from the Belarusian and Russian federations, and in April 2026 it approved an AIN procedure under which “Boxers will appear with AIN on their vests and not RUS or BLR”.^[10] On 12 May 2026 the Board lifted those restrictions for Belarus,^[11] and on 30 July 2026 in Glasgow “The ExCo accepted that Russian athletes would now take part in World Boxing competitions like boxers from any other national federation.”^[12]

When was World Boxing founded and where is it based?

World Boxing gives its own start in its standard description: “World Boxing was launched in April 2023. It held its first formal meeting with the IOC in May 2024”.^[4] Olympedia, independently, dates its formation to April 2023.^[6] The place of the founding meeting could not be confirmed from a retrieved source.

The seat is fixed by the Statutes: Lausanne, Canton of Vaud, Switzerland.^[1] Olympedia also places the office in Lausanne.^[6] The Statutes in force from 1 July 2026 set English and French as the official languages.^[1]

The Executive Board’s meeting of 30 July 2026 recorded that the next Congress will be held in Panama in November 2026.^[12]

How is World Boxing recognised?

IOC. On 26 February 2025 World Boxing welcomed “the decision by the Executive Board of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to grant it provisional recognition as the International Federation (IF) within the Olympic Movement governing the sport of boxing at world level”, referring to “the announcement today (26 February 2025)”.^[2] Later World Boxing releases date the grant differently: its release of 20 March 2025 gives 26 February 2025,^[3] and its standard description of 10 August 2026 gives “25 February 2025”.^[4] That August 2026 description still refers to provisional recognition; no World Boxing release retrieved announces full IOC recognition.

LA28. On 20 March 2025 World Boxing welcomed the decision of “the 144th Session of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to include boxing on the sports programme of the Olympic Games Los Angeles 2028”.^[3] Olympedia describes the same Session as the one at which “World Boxing was recognized by the IOC as the governing federation for Olympic boxing”.^[6]

ARISF and ASOIF. World Boxing appears on the member list of the Association of IOC Recognised International Sports Federations,^[7] and on ASOIF’s list of associate members.^[8] Olympedia records AIMS recognition in February 2025 and ARISF recognition in March 2025.^[6]

WADA. WADA’s list of Code signatories, as retrieved on 30 September 2026, includes “World Boxing” under the heading “IFs outside the Olympic / Paralympic Movement”.^[9]

What does World Boxing organise?

World Boxing Championships. World Boxing states that “The first Elite World Boxing Championships for men and women were held in Liverpool, England, from 4–14 September 2025.” The next edition is scheduled for Astana, Kazakhstan, in 2027, and the Executive Board reviewed its preparations on 30 July 2026.^[12][14] See the World Boxing Championships.

World Boxing Cup. The 2024 series had stages in England, the United States and Mongolia, with finals in England in November 2024; the 2025 series had stages in Brazil, Poland and Kazakhstan, with finals in India in November 2025.^[14]

Age-group and continental events. The U19 World Boxing Championships, held for men and women, were staged in Colorado Springs in October 2024. World Boxing also lists U15 and U17 competitions and continental championships.^[14]

LA28 and qualification. On 30 July 2026 the Executive Board addressed “the allocation of major international competitions for the 2027–2029 cycle, including the Olympic qualification pathway for LA2028”, with hosts under review for continental qualification tournaments in 2027 and two World Qualification Tournaments in 2028.^[12] See the Olympic Games.

Who are its members?

World Boxing’s members are national boxing federations, with “only one Full Member per country or territory” under the Statutes, which provide for Full Members and Associate Members.^[1] On 10 August 2026 World Boxing stated that “globally it currently has 183 member National Federations that are able to compete in its competitions”.^[4] Its directory of federations, as retrieved on 30 September 2026, states 182, divided into 122 full members, 59 endorsed members and one associate member.^[5] Olympedia gives 175 as of May 2026.^[6]

The Statutes recognise five continental confederations, for “Africa, Asia, Europe, Oceania and the Americas”.^[1]

The Russian and Belarusian federations’ membership applications were endorsed by the Executive Board in March 2026.^[10] In the United States the national federation is USA Boxing.