Kazakhstan’s Golovkin elected World Boxing president

ASTANA, Kazakhstan (MNTV) — Gennadiy Golovkin, the two-time middleweight world champion and 2004 Olympic silver medalist, has been elected president of World Boxing at the federation’s inaugural congress in Rome, The Times of Central Asia reported Sunday.

Golovkin, who has led Kazakhstan’s National Olympic Committee since last year, will now oversee the global amateur boxing body as it prepares for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. He takes over from Boris van der Vorst of the Netherlands, the organization’s first president.

“I feel great. I feel more excited. Right now, we have a new team, a new view,” Golovkin said after the vote. “I have a plan. I have ideas, so many. My goal is bringing boxing’s position back to a high level.”

World Boxing was formed in 2023 amid long-running concerns about governance and transparency in amateur boxing, issues that threatened the sport’s Olympic future. That year, the International Olympic Committee expelled the International Boxing Association, citing persistent corruption.

Since its establishment, World Boxing has worked closely with the IOC, and by January it had approved membership for 60 national federations.

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev congratulated Golovkin, noting that he is the first Kazakh to lead an international federation of an Olympic sport.

“This landmark achievement is a testament to the global recognition of Gennady Golovkin’s outstanding accomplishments and his great contribution to boxing worldwide,” Tokayev said.