Tag: Amateur Boxing

New organization formed in attempt to save Olympic boxing

A new organization, World Boxing, was formed in attempt to save Olympic boxing.

Can Olympic boxing be saved?

Amateur officials from the U.S., Great Britain and several other countries have joined forces to create World Boxing, which is intended to replace the troubled International Boxing Association and preserve the sport’s place on the Olympic schedule.

The IBA was suspended by the International Olympic Committee in 2019 because of issues related to “governance, its financial transparency and sustainability, and the integrity of its refereeing and judging processes,” according to the IOC.

The suspension reportedly has remained in place in part because the IBA has not made changes.

Boxing will be included in the 2024 Paris Olympics, being run by the IOC. However, it’s not part of the initial program for the 2028 Games in Los Angeles.

The U.S. and Great Britain were joined by officials from Germany, the Netherlands, the Philippines and Sweden in forming World Boxing, which is based in Switzerland.

“It is vital that boxing continues to remain at the heart of the Olympic movement and to achieve this we need to re-establish a relationship of trust between those that the govern the sport and all of its stakeholders,” said GB Boxing Chief Executive Matthew Holt, according to The Daily Mail.

“World Boxing aims to deliver this by creating a financially transparent organization with strong governance structures that delivers sporting integrity and fair competition and acts in the interest of boxers and the sport.”

The IOC has yet to formally recognize World Boxing.

New organization formed in attempt to save Olympic boxing

A new organization, World Boxing, was formed in attempt to save Olympic boxing.

Can Olympic boxing be saved?

Amateur officials from the U.S., Great Britain and several other countries have joined forces to create World Boxing, which is intended to replace the troubled International Boxing Association and preserve the sport’s place on the Olympic schedule.

The IBA was suspended by the International Olympic Committee in 2019 because of issues related to “governance, its financial transparency and sustainability, and the integrity of its refereeing and judging processes,” according to the IOC.

The suspension reportedly has remained in place in part because the IBA has not made changes.

Boxing will be included in the 2024 Paris Olympics, being run by the IOC. However, it’s not part of the initial program for the 2028 Games in Los Angeles.

The U.S. and Great Britain were joined by officials from Germany, the Netherlands, the Philippines and Sweden in forming World Boxing, which is based in Switzerland.

“It is vital that boxing continues to remain at the heart of the Olympic movement and to achieve this we need to re-establish a relationship of trust between those that the govern the sport and all of its stakeholders,” said GB Boxing Chief Executive Matthew Holt, according to The Daily Mail.

“World Boxing aims to deliver this by creating a financially transparent organization with strong governance structures that delivers sporting integrity and fair competition and acts in the interest of boxers and the sport.”

The IOC has yet to formally recognize World Boxing.

Lennox Lewis says Evander Holyfield was his toughest opponent

Lennox Lewis’s toughest opponent was Evander Holyfield, he wrote on Instagram.

Lennox Lewis’ toughest fight was a majority-decision victory over a prime Ray Mercer in 1996, he wrote on Instagram. That doesn’t mean that Mercer was the Hall of Famer’s toughest opponent, however.

Evander Holyfield has that distinction.

Holyfield? Lewis and Holyfield fought to a controversial draw in March 1999 – a fight that almost everyone believes Lewis won – and the Englishman won the rematch eight months later by a wide decision.

Still, Lewis has tremendous respect for Holyfield.

“People seem to be genuinely surprised when I tell them (Holyfield) was my toughest opponent, not to be confused with my toughest fight, which was (Ray) Mercer. But when you really dive into why that is, it actually makes a lot of sense,” Lewis wrote.

Lennox Lewis (right) said that Evander Holyfield was the toughest opponent he ever faced. Roger Kisby / Getty Images for Hublot

“Holyfield, like me, has an extensive amateur pedigree that has served him well throughout his professional career. He started boxing at 8 years old and was an Olympic bronze medalist in 1984. Before he moved up to the heavyweight division, he’s a man that cleared out the cruiserweight division to become the undisputed champion, and arguably the best ever, in that weight class.

“That’s a lot of experience and it’s safe to say that by the time we met for the undisputed heavyweight championship in 1999, he had seen it all. When you combine Evander’s amateur and professional experience, you would be hard pressed not to see the kind of success he’s had in the ring.

“I may tease him a bit on our two fights, he knows I won both fights even though he won’t admit it, but in all seriousness, he’s the only man that has gone 24 rounds with me.”

The moral of the story? An extensive amateur background is a tremendous advantage.

“I can’t stress enough the importance of amateur experience,” he wrote. “Consider the amateurs as your internship into the pros. The more you learn about your craft, the better it will serve you. Me and Evander’s extensive amateur experience brought us to the top of our games. In a sport where there are no guarantees, and even one mistake can end in disaster, it’s important to play the odds.

“So although we have both had setbacks in our careers, there was very little chance that the success we sought in the sport of boxing would not be reached based on our experience.”

Olympic qualifier for American boxers canceled due to coronavirus

The Olympics qualifiers for the Americas, the final leg for boxers hoping to make the 2020 Tokyo games, has been cancelled…

The Olympic boxing qualifier for the Americas, scheduled to take place March 26 to April 3 in Buenos Aires, has been canceled because of the coronavirus.

The government of Argentina decided to “restrict all types of international events in the country with immediate effect as a precautionary measure to COVID-19,” according to a statement by the International Olympic Committee Boxing Task Force, the organization that took over for AIBA to oversee all boxing events for the upcoming Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

“We are searching for the appropriate solution for this unexpected situation and will immediately inform the National Olympic Committees, National Federations and other impacted parties as soon as further information is available.”

The tournament, which is open to all boxers from North, South and Central America, is the last qualifier for boxers hoping to make the summer Tokyo Olympics. It is uncertain whether the IOC will move ahead with the Olympics. The games are scheduled to start July 24.

The BTF organizes qualifiers in five regions around the world but is unlikely to complete them all. The European qualifier is still scheduled to take place in London March 13-23, but a delay or cancellation is still a possibility. The final qualifier is scheduled for May 13 in Paris.

The BTF’s announcement was made Wednesday shortly before the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus a global pandemic. Later that same day, the NBA decided to suspend its season “until further notice” after one of its players, center Rudy Gobert of the Utah Jazz, tested positive for the coronavirus.

Among many drastic steps taken by sports organizations worldwide, the NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournaments will be played without fans.

 

Follow Sean Nam on Twitter @seanpasbon

Embattled AIBA mulls name change as part of reform

AIBA is looking to change its name after missing out on organizing the boxing tournament for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.

AIBA, the embattled organization that oversees international amateur boxing, is mulling a name change after losing out on the opportunity to organize the boxing tournament for the upcoming Tokyo Olympics.

“There is a wish to reform, and a change of the name is also a part of reform,” Mohamed Moustahsane, AIBA’s interim president, said in a statement to the Associated Press. “It will be discussed at the next (executive committee) meeting to be presented at the Congress in March.”

The International Olympic Committee suspended AIBA in June 2019 for issues related to debt and governance and assumed the reins for overseeing the boxing competition of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

AIBA is reportedly at least $16 million in debt. AIBA’s last president Gafur Rakhimov, who has had alleged links to organized crime and drug trafficking, stepped down last July amid an IOC investigation. The U.S. Treasury Department accused Rakhimov of being “one of Uzbekistan’s leading criminals,” according to the Associated Press.

Moustahsane, who was voted in as interim president last March, noted to AP that he is working with AIBA’s creditors.

“It’s a heavy heritage, but I am confident that the creditors are fully aware of AIBA’s financial situation,” he said. “Chinese and Azerbaijani companies are our main creditors, the good thing is these countries are deeply involved in the sport, especially in boxing. I am sure that we will reach an agreement for the best interest of the sport.”

The boxing competition at the Tokyo Games begins July 25 and runs through Aug. 9.