In a development widely anticipated and closely watched due to the sport’s Olympic implications, the former Kazakh champion was elected president of the international federation on Sunday. His appointment came just days after the disqualification of Mariolis Charilaos from the race — a decision that had sparked debate over transparency within the organisation.
Gennady Gennadyevich Golovkin’s confirmation as the new head of World Boxing unfolded in a climate of heightened expectation, with the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games now less than three years away. The electoral assembly, held at the Congress Hall of the Sheraton Parco De Medici Hotel in Rome, brought together 59 voting federations — 42 attending in person and the remainder participating online — to appoint new leadership. The results saw Canadian Ryan O’Shea elected vice president with 32 votes, while Germany’s Michael Muller (38 votes) and Japan’s Tatsuya Nakama (35 votes) secured positions on the executive committee.
Amid strong applause, Golovkin vowed to safeguard boxing’s long-term Olympic future. “I am here to fight for something important: the future of boxing itself. With your support I will do everything possible to rebuild trust in World Boxing,” he said. “Together we can achieve full IOC recognition and ensure our place not only at Los Angeles 2028, but at all future Olympic Games.”
Emphasising unity, the former world champion added: “This is about working together. Today we take an important step forward. We must be a federation athletes can believe in and one the Olympic movement can rely on.”
In his speech, he also outlined that his programme is built around four key points: putting athletes first, integrity, innovation, and financial stability and development. Welcoming words for the new members of the boxing entity and thank yous to outgoing president Boris Van der Vorst, for whom he expressed great respect, were not lacking, either.
Van der Vorst bid farewell to the boxing world through an emotional video, recalling that, just like a young Cassius Clay in Rome 1960, many great champions such as Golovkin began their careers at the Olympic Games. “Boxing is back. I have travelled extensively and met many friends to achieve this goal. I am satisfied and proud of these five years and I thank everyone who has supported me on this long, exhausting and beautiful journey. Looking ahead, I hope new technologies can also be used to boost boxing,” the Dutch said.
As a member of the International Olympic Committee, Italian official Giovanni Malagò also thanked the outgoing leader for his work, because “despite the difficulties, he has brought boxing back to the wonderful IOC family. I am sure each of you possesses great values and a spirit of unity, and thanks to that, you will walk together towards the future.”
The congress also approved several amendments to the federation’s statutes, including the gender recognition policy, with 41 votes in favour, confirming the requirement for athletes to undergo gender tests before each international competition. The budgets for 2025 and 2026 were also approved, and the closing remarks included a video announcing that Panama will host the 2026 World Boxing Congress.
