In 2025, during the World Boxing Congress held in Rome, Gennadiy Golovkin was elected as the new president of the organization. He was the sole candidate approved by an independent commission.
Earlier, several candidates had been nominated, but only Golovkin received approval from the independent commission.
This commission consists of three external experts working with the support of Sport Resolutions, a leading international center for sports arbitration and mediation. The thorough vetting process ensures conformity with World Boxing's governance standards.
Golovkin will replace Dutchman Boris van der Vorst in this role. Vorst completed his term and opted not to seek re-election.
The new president will lead the organization for the next three years. "It is a great honor to be elected as the president of World Boxing.
However, this is just the beginning. From today onward, athletes will be at the center of all our decisions.
On the road to Los Angeles 2028, we will restore trust in Olympic boxing and ensure it continues in Brisbane and beyond," said Golovkin. At the congress in Rome, a vice-president and two members of the Executive Board were also elected.
Canadian Ryan O’Shea retained the vice-president position, securing 57% of the votes in his contest against Thai candidate Chaywat Chotima. German Michael Mueller and Japanese Tatsuya Nakama were elected to the Executive Board, receiving the highest votes among six candidates.
In total, 59 national federations participated in the voting process, which was conducted both in-person and online under the supervision of an independent operator and observers.
The congress also approved amendments to the World Boxing charter, following its preliminary recognition by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in February 2025. Additionally, the memberships of 49 new national federations were confirmed.
Updated regulations on gender equality in competitions were adopted. The congress also approved the 2025 financial report and the 2026 budget.
A decision was made to hold the next congress in Panama. World Boxing was established in April 2023 with the goal of retaining boxing in the Olympic program.
The IOC officially recognized the organization on February 25, 2025. Born in 1982, Gennadiy Golovkin is considered one of the greatest boxers in Kazakhstan's history.
He concluded his professional career with 42 wins, 2 losses, and 1 draw. Since 2024, he has been leading Kazakhstan's National Olympic Committee.
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