LIVERPOOL, England – There was lots to celebrate for Gennadiy Golovkin after the inaugural World Boxing Championships at Liverpool’s M&S Bank Arena.
The tournament was World Boxing’s first since taking over the reins of the sport from AIBA. The previous handlers of amateur boxing had driven its reputation into the ground so much that the International Olympic Committee pulled the plug on boxing’s involvement in the 2026 Los Angeles Olympic Games.
World Boxing, a governing body headed by Boris van der Vost, took control back in 2023 and installed Golovkin as the Chair of the Olympic Commission, with its purpose of getting boxing back into the Olympics – and keeping it there. Their mission was a success, and in March 2025 amateur boxing’s – or Olympic style boxing as it is now called – place was confirmed for the 2028 games in LA.
