Gennadiy Golovkin, the two time middleweight world champion and 2004 Olympic silver medallist, stepped into the role of World Boxing president at the Rome Congress 2025. He accepted the position with pride and said the sport will now put athletes at the centre of every decision. The Kazakh was the only name on the final ballot. An independent Vetting Panel reviewed all candidates in October 2025 and approved Golovkin as the sole contender. The panel, made up of three external experts, works with Sport Resolutions to keep World Boxing governance transparent and fair.
Golovkin will serve a three year term. He follows Dutch leader Boris van der Vorst, who finished his term and did not run again. The election also chose a new Vice President and four seats on the Executive Board.
Vice President Race
Ryan O’Shea of Canada won a second term as Vice President with 57 per cent of the vote, beating Thailand’s Chaiwat Chotima. Six candidates ran for the board. Michael Muller from Germany and Tatsuya Nakama from Japan received the most votes and earned seats.
Vision for Olympic Boxing
Golovkin told the gathering, “It is a privilege to be elected as the new President of World Boxing. This is just the beginning. Starting today, athletes will be at the heart of every decision we make. On the road to LA28, we will restore trust in Olympic boxing to secure our place in Brisbane and beyond. Now it is time to move forward as one united boxing family.”
He highlighted the need to protect boxing’s place in the Olympic programme and to improve the sport’s credibility with fans and officials.
New Leadership Team
The freshly elected leaders will sit on the World Boxing Executive Board. The board now includes the President, three Vice Presidents, four Executive Board members, four Continental Confederation Presidents, two Athlete Representatives, and the chairs of the Sport and Competition, Medical and Anti Doping, and Finance and Audit committees.
World Boxing Vice President and Congress chair Dinah Glykidis praised the broad participation of 59 national federations, both in person and online, and stressed the importance of transparent governance.
Other Congress Decisions
The Rome meeting also approved several key actions:
* Amendments to the World Boxing statutes after provisional IOC recognition in February 2025.
* Membership for 49 new national federations.
* Inclusion of the Sex Eligibility Policy in competition rules.
* Approval of the 2025 accounts and a provisional budget for 2026.
* Acceptance of Panama’s bid to host the 2026 Congress.
World Boxing was launched in April 2023 to keep boxing at the heart of the Olympic movement. It earned provisional IOC recognition in February 2025 and continues to build its global presence. Born in 1982, Golovkin is widely regarded as Kazakhstan’s greatest boxer. He earned a silver medal at the Athens 2004 Olympics and later captured the middleweight world title twice, finishing his career with 42 wins, two losses and one draw. He also serves as President of Kazakhstan’s National Olympic Committee since 2024.
Source: Fight News
