Boxing’s status in the Olympic Games has faced significant challenges in recent years. The 120-year-old sport has been part of The Greatest Show on Earth since 1904, ignoring its absence in the 1912 Stockholm Olympics due to it being banned in Sweden at the time. So, imagining an Olympic event without boxing was unthinkable—yet we came perilously close to that reality.

Last year, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) decided to exclude boxing from the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. The decision came after a long turmoil between the IOC and the International Boxing Association (IBA) which remained confused and directionless, and, quite frankly, is the reason we are in this mess. However, in a complete 180 move, the Executive Board of the IOC recommended the sport for the 2028 Summer Games. A decision that has sparked joy amongst the fans but has also raised a significant question. Why was boxing banned from the Olympics in the first place? Let’s take a look.

The real reason behind boxing’s ban from the Olympics

In 2019, the IOC suspended the IBA from overseeing the sport in the summer games. The Olympic governing body had serious ethical concerns associated with IBA and cited issues related to governance, financial mismanagement, and corruption as the reasons behind suspension. Recognizing the importance of boxing in the Quadrennial Games, rather than suspending the sport immediately, the IOC took over boxing at the Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Olympics.

Following that, the IOC instructed the former boxing governing organization to implement necessary reforms. However, the IBA failed to do so under the leadership of President Umar Kremlev since 2020. The IOC completely lost the faith in boxing association’s leadership to make changes, citing that issues such as unethical refereeing and judging, as well as financial dependence on the Russian energy giant Gazprom, are still at large. The IOC disapproves of IBA’s management under presidents from Uzbekistan and Russia. Furthermore, the backing from the Russian Estate Gazprom has only escalated the issue.

With the situation not improving, on June 22, 2023, the IOC formally recommended the withdrawal of the IBA. The decision effectively removed boxing following the Paris Olympics 2024. The body chaired by IOC President Thomas Bach voted 69-1, with 10 members abstaining from writing the obituary for boxing in the Summer Games.

However, there was a silver lining. The IOC declared that it will not run the boxing competitions at the 2028 Olympics unless a new, credible international boxing federation emerges. Bach revealed that the IOC “highly value the sport of boxing.” The Olympic committee wanted the sport in the event, but “We have an extremely serious problem with IBA because of their governance,” stated Bach during the IOC’s meeting in 2019.

It was clear that even the IOC wanted boxing to be part of the Summer Games. However, for that, something needed to change immediately. To the delight of every boxing fan, we got the change that might bring boxing back to the grandest stage again.

Will we see boxing at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics?

In April 2023, a group of national federations came together to establish a new governing body for boxing. ‘World Boxing’ was established to replace IBA and seek Olympic recognition. The new organization aimed to create a sustainable and inclusive global structure for the sport. It emphasized strong governance, transparent financial management, and fair competition, things that were vital for boxing’s inclusion back in the Olympic program.

As of March 2025, World Boxing includes 84 national boxing federations from five continents. Ironically, one of its headquarters is located in Switzerland, the country that imposed a ban on the sport in 1912. Who knew that it would be the place for the revival of the sport? Boris van der Vorst serves as the inaugural president. Vice presidents Ryan O’Shea, Matt Holt, and Dinah Glykidis in the leadership group back him. Over the last two years, the organization has successfully hosted several major boxing events, such as the Elite World Boxing Championships, U19 World Boxing Championships, and the World Boxing Cup.

The organization finally succeeded in its objective when the IOC granted it provisional recognition as the sport’s international federation. The provisional recognition also paved the way for sport’s return to the grandest stage of all. Subsequently, on March 17th, the IOC Executive Board decided to recommend boxing for inclusion in the LA 2028 Games. Although the IOC must still approve it, and this approval awaits confirmation during the upcoming session in Greece—the outlook is positive.

Even President Thomas Bach is confident “that the session will approve it. Ensuring that all boxers worldwide can compete in LA 2028,” he claimed. World Boxing will act as the governing body during the Summer Games as the IOC has made it clear that it would not do so following the 2024 games.

The final decision now rests with the IOC’s upcoming session in Greece, which will determine the future of boxing. A decision for which everyone is eagerly waiting for. What do you think? Let us know your thoughts down below.