IBA CEO Chris Roberts remains unconvinced that rival international federation World Boxing has the financial might and experience to organise Olympic boxing.
It was announced earlier this week that World Boxing, a breakaway group led by Boris van der Vorst, has increased its membership to 84 national federations.
The six countries that have now defected from the International Boxing Association (IBA) are China, Türkiye, Greece, Slovakia, Sudan and Montenegro.
What is particularly interesting, though, is that, at the time of World Boxing’s announcement, four of those nations were still competing at the IBA Women’s World Boxing Championships.
Boxing News has also been informed that all six are yet to make a clean break from the Russian-backed body, which is still waiting on official letters of request to leave.
Nevertheless, it would appear that, after securing provisional recognition from the International Olympic Committee (IOC), World Boxing has significantly strengthened its position ahead of the Los Angeles Games in 2028.
The IBA, on the other hand, was stripped of its Olympic recognition in 2023 due to the IOC’s concerns over governance issues and a lack of financial transparency.
And yet, despite losing six more national federations, IBA chief Roberts firmly believes that the grass will not be greener on the other side.
When speaking with Boxing News, he asked: “Who gives a f*** about World Boxing?
“We focus on what we do well; they focus on what they’re doing – because I can’t say they’re doing it well.
“They’re sitting on the IBA nest, taking our national federations, spinning them this story that they need to come [to World Boxing] to move forward into the Olympic Games.
“Have you seen their financial reports? There’s nothing there. We still have 191 national federations with the IBA. Not all of them agree with the diatribe coming out of Boris’ mouth.
“World Boxing is trying to pull teams towards them – I think it’s a neglect of duty. Why would you pull a national federation into something that isn’t proven?”
Indeed, World Boxing is still largely in its infancy, but has nonetheless made considerable strides towards securing boxing’s place at the Olympics.
The IOC, meanwhile, has urged all national federations to leave the IBA, though that stance from Thomas Bach could potentially change when the body’s new president is elected next week, with candidate Sebastian Coe, for instance, having previously voiced his support for the IBA.
In any case, several countries have applied for dual membership with World Boxing, hoping to secure their place at the Olympics while also competing in IBA competitions.
After approving dual membership last December, Roberts has claimed that all applications will be considered at an IBA board of directors meeting scheduled to take place in the coming weeks.
