Oleksandr Usyk: Undisputed heavyweight champion demands action to save ‘rotten’ amateur boxing culture
Published 30/07/2024 at 18:31 GMT+1
Amateur boxing is currently in limbo, with the sport being in danger of being chucked out of the Olympics. Fighters are competing at the Paris Games this summer with an International Olympic Committee task force in charge of the competition, after the International Boxing Association was stripped of its right to host Olympics events by the IOC. Oleksandr Usyk has called for change.
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Undisputed world heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk says the international governance of amateur boxing needs to be addressed as a matter of urgency.
The Ukrainian fighter has called the sport “rotten” at amateur level, and despite the Olympics currently hosting boxing events in Paris, its future at the Games remains in limbo.
The International Boxing Association (IBA) has been stripped of its right to host Olympic competition by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which led to events at Tokyo 2020 being administered by an IOC task force.
That is also the same situation at this summer’s Games in the French capital.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) upheld the IOC’s decision to banish the IBA, due to concerns over the integrity of the sport and unresolved issues surrounding the sport’s governance.
The CAS cited problems with “financial transparency” and also demanded a “change of culture” as it backed the IOC’s stance.
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Speaking to SNTV, Usyk said: "For many years, there has been a desire to change the boxing system, which is rotten on an international level.
"So, we just need to work. No promises need to be made; we need to act. When you do this, people see the work done and come to you, asking to collaborate."
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The IOC wants a new federation in place by early 2025, otherwise boxing could be scrapped from the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.
Despite this threat, Usyk does not think it will come to that: "I think boxing will be in the Olympic Games."
Prior to his illustrious pro career, Usyk was dominant at amateur level.
In 2012, he won an Olympic gold medal in London at heavyweight.
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