USA Boxing ends membership with International Boxing Association

USA Boxing’s membership in the International Boxing Association (IBA) is no more after USA Boxing moved to terminate their membership.

Instead, USA Boxing has announced plans to file for membership in World Boxing, a new, breakaway federation headquartered in Switzerland.

“The IBA has failed to follow its stated mission to promote, support and govern the sport of boxing worldwide,” USA Boxing executive director Mark McAtee wrote in a letter to their members.

“The IBA has disregarded its own Constitution, policies and published processes. They have openly defied the ruling of the Court of Arbitration of Sport (CAS), and have continuously failed to prioritize the needs of boxers.”

The problems incurred by the IBA and its Russian president Umar Kremlev in recent years are many and well-documented by Around The Rings. Kremlev has been president of the IBA since 2020. He has well known ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin and has moved much of the IBA’s operations from Lausanne, Switzerland to Russia.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) suspended the IBA in 2019 and recommended it be suspended from organizing the boxing tournament at the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics.

An IOC task force ran the qualification for the Tokyo 2020 Games, and will do so for the Paris 2024 Games as well. Boxing’s future as an Olympic sport is very much in doubt past that. They are currently not on the initial program for LA28, and the IOC has given no indication that will change anytime soon.

USA Boxing refused to send any athletes to compete at the IBA 2023 World Championships which begins this week in Uzbekistan. Russian and Belarusian athletes will be eligible to compete in the event.

In response to USA Boxing’s withdrawal,  the IBA issued a press release acknowledging their move while also saying it will “hurt all their affiliates who will now not be able to take part in IBA’s or affiliated member competitions.”