The International Boxing Association (IBA) is no longer responsible for Olympic boxing, but it is entering its Golden Era. Supporting young people towards the professional world, launch of a new video game, revised calendar… The IBA presented its roadmap for the coming years and flexed its muscles at an event held in Istanbul. Big names in boxing such as Tyson Fury and Terence Crawford were present for the occasion, to the great pleasure of IBA President Umar Kremlev.
« I am delighted to welcome so many champions to this event for the development of boxing. Our goal is to ensure let every athlete know that the IBA is their home. Wherever the boxer is in the world, the IBA will support him. That is our main objective., recalled the Russian. It is our duty to create opportunities for childrenWe want to help children build a new future for themselves and their families. We are creating an ecosystem that includes amateur boxing, professional boxing, and bare-knuckle boxing. Why bare-knuckle boxing? It's where it all started. It's the history of boxing. As the IBA, we want to regulate bare-knuckle boxing and help create opportunities for fighters. »
Chris Roberts, Secretary General and Chief Executive of the IBA, added: " We now have a real ecosystem that manages schoolboys and schoolgirls from amateurs to professional boxers. The goal is toprovide a platform for success for the children of tomorrow, who can see these stars on television, then participate in competitions and become champions themselves. » This show of strength also saw Kremlev extend a helping hand to Fury for a fight for the IBA Pro heavyweight title… and the Brit left the door open.
