Liverpool wins bid to host inaugural World Boxing Championships 2025

Boxing-World Boxing to host inaugural championships in Liverpool

Sept 17 – World Boxing will host its inaugural world championships in Liverpool next year, the governing body said on Tuesday as it continues efforts to establish itself as the sport’s recognised international federation.

World Boxing, launched in 2023, has 44 members and is looking to fill the void left behind by the International Boxing Association (IBA).

The IBA was stripped of recognition last year by the International Olympic Committee, which has not included the sport on the Los Angeles 2028 Games programme yet and has urged national boxing federations to create a new global boxing body to replace the IBA.

World Boxing’s championships will feature both men’s and women’s competitions simultaneously, unlike the two separate tournaments organised by the IBA. Boxers will compete in ten weight categories, which will be finalised later this year.

The championships will take place from Sept. 4-14 next year.

“Liverpool is a globally famous city with a proud heritage in boxing and it will be a fantastic place to host our first ever Elite World Boxing Championships,” the body’s president Boris van der Vorst said.

“This will be a superb showcase for the sport of Olympic boxing, particularly as it will be the first time ever that the men and women’s competition will run alongside each other as part of the same Championships.”

The IBA will also be organising two world championships in 2025, with the men’s tournament taking place in Astana, Kazakhstan, while the women’s competition will be held in Belgrade, Serbia. (Reporting by Aadi Nair in Nashik, India Editing by Christian Radnedge)

Liverpool has been selected as the host city for the inaugural World Boxing Championships 2025 for Elite men and women.

The Championships, which will take place from 4 – 14 September 2025 at the M&S Bank Arena, will be the first Elite-level global championships hosted by World Boxing, the new International Federation which has been set-up to ensure that boxing remains at the heart of the Olympic Movement.

The action will feature competition in 10 weight classes for both men and women and will be the first time ever that male and female boxers have competed in Olympic-style boxing for the title of world champion at the same event.

The precise weight categories will be finalised in the new edition of World Boxing’s Competition Rules which will be published following its forthcoming Congress in November 2024.

The bid to host the World Boxing Championships 2025 was developed by a group of partners including England Boxing, GB Boxing, Liverpool City Council and the M&S Bank Arena and is supported by the National Lottery and UK Sport.

Liverpool has a long history of staging major international events and was the location for the European Boxing Championships in 2008.  More recently it hosted the 2019 Vitality Netball World Cup and the 2022 World Gymnastics Championships at the M&S Bank Arena and The Open Golf Championship at Royal Liverpool in 2023.  The arena also hosted the Eurovision Song Contest in 2023.

President of World Boxing, Boris van der Vorst with England Boxing CEO, Jerome Pels earlier this year

The President of World Boxing, Boris van der Vorst said: “Liverpool is a globally famous city with a proud heritage in boxing and it will be a fantastic place to host our first ever Elite World Boxing Championships. This will be a superb showcase for the sport of Olympic boxing, particularly as it will be the first time ever that the men and women’s competition will run alongside each other as part of the same Championships.

“I would like to thank all of our partners in Great Britain and the city of Liverpool for their enthusiasm and support in wanting to stage these Championships and I look forward to working closely with all of them to deliver what will be a historic event for the boxers and for our sport.”

Jerome Pels, Chief Executive, England Boxing added: “The World Boxing Championships is not just another big sporting event – it is a game-changer for us. It is a strategic initiative that aligns with our goals of establishing a unified international governing body, inspiring the next generation of boxers, boosting participation, and strengthening communities through boxing. We are thrilled to host this event and confident it will have a huge, lasting impact on both our organisation and the future of the sport itself.”

Esther Britten, Head of Events & External Affairs at UK Sport added: “We are delighted to be supporting the World Boxing Championships in Liverpool next year, an event which will support efforts to help the sport establish a long-term future in the Olympic movement. After the incredible summer of sport, having the opportunity to compete in front of a home crowd is a huge boost for our boxers. We look forward to working with our event hosting partners to deliver this exciting event.”

Councillor Harry Doyle, Liverpool City Council’s Cabinet Member for Culture, Sport and Health, said: “It is a huge coup for Liverpool to be hosting the World Boxing Championships. This is a massive global sporting event and one which the city is proud to be welcoming. Liverpool has a long, historic connection with boxing and we are delighted to be playing our part in what will be a pivotal step for the future of the sport. We also look forward to working with our communities and boxing clubs to ensure that we can support the future grassroots development of boxing in the city. Our winning bid also underlines the city’s appeal and ability to showcase the world’s best, and I’m sure these world championships will be just as popular as those we staged for Gymnastics and Netball”.

Ben Williams, Commercial & Business Development Director at M&S Bank Arena commented: “We are delighted to be hosting this auspicious event. Liverpool loves boxing and we intend to use our world-class facilities and vast experience of hosting major events to put on the best show for visitors from across the globe. As a venue based on Liverpool’s famous waterfront, in the heart of a city that is immersed in sport, we’re perfectly positioned to provide a fantastic experience.”

Matt Holt, Chief Executive of GB Boxing, the organisation which manages the Olympic programme for boxing in Great Britain, added: “Having a major international tournament, especially the inaugural World Boxing Championships, on home soil is fantastic news for the boxers in our squad. Being part of the GB Boxing squad often means regularly competing abroad, so the chance to box in a world championship at home presents is great for the boxers and I am sure they will all be very keen to make the most of this opportunity.”

World Boxing was launched in April 2023 and aims to ensure that boxing remains at the heart of the Olympic movement.  On 7 May 2024 it held its first meeting with the IOC which signalled the start of formal collaboration between the two organisations aimed at establishing a pathway for boxing to remain in the Olympic Games.

World Boxing currently has 44 members covering all five Continents that compete in international boxing.  Its membership is expected to have grown significantly by September 2025.