Jamaica Boxing Association (JBA) President Stephen Jones says he is confident the sport will be included in the 2028 Olympic Games despite the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) concern.

The IOC is looking for a new body to govern boxing at its Olympic Games after withdrawing its recognition of the International Boxing Association (IBA) on various grounds. IOC’s decision was upheld after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) rejected the IBA’s appeal about the IOC’s decision.

The IOC withdrew its recognition because IBA did not meet its requirements. IBA has not increased its financial transparency and sustainability, especially regarding having various options for revenue.

The IOC says the IBA has also not changed its process relating to referees and judges to ensure its integrity. It includes a monitoring period for IBA’s own competitions ahead of the Olympic Games this summer.

The IOC, which founded a Governance Reform Group, says the IBA did not ensure the full and effective implementation of this body’s proposed measures, including a change in its culture.

Jones says these concerns should not affect the reputation of boxing and its administration globally, and he sympathises with IBA, as it did not have enough time to get its affairs in order.

“At this level, in any sport, when you have over 200 countries that are making it up, you’re going to have differences of opinions and no sport would be easy at that level to govern,” Jones told the
Jamaica Observer. “Even though the decision has just come out, it’s not just now that IOC has laid out the criteria that need to be met, and that goes for any sport that wants to be recognised.

“If you ask me if IBA was doing the things necessary, I would say IBA was doing everything that needed to be done to meet the requirements, but I just think time ran out on them.”

IBA was formerly known as the Association Internationale de Boxe Amateur (AIBA), translated to the International Amateur Boxing Association, but went through restructuring for similar administrative issues in the past. Jones says he appreciates the work this new board has sought to do.

“I do have all the respect in the world for the directors and the new administration that had been running IBA,” Jones said. “But I also have the ultimate respect — since I’ve been a part of it and watched it transform, because these conversations at the end of the day can’t be personal. You have to put the country and the sport first. These member countries do speak with their national Olympic committees, who have been advised by the IOC, and we know we have to align well with the Olympic body.”

Because of the IOC’s decision, which was taken in early 2019, it was left without a body to organise boxing at the Olympic Games. IOC then decided to set up its own governing bodies to oversee the event at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 and the Paris Games this summer. Now it says boxing at the Los Angeles Games in 2028 is doubtful, as it still needs a new body to take control of the sport there.

This is why World Boxing was created. Jones says it was a difficult decision for the members to create this body.

“Boxing not being a part of the Olympics is not an option on anybody’s calendar,” he said. “It hadn’t happened overnight. These conversations have been taking place for two years, and strong leaders have been put together to form World Boxing. From a national point of view, this is the direction, but IOC has not welcomed another body as yet. It still has to come from the national federations coming together. Right now, there are 30 federations, including Jamaica, that have said they support the direction that World Boxing is going in.”

Jones expects more national associations to support World Boxing now that the CAS ruling is final. Jones says that even if World Boxing had not been established, and there was strong doubt over boxing in 2028, Jamaica’s Olympic preparations would have been unaffected.

“We just had to make sure that our platform at home is strong enough,” he said. “To do that we have to ensure that the pipeline continues from the grass roots, to the amateurs, to the professionals. The only way the pipeline remains solid is if the boxers believe there is an end result.”

Sakima Mullings trains Sanji Williams, who is looking to qualify for Paris. Mullings is also confident boxing will occur in Los Angeles.

“I believe that World Boxing will get ratified by the IOC to be the ones to govern boxing at the 2028 Olympics,” he said.

But Mullings wants to see more action regarding getting local fighters ready.

“As a Jamaican coach, our focus shouldn’t be what’s going to happen at the next Olympics but on us having regularly scheduled competition in Jamaica and so that we can have improved coaching, so that we can improve our infrastructure, so that we can improve our officials. Then we can put in the grass roots components to start to develop Jamaica so that we can compete regionally and farther.”

Ricardo “Big 12” Brown represented Jamaica at the Tokyo Games staged in 2021. He has transitioned to a professional career in which he is undefeated, with all 11 wins coming by knockout.

No one has qualified for Paris yet, but Jones says the JBA wants to send three boxers and two officials to a qualifying tournament in Bangkok, Thailand, at the end of May.