In 2023, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) officially stripped the IBA of its right to govern boxing at the Olympic Games, sparking fears that the sport would no longer play a role in the world’s largest sporting event.
However, boxing did return to the Paris 2024 Games, but under a blanket of drama and split opinions while being overseen by the IOC. Headlines were made in Paris as it was revealed that two female boxers competing in the Olympic Games, in Imane Khelif of Algeria and Lin Yu Ting of South Korea, had failed “Gender Eligibility Tests” in IBA-sanctioned amateur events in 2022 and 2023.
A new organisation, World Boxing, has since taken the reins of provisionally governing the Los Angeles 2028 Games and has introduced mandatory genetic testing so that it can “determine their sex at birth and their eligibility to compete.” There was no such testing at the 2024 Olympic Games.
“As long as boxing finds its route to the Olympic Games, it doesn’t matter who is leading it to the Olympics,” Al Siesta, CEO and General Director of IBA.Pro, said in an exclusive interview with Boxing Social. “This shows how supportive and how non-competitive we are when it comes to boxing as a sport. Whoever takes boxing to the Olympics, the IBA will always support it and will be happy to collaborate either way with them.”
The IBA is under the leadership of Russian business tycoon Umar Kremlev. Siesta also hails from Russia but has resided in England for over 20 years. Although the IBA is not a Russian organisation, it has large significance in the country and neighbouring regions. A large number of Russian fighters compete on their events, while they also have strong links to Russia through sponsorship and, obviously, its leadership. Many Russian athletes that they cooperate with have not been allowed to compete under the nation’s flag due to a war with Ukraine, which started in 2022.
However, Russian athletes have competed since, but under the name — Individual Neutral Athletes. All team sports have a blanket ban. During the 2026 Winter Olympic Games, the stance has continued, but the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has reversed the decision to allow Russian athletes to perform under their flag.
“God willing,” Siesta responded when asked whether the Russian flag will be visible in 2028. “I think that closer to the Olympic Games, I am sure a few things will change because the world never stays the same. Sometimes forward, sometimes backward, but you can always guarantee movement. The important thing is to develop strong fighters and develop our brand. We need to develop an ecosystem. Boxing is just part of what we are trying to do.”
The IBA has pushed forward with its own pro format in the meantime. It now has three separate styles of boxing: its amateur boxing shows are largely in line with Olympic-style boxing, while the IBA.Pro series has seen the standard Queensberry Rules professional boxing work alongside another format distinguished separately on BoxRec. The “IBA.Pro” tab on a fighter’s BoxRec records bouts that are to a professional standard but are separate from their professional record.
The organization also has its own world title format, which the WBA allows unification bouts with. We have seen Dana White’s Zuffa Boxing have no such luck last week with IBF world champion Jai Opetaia.
“We are getting on really well with the IBF,” Siesta explained. “We are yet to collaborate with the WBO and the WBC, but I’m sure it will be a matter of time. We are not in a position where we want the IBA belt to be in the top five or top ten. It’s not important for us. It’s more important that the belt is worth something and something is attached to it. We want the IBA belt to be a legitimate reward. We don’t charge for the IBA belt, it comes with a legacy if you fight for it. It’s an opportunity rather than a tax. It’s radically different.
“Zuffa have never managed Olympic boxing for many years. Zuffa doesn’t have any amateur pro scene. Zuffa is just a promotional company; it’s incomparable. We have built an ecosystem where the IBA is a way of living, bringing fighters in from childhood and developing them in the amateur system. We look after them and their families and then bring them into the professional system. Then we want to look after them when they finish their career. You know how karate or kung fu is a way of life; we are trying to do the same with boxing — make it a more distinguished martial art, rather than some dirty sport.”
The IBA.Pro series heads to Saint Petersburg in Russia this coming Friday, where Pavel Sosulin will headline against Victor Nagbe as Siesta goes into his second year with the organisation.
“Umar and myself were the founders of IBA.Pro,” Siesta added. “Umar is a real visionary. He has a real passion for boxing. Last year we did a show in the Philippines with Manny Pacquiao, and this year we should be going to some good destinations. Murat Gassiev, Vadim Musaev and Sharabutdin Ataev are all the Russian names that will be the new champions emerging from this market. The Uzbek guys are a bit younger; they will be the next generation after the win at the Olympics along with the Kazakh guys. The Eastern European market, which the IBA works closely with, is another emerging market in boxing. They will dominate in the next five to ten years.”
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