IBA president Umar Kremlev outlines ambitious plans for South African boxing
James Dickens stuns Albert Batyrgaziev James ‘Jazza’ Dickens produced a career-best performance to stun Albert Batyrgaziev via fourth-round knockout at a star-studded IBA.Pro 7 event in Istanbul, Türkiye. Photo: IBA
Image: IBA
IBA President Umar Kremlev waxed lyrical about South African boxing and the African continent before stating that the organization has every intention of hosting many events on the Motherland in the future.
Speaking at a lavish International Boxing Association press conference in Istanbul, Türkiye, where Kremlev and his team unveiled the IBA’s “bold new vision for the sport” while “ushering in boxing’s Golden Era”, the Russian sports functionary conveyed his affection for Mzansi when asked about any plans to return to the Rainbow Nation.
“We have already conducted the Mandela Cup there in South Africa, and we also plan on hosting an IBA.Pro Night of Champions in South Africa,” he told Independent Media and MzansiMMA.
“We love South Africa very much, the African continent in general is a special continent from which we have decent boxers, and a lot of events will be happening in Africa,” added President Kremlev.
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The Mandela Africa Boxing Cup was established to honor Nelson Mandela's legacy and promote the sport of boxing across Africa.
The inaugural event took place in April last year at the International Convention Centre (ICC) in Durban, playing a major role in showcasing emerging talent and opening doors for 363 boxers from 41 African nations.
This month in Istanbul, the IBA reiterated its goal to open doors for amateur and professional boxers from around the world by empowering them to pursue their dreams, something that was not always possible for many athletes.
This renewed commitment to the sport and its athletes can only stand the sport of boxing in good stead and could assist with the IBA's image over time after the organisation lost its International Olympic Committee (IOC) license in 2024, citing concerns on governance, financial transparency, and the integrity of its boxing competitions.
President Kremlev spoke about the globally-renowned organization's plans, touching on intentions to build a powerful ecosystem to support fighters from all backgrounds in the amateur, professional, and bareknuckle fields.
“Our goal is to ensure every athlete knows that IBA is their boxing home. We must create opportunities for children who will gain positive development from the sport. We want to help children establish a new future for themselves and their families,” said Kremlev of the organisation that has long been considered a prominent powerhouse of the amateur boxing system.
The high-end press conference, which included an interactive AI screen, preceded the highly anticipated IBA.PRO 7 fight night.
Future IBA.PRO competitions will continue to feature some of the world’s most established professional boxers and will also include amateur match-ups, in line with the feeder-system design that the IBA aims to grow.
‘This is like Real Madrid — you go through the amateur ranks, you earn your stripes and then, if you want to go professional, we will take care of you. When it comes to the governing bodies, we are open to collaboration. This is not a competition; we want to welcome them and work with everyone. As time goes by, we will develop our ranking system, which will be formed based purely on one’s ability. If you can fight, then IBA.Pro is the place for you,” said Al Siesta, Director of IBA.Pro.
The IBA has stated that it will focus on supporting fighters on their journeys to the highest levels of the unpaid ranks and aim to incentivize competitors with sizable prize money.
Despite the negative coverage the brand has received over the last few years, the new vision proposed for the IBA has received the approval of recognised boxers.
"It’s great what IBA is doing for amateur and professional boxing," said American boxing superstar Terence Crawford, who currently holds the WBA (Super version), WBO, and WBA light middleweight titles.
“There are a lot of talented kids out there who don’t have the finances to go to certain tournaments because they can’t afford it, or they don’t have the right boxing equipment. IBA has committed to supporting those people and giving them a fighting chance.”
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