GGG Would Like to Play a Role in Saving Olympic Boxing

There were always whispers about corruption in boxing in the Olympics. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) got so fed up with the International Boxing Association that it essentially threw the IBA out of the sport. While the IBA has pushed back against some of the allegations, there has been a panic about getting boxing on the schedule for the 2028 games in Los Angeles.

What has emerged from all the controversy is people who believed in the cause and want to keep one of the Olympics oldest sports in the game. People who follow online boxing news show that winning at the amateur tournament has launched a number of boxing careers.

Muhammad Ali, George Foreman, Roy Jones Jr, Anthony Joshua, and many others all grabbed medals on their way to professional stardom. Former silver medalist Gennadiy Golovkin, better known by his ring name GGG, has been pushed as the Olympic chair for World Boxing.

They are hoping that, with his name recognition and respect in the sport, they can set up boxing for success in the future.

Who is GGG?

Golovkin is well-known to boxing fans worldwide. His career may be most remembered for a trilogy of fights with Canelo Alvarez. While the judging in the fights with Canelo always sparked controversy, GGG never seemed to come out on the right side of it.

The native of Kazakhstan won a silver medal at the 2004 Olympic Games. He turned professional two years later. According to boxing news latest headlines, GGG would go on to be a two-time unified champion. He was a successful middleweight who was at one time considered the world’s best pound-for-pound boxer.GGG finished his career with a 42-2-1 record with 37 wins by knockout. Both of his losses and his only career draw came with Canelo.

GGG Wants to Save Olympic Boxing

GGG was already the President of the National Olympic Committee of Kazakhstan when he was chosen for his new role with World Boxing. World Boxing needs to sort out all the IOC’s questions by 2025 if it wants to be included in the next Olympics. The IOC had taken over running the boxing competition during the few Olympic cycles.

The feud between the IBA and IOC started before the 2020 games in Tokyo. The IBA had fallen $20 million in debt and suddenly had the debt wiped out. There were some accusations that Russian Umar Kemlev, who was elected to be President of the IBA, had strong ties to Vladimir Putin. Once Ukrainian fighters were suspended by the IBA after the Russia-Ukraine war started, the IBA’s relationship with the IOC fell apart.

IOC Needs Help

During the 2024 games in Paris, the IOC demonstrated why it needs a body focused on the games. There was a major battle between the IOC and conservative commentators over Algerian boxer Imane Khelif.

Rumors online started about whether Khelif was a man and if she should be able to compete with women. Khelif went on to win the gold medal. Khelif was cleared to compete by the Olympics, but other organizations said she shouldn’t be allowed to.

It was a messy scandal that overshadowed the boxing matches. Khelif had tested positive for a higher level of testosterone, but it isn’t clear exactly what was the truth and what was an exaggeration about her gender. The IBA even reared its ugly head to splash more fuel to the fire. It was embarrassing for all involved.

Things Likely Still Won’t Be Perfect

Any sport where judging is involved is inviting corruption and mistakes that lead to anger. During the recent Paris Olympics, there was a major judging debate in women’s gymnastics. One athlete appealed a result, taking the medal away from the original bronze medal.

However, another outside body reversed the original appeal, forcing the return of the bronze medal to the original winner. It was a mess. Not only did the IOC end up with egg on its face, but both nations and athletes ended up looking silly as a result of the chaos.

Boxing has so many controversies over the years, it is hard to narrow down all of the issues into one article. One of the most famous came during the 1988 summer games in Korea. Roy Jones Jr. battered South Korea’s Park Si-Hun.

Jones finished with an 86-32 edge in punches landed and even scored a knockdown. However, the judging was a mess. Two judges scored the fight for Jones, two for Park, and one scored it a draw.The gold medal was given to Park based on criteria. News later emerged that the judges had been taken out by South Korean organizations before the fight. Park is embarrassed with the result.

Jones went on to have a successful professional career. Despite not winning the gold medal, Jones was awarded the Val Barker Trophy. That trophy is awarded to the best stylistic boxer at the Olympic games.

Jones became only the third fighter to win the honor, which is awarded by the AIBA, and not win a gold medal. The trophy was given out from 1936 to 2016. The other two fighters to win the Val Barker Trophy for best stylistic boxer were American Louis Laurie, who won bronze at flyweight in 1936, and Kenyan Philip Waruinge, who won bronze at featherweight in 1968.

GGG Has a Lot of Work to Do

When GGG was asked to take over as chairperson by World Boxing, he stressed that there will be more transparency at all levels. He wants to promote fairness in the sport of boxing. It’s a bold goal for GGG.

At nearly all levels of the sport, professional and amateur alike, boxing features some sort of corruption. Being able to root out that corruption and making sure the judges correctly pick the winning fighter is paramount.

GGG also has a strong reputation in the boxing community. There isn’t much negative that has been attached to him over his time in fighting. Find all the latest boxing news and MMA breaking updates on boxingnews.com.

By Dean McHugh.