ACTION between the ropes may have taken a back seat for the summer - but what lies ahead in the weeks to come will have a huge bearing on the future of Irish boxing at all levels.
Against the backdrop of a decision by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to expel the International Boxing Association (IBA) from the Olympic movement last month, the ground is constantly shifting at the top end of the sport.
A new rival body, World Boxing, was set up in a bid to secure the sport’s Olympic future after the sport was originally left off the programme for the 2028 Los Angeles Games.
However, while that programme is not expected to be officially finalised until October, IOC director general Christophe De Kepper last month "guaranteed" that boxing will feature at Los Angeles in the wake of the IBA’s removal.
As they did in Tokyo, the IOC will run the boxing competition at next summer’s Olympics in Paris, having taken charge of the European qualification event recently held during the European Games in Poland.
However, there has been no indication as to who will run the tournament post-Paris. It is also unclear whether boxers whose national federations remain loyal to the IBA will be allowed to compete in Los Angeles, or future Olympic Games.
Several nations have already joined forces with World Boxing, led by USA, with GB Boxing among those applying for associate membership. On Monday, Australia became the latest country to apply for membership of World Boxing after cutting ties with the IBA.
In a significant move, the influential Asian confederation has decided to hold an extraordinary congress later this year to vote on whether to leave to the IBA. A major continental player, the outcome of that congress will have a major bearing on the power struggle between the two organisations.
The leadership of the Irish Athletic Boxing Association (IABA) has made clear its support for the establishment of World Boxing, but whether or not the association chooses to leave the IBA and affiliate with the new body once and for all will be decided at an upcoming Extraordinary General Meeting.
The IABA has taken a strong position against the IBA since the beginning of the year, boycotting both the men’s and women’s World Championships, as well as a number of underage tournaments run under the auspices of the current world governing body.
Last week the IABA announced that its clubs will have “the opportunity to consider alternative partnerships” at the EGM, which will be held at an unspecified date and venue in mid-August, following on from a series of provincial “information meetings” in the coming weeks.
Those meetings – “to hear clubs’ views and answer any questions they may have” – are open to members of all affiliated clubs, and will be attended by interim IABA board of directors chair Tom Geraghty, and the board of directors member for the relevant province.
They are scheduled for the following dates – July 25, Fairgrove Hotel, Mitchelstown, Cork (7.30pm); July 26, National Stadium, Dublin (8pm); July 27, The Hub, Castlerea, Roscommon (7pm); July 29, Belfast, location TBC (11am).
Geraghty and IABA president Gerry O’Mahony have written to all affiliated clubs, outlining the background to the row at the top of international boxing.
As it means a change in the constitution of the IABA, a formal decision to cuts ties with the IBA would require support from 75 per cent of delegates present at the EGM. Each club who turns up at the EGM will have one vote.
The weeks ahead, and possible machinations in other countries during the time between, could yet have a bearing on the mood by the time mid-August rolls around, and whether there will be enough support for a proposal to join World Boxing.
“Boxing’s long-term future as an Olympic sport is at risk – this is of grave concern to all of us given that the Olympic Games is a platform on which our clubs thrive, and boxing is Ireland’s most successful Olympic sport,” read the letter sent to clubs, which is co-signed by Geraghty and O’Mahony.
“Leaders within IBA have had four years to address concerns in officiating, governance and financial management. Put bluntly, they have chosen not to do so.
“They instead suspended numerous federations, declined to engage fully with the IOC, temporarily suspended Ukraine boxers from competing under their own flag and released an ‘alternative qualification process’ for Paris 2024, despite having no part in the Olympic Games.
“The IABA has had concerns about IBA’s activities and practices for some time now. The board and central council have taken appropriate, measured, steps thus far. Now however, we are faced with the ultimate decision… where the future of Irish boxing lies.”
The letter also acknowledge that joining World Boxing would be “a calculated risk and the stakes are high”, before claiming that funding could be affected should the IABA remain in the IBA.
“Some underdeveloped nations lured by the promise of financial reward will choose to remain with IBA. More will remain for fear of change. Others will join with World Boxing in the hope that good governance and appropriate financial management will see boxing preserved in future Olympic Games.
“Should we choose to remain in the IBA, we may well find our direct and indirect funding impacted. In recent times the IABA has been able to fund, or part fund, affiliation fees. Training and upskilling in areas including coaching, officiating, women in sport, club development and inclusion has been enhanced and/or funded.
“Sports capital and sports partnership grant aid has been provided to maintain and improve club facilities, and teams of boxers across all age groups and levels have travelled internationally.
“Remaining with the IBA will mean funding for these areas will be reduced and, in some cases, will need to be fundraised.”
