Boxing
Russian-led International Boxing Association bans Russian and Belarusian boxers
The International Boxing Association (IBA), led by Russian Umar Kremlev, has followed the recommendations set out by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), banning boxers and officials from Russia and Belarus from competition, following the countries’ involvement in the invasion of Ukraine.
Gazprom, the Russian state-owned energy company, has still been retained by IBA as its general partner, despite the threat of sanctions from Western nations.
Previously, IBA said its Board of Directors would meet to discuss what action would be taken against Russia, who initiated the invasion of neighbouring Ukraine, and Belarus, who allowed the use of its borders for the attack.
“While condemning the breach of the Olympic Truce and the military activities against Ukraine, IBA adopted the IOC recommendation with regard to the participation of boxers and competition officials (including referees and judges) belonging to the IBA’s National Federations of Russia or Belarus,” said the IBA.
“Accordingly, they shall not be invited or allowed to participate in international boxing competitions.”
The organisation condemned the action of Russia in their statement, but also left the door open for athletes from the countries to compete neutrally “on short notice for organisational or legal reasons”.
Ukrainians boxers received support from IBA following the invasion of their country ©Getty Images
IBA is the third International Federation led by a Russian to have suspended athletes from that country.
It follows the International Sport Shooting Federation, headed by billionaire Vladimir Lisin, and the International Fencing Federation, whose President Alisher Usmanov has temporarily stood aside after being sanctioned by the European Union and United Kingdom for his alleged close links to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Kremlev, the former secretary general of the Boxing Federation of Russia was elected IBA President in December 2020, has vowed to get the organisation restored as the governing body for Olympic boxing after it was suspended by the IOC following several years of corruption and financial problems.
He is due to stand for re-election at the IBA Electoral Congress in Istanbul on May 13 and 14.
The first major event that Russian boxers will miss is set to be the IBA Women’s World Boxing Championships in Istanbul, due to take place between May 6 and 21.
At the last Championships in Ulan-Ude three years ago, Russia finished top of the medals table with three golds for Ekaterina Paltceva in the light flyweight, Liliya Aetbaeva in the flyweight and Zemfira Magomedalieva in the light heavyweight.
IBA is led by Russian Umar Kremlev, but that has not saved boxers from his country being banned from competition following the invasion of Ukraine ©IBA
Events in both countries sanctioned by IBA have also been cancelled.
“IBA is completely committed to putting sport at the service of the peaceful development of humanity,” read the statement.
“Consistent with these commitments, the IBA Board also offered its full support for measures aimed at helping the Ukrainian boxers.”
Ukraine was invaded by Russia on February 24, just four days after the Closing Ceremony of the Winter Olympics in Beijing, leading to condemnation globally, including in the sporting community.
Russia and Belarus were banned from the Winter Paralympic Games – which opened in the Chinese capital today – after mounting pressure on the International Paralympic Committee from National Paralympic Committees.
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Boxing
Undisputed World Boxing Champion, Oleksandr Usyk detained and released in Poland
Undisputed heavyweight world champion Oleksandr Usyk has been released after detention by law-enforcement officers at Poland’s Krakow airport, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Wednesday.
“I was outraged by this attitude towards our citizen and champion,” Zelenskiy said on the Telegram messaging app.
“Our champion was released and no one is detaining him anymore.”
It was not immediately clear why the 37-year-old Usyk was detained. The WBC, WBO and WBA champion, who also won gold at the 2012 London Olympics, has been a national hero aiding Kyiv’s war efforts.
Poland’s foreign and interior ministries did not immediately reply to Reuters’ requests for comments.
“Friends, everything is fine,” Usyk said in an Instagram post. “There was a misunderstanding that was quickly resolved. Thank you to everyone who was concerned.”
He added, “Respect to the Polish law enforcement officers who perform their duties regardless of height, weight, arm span, and titles.”
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on X that his ministry will contact the Polish foreign ministry, as it considered the detention “disproportionate and unacceptable in relation to our champion.”
Polish TVP Info, a television news channel run by state broadcaster TVP, published a social media video on its website showing Polish law-enforcement officers walking the handcuffed Usyk through what appeared to be an airport.
Reuters was not able to independently verify the video.
Usyk beat Tyson Fury in May to become undisputed heavyweight boxing world champion in a thrilling contest at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh.
The 37-year-old Ukrainian is the first boxer to hold all four major heavyweight belts at the same time and the first undisputed champ since the end of Lennox Lewis’ reign in April 2000.
Usyk’s charity fund, Usyk Foundation, aids Kyiv’s forces in the war that Russia launched with a full-scale invasion against Ukraine in 2022. It buys, among others, ambulances and delivers humanitarian aid to the front line.
Usyk’s wife, Yekaterina Usyk, who posted a blurred photo of her husband surrounded by uniformed officers, said in an Instagram post in English that she was thankful her husband was free after a misunderstanding.
-Reuters
Boxing
Tyson says Paul will ‘run like a thief’ in the ring
Mike Tyson said he was fit and ready for his Nov. 15 fight against Jake Paul as the two boxers had a joint news conference in New York City on Sunday.
The match was originally scheduled for July 20 but was postponed after former heavyweight champion Tyson, 58, had an ulcer flare-up that forced some resting time.
“Iron Mike”, who has a 50-6 record with 44 knockouts, was one of the most feared heavyweights in history but has not fought a professional fight since 2005.
When asked why he returned to the ring so long after retirement, Tyson’s response was clear: “Because I can. Who else can do it but me? We have a YouTuber fighting the greatest fighter ever to live.”
“He may have been in the ring with people who have the same intentions, but the actuality, no.
“As soon as I catch this guy it’s going to be totally over, he is going to run. He is gonna run like a thief.”
Paul, who was booed and heckled by the crowd, claimed he would put Tyson to sleep.
“I am here to make 40 million dollars and knock out a legend,” Paul said.
“I love Mike and I respect him but we are not friends anymore until Nov. 15,” he said.
When asked if he was afraid of being in the ring with Paul, Tyson replied sarcastically: “I am terrified.”
YouTuber-turned-boxer Paul, 27, is 31 years his junior and has a 10-1 boxing record.
The fight will be streamed live globally on Netflix and will take place at the 80,000-seat AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, home of the Dallas Cowboys.
-Reuters
Boxing
Anthony Joshua’s opponent, Helenius gets two-year ban
Finland’s Robert Helenius has been banned for two years due to Anti-Doping Rule Violations (ADRVs) for the presence and use of a prohibited substance for his bout against Britain’s Anthony Joshua in August 2023, UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) said on Friday.
Former heavyweight world champion Joshua beat stand-in Helenius with a seventh round single-punch knockout at the London O2 Arena.
But Helenius’s sample from a voluntary drug test the day before the bout tested positive for clomifene, which the Finnish boxer said may have originated from consuming eggs and chicken.
Helenius, now 40, was provisionally suspended and UKAD said he was unable to provide proof that “the eggs and chicken meat he had consumed in advance of the bout originated from hens that had been administered clomifene”.
“Mr Helenius was therefore unable to identify the source of clomifene in his sample and therefore unable to reduce the applicable period of ineligibility of two years,” UKAD added.
However, UKAD said that since Helenius was provisionally suspended on Sept. 18, 2023, he has already served 10 months of his ban which will expire on Sept. 17, 2025.
-Reuters
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