Like a raging hurricane she’s now planning to flatten her opponents in Africa Zone 3 tournament in Nairobi to make a big statement on her intentions in the squared circle

A captivatingly beautiful Ugandan female boxer announced her arrival at the big stage in the ring by thunder in the inaugural Mandela African Boxing Cup Championships in 2024 in Durban, South Africa.

Fatuma “The Thunder” Nabikolo threw caution to the wind to win a bronze medal in her international debut against all expectations.

Maintaining her sparkling performance locally since she started boxing in 2018 at Kololo High School, Fatuma punched her way to the semi-finals, losing to Egypt’s bantamweight Yomna Ayyad.

On her way to the semi-finals, she saw off big hitting and tough South African boxer Qasana Cwenga to set up a semi-final clash against the Egyptian boxer.

She was just within a heartbeat of romping through to the finals but as fate would have it she lost on points.

Commenting on her hard-earned victory over the South African boxer, Fatuma says: “I was really confident when I was going to play with the South African lady but I didn’t expect the power she had. And I was so happy when I beat her. Home was happy for me because I had left my people in Uganda waiting for the good news.”

What strategy did Fatuma apply to get the better of her South African opponent?

“I was blocking most her punches and countering back. And also my footwork was good. She couldn’t see me I was on the move.

“In the semi-finals my fight with the Egyptian was very close but I was surprised she won by 5-0.”

Fatuma was also among the Ugandan boxers who participated in the inaugural World Boxing Council (WBC) Amateur-Africa Boxing Union (ABU) tournament in Lagos from February 6-8, 2025, with Nigerian boxers winning the majority of bouts and securing spots in the maiden WBC Amateur Boxing World Cup in Mexico later in 2025.

“Officiating in Lagos was awful. The refs and judges were favouring the Nigerians. Not only in my weight alone but also in other weights. I hope officiating in the Zone 3 will be fair to all boxers,” says Fatuma.

The Nigeria event, supported by Yucateco Boxing Promotions, brought together boxers from eight African countries and marked a significant step in the development of amateur boxing on the continent.

Boxers from eight African countries, including Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, Ghana, and Cameroon took part.

This event was the first of its kind in Africa, sanctioned by both ABU and the WBC, and served as a qualifier for the WBC World Cup in Mexico.

Nigerian boxers secured 10 out of the 11 bouts on the final day of the tournament.

The tournament was hailed as a historic moment and a new dawn for amateur boxing in Africa.

Back to Fatuma. Among her accolades include national schools title she won in 2019 and was named the best boxer. In the same year Fatuma clinched the national juniors, novices, intermediate and national titles.

“I also won a gold medal in the national championships and a belt in the Champions League in the bantamweight division in 2023.”

Fatuma singles out the South African boxer Qasana she fought in Durban as her toughest opponent so far and that was also her most memorable victory in the ring.

Her most disappointing moment was when her
opponent in one of the Champions League matches, Nalule Leila, refused to continue with the fight without any explanation.

“She refused to fight on for no reason and that was the time I wanted to entertain the fans, I was so disappointed.

“It appears she got scared of me because I was outboxing her punching her at will, she’s a coward I can say.”

I ask Fatuma – a freelance estate manager – what’s her burning ambition in boxing?

“I want to play boxing to make my life better and also build my mum a house, my aim is to become a world champion and fight on the world stage like my idol Floyd Mayweather Junior, he’s my role model.”

Does she intend to venture into professional boxing?

“Well that depends if I get a good promoter we agree on a lucrative deal but not peanuts because I’m thinking big.”

What are Fatuma’s hobbies?

“I love travelling and praying since I’m a born-again Christian, my dad is a Muslim and my mum a Christian.”

Fatuma’s favourite food is matoke, rice, pilau and fish.

“I eat one meal once in a day and that’s at 7pm, I spend the whole day eating fruits and snacks and then the meal at 7pm.

“I love fruits so much because they help me in boxing I perform well in the ring with vitamin from the fruits, this also sharpens my mind.”

On her game plan for the Africa Zone 3 Championships, Fatuma says she’s coming to Nairobi to win gold.

“I’m telling my opponents to expect hard punches because I’ve now moved up to featherweight, they will not withstand my power.”

UGANDA’S KASIM MURUNGI AIMING FOR ZONE 3 GOLD

 ▪️ “I haven’t seen any boxer who’s a threat in the featherweight I will sweep them all,” says Murungi

October 6, 2025

African Games featherweight bronze medallist Kasim Murungi is aiming for nothing short of a gold medal in the Africa Zone 3 Championships taking place in Nairobi from October 16-25 at the Kasarani Indoor Arena.

A boxer-puncher, Murungi’s power punches and technical precision exemplifies a perfect blend of a complete fighter.

Needless to say his confidence is not in vain because he believes in himself and has improved rapidly since making his international debut at the 2023 Africa Men’s and Women’s Championships in Yaounde, Cameroon.

Murungi did not make it to Yaounde by fluke but showed his immense potential by defeating top featherweights in Uganda such as the 2022 Africa Championships bronze medallist Jonathan Kyobe of Lukanga Boxing Club and Kimuli Henry of Mutajjazi BC.

“I don’t think there’s any boxer to stop me from winning my country a gold medal in Nairobi, I trust myself and believe in my abilities,”says the 22-year old Ugandan boxing sensantion whose skillful boxing rekindles the golden era of some of the most impressive Ugandan boxers such as Vicky Byarugaba and Ayub Kalule.

In his 2023 Yaounde debut, he was eliminated by Mozambican defending champion Armando Sigauque but he has gradually gained confidence since his first international appearance.

This self belief was evidenced at the African Games in Accra, Ghana in 2024 when he caused a major upset stopping Ghana’s twice Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Abdul Wahid Omar in the third round.

“That remains my most memorable victory so far, It inspired me a lot and gave me more confidence,” recalls Murungi who rarely complains when he’s beaten fairly but at the inaugural Mandela African Boxing Cup in 2024 in Durban, South Africa, Murungi did not agree with the judges decision to award victory to Armando Sigauque of Mozambique whom he was meeting for the third time having lost to him at the 2023 African Championships in Yaounde and in the semi-finals of the African Games in Accra.

“That was very unfair, In my mind I knew I had defeated him, that decision remains my saddest moment to date in the ring,” says the Ugandan boxer who started boxing at the age of 14 years in 2017 at the East Coast Boxing Club in Naguru, Kampala, under the tutelage of Hassan Khalili, twin brother to a former international Hussein “Juba” Khalili, a gold medallist in the 1982 Brisbane Commonwealth Games representing Kenya’s national team.

Before losing in the quarter-finals to Sigauque in Durban, Murungi eliminated Tryagain Ndevelo of Namibia. The referee stopped the fight in the third round after the Namibian star boxer sustained a cut above his left eye.

“The fight ended in the last round 45 seconds left to the end of the fight, I was leading on both 2 rounds score cards. In the end, we respect the referee and doctors’ decisions, and it’s part of the game,” Ndevelo, who became the African champion later in 2024, told boxersworld.co.ke in a telephone interview from Namibia.

“He’s a tough and hard puncher, the Ugandan boxers have endurance and physical strength,” noted the southpaw Ndevelo.

“I was more defensive to my advantage of tall height than Kasim who’s got the muscles and endurance which is an advantage for his height.”

Murungi attributes his success to coach Hassan Khalili.

“Hassan Khalili has influenced my boxing,” says Murungi. He speaks highly of Hassan on the valuable knowledge he imparted to him as a rookie.

“Hassan helped me a lot on boxing basics like movement, throwing punches correctly hitting the target, defence and offence and staying calm in the ring when under pressure.”

Murungi was previously a footballer playing as a central defender and almost joined kickboxing but his father advised him to engage in boxing.

“I really loved football but later I began losing interest because when you win in football credit goes to the team, when there’s a mistake they blame the whole team but in boxing it’s you alone not the team.

“I was also keen on kickboxing but I took the advice of my parents to focus on boxing.”

He was inspired by among others Juma Miiro, Shadir Bwogi and Nasir Bashir.

“When I watched them on TV in 2018 going to Australia for the Commonwealth Games they inspired me a lot and decided to emulate them.” Miiro won a bronze medal in the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.

The boxing education he gained from Hassan Khalili stood him in good stead in his first National School Championship at Lugogo MTN Arena representing City High in 2019.

“I did well winning a gold medal helping my school carry the overall trophy in girls and boys.”

Murungi showed his claws in the 2022 season in which he won the National Novices, Intermediate and National Open titles as well as being adjudged the best boxer in the National Open.

He has also stamped his authority in the Uganda Champions League competition.

“I’m now going for my third title in the Champions League but to be at the top I beat three-time champion Jonathan Kyobe and Derrick Mubiru who was number two in 2022, I beat Mubiru twice,” says Murungi whose major challenge currently is lack of a steady income.

“I’m a fitness trainer, I train people and they pay me but it’s not much, if I can get a job to have a consistent income I’ll be more comfortable.”

He’s appealing to well wishers in Uganda to assist him financially to enroll in a technical college to arm himself with the right grades to secure a job.

The Kenyan women boxers have made big strides since 1986 when the celebrated South African coach Eddie “Papa” Musi midwifed the birth of female boxing at Guru Nanak Secondary School in Nairobi brushing aside strong opposition from ABA’s bigwigs Peter Mwarangu and Stanley Wachanga

They are tigerish in attack, punching with ruthless precision and displaying eye-catching skillful boxing.

Meet the tough and mean Kenyan women boxers who have steadily risen to prove wrong the doubting Thomases who have been against female boxing.

When the late South African distinguished coach Eddie “Papa” Musi midwifed the birth of female boxing in 1986 at Guru Nanak Secondary School in Nairobi, he was treated like a mad man by some top officials of the Amateur Boxing Association of Kenya (ABA) among them national team head coach then Peter Mwarangu or Orango if you like and the small man with big ideas Stanley Wachanga, the association’s treasurer.

Musi, who was a mathematics and science teacher at Guru Nanak Secondary School, assembled seven schoolgirls, Nuru Said, Lucy Chepkosgei, Eudian Waringa, Hellen Kerubo, Josephine Nyacheo, Harriet Nyamboki and Pamela Kanaga to introduce female boxing in Kenya.

He migrated to Kenya in 1967 and fell in love with the warmth of the natives. Musi decided to settle in Kariobangi in Kenya’s capital city Nairobi.

With the Africa Zone 3 Championships just days away the Kenyan head coach is strategizing quietly with his team for the tough job ahead

An orchestra of roars and cheers explodes at Kasarani Indoor Arena as Kenya’s Liz Andiego carries the fight to DR Congo’s burly Marie Joelle Mwika.

Inspired by the deafening noise of the home crowd, Andiego’s ruthless combinations land with an audible crunch igniting ecstatic screams in this gruelling and emotional light-heavyweight final grudge bout in which Marie had vowed to teach the battle-hardened Andiego painful boxing lessons infront of her home fans.

With a multitude of eyes fixed on the ring and deafening roars from Nairobi-based DRC fans including her teammates, Marie Joelle fights back, drawing her strength from the cheering DRC fans. She uncorks a poisonous right cross that pushes back Andiego amidst chants of beta ye makasi (beat her hard), bakisa ba coup (use combinations).

It’s a furious toe-to-exchange now as both boxers trade leather, releasing bombs at each other, gasping for breath…ish!!! ish!!! twaf!! twaf!!

Yes!, that’s the appetising menu of high octane fights to be served to boxing fans during the exciting and thrilling Africa Zone 3 Boxing Championships at Kasarani Gym in Nairobi from October 16-25. War is war!!!

It will be an electrifying display of skill, wit, power, ring generalship, speed and courage as this event brings together top and upcoming boxers from 12 countries each one of them with their unique fighting style in the squared circle.

You will witness *The* *Out-Boxer* such as Boniface Mogunde using lightning fast jabs, masterful defence and agility to control the distance.

We will see *The Swarmer* overwhelming opponents at close quarters with aggressive in-fighting onslaught of screaming combinations and hooks. Nyembo Gisele is one of them.

Ka-boom!! There’s *The* *Slugger* using raw power to knock out opponents.

And then we have *The Boxer-Puncher* blending technique and power, changing tactics in the middle of the bout to entertain fans with quality boxing.

We will also witness the defensive style of *The* *Counter-Puncher* setting up traps for their opponents waiting for an opening to launch counter-attacks to disorganise the rhythm of their adversaries.

In a capsule summary,
you will experience the thrill of boxing made in Africa at its best.

The Africa Zone 3 is more than just a boxing contest; it’s a *Big Party* celebrating the African spirit of boxing and its philosophy.

Be there to witness this dazzliing action which will also be *Livestreamed daily.*

The two star boxers have pro fights on October 30 in Kinshasa vying for WBC Africa titles

DR Congo’s star boxers, middleweight David Tshama and light-heavyweight Pita Kabeji, have pulled out of the Africa Zone 3 Boxing Championships in Nairobi from October 15-25.

The two Zone 3 defending champions are vying for WBC Africa title fights on October 30 in Kinshasa, DR Congo, and therefore have been ruled out of the Nairobi event to enable them prepare adequately and avoid injuries in Zone 3 tournament which will be fiercely contested with bombing punches exploding every day.

“It’s unfortunate our two top boxers will not be in Nairobi because of their title fights in Kinshasa,” the Deputy
Secretary-General of the Congolese Boxing Federation, Pierre Ambongi, told boxersworld.co.ke in an interview from Kinshasa.

“They will fight for the WBC Africa titles and WBC cannot allow them to fight 45 days before the title fights but they will be in Dubai for World Championships,” said Ambongi.

The withdrawal of the two boxers is a big blow to DR Congo’s spirited campaign to retain the overall title they’ve won for two years running in 2021 and 2022. Tshama is the two-time Africa champion while Kabeji has won the Africa title of three years in a row.

The absence of Kabeji in the light-heavyweight class now leaves Tanzania’s Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Yusuf Changalawe as the gold medal favourite as Kenya’s two-time Africa Championships bronze medallist Robert “Man Man Ngori” is unlikely to take part in the Zone 3 Championships because of a tight work schedule at KDF, his employer.

With Tshama out, the battle for the middleweight title is now between Kenya’s African Games champion Edwin Okong’o and Uganda’s vicious body puncher Alfred Ojok.

So far 12 countries have confirmed taking part in the Africa Zone 3 Championships. They are DR Congo, Tanzania, Burundi, Cameroon, Congo Brazzaville, Ethiopia, Somalia, Gabon, Rwanda, Uganda, Central African Republic and host Kenya with two teams.

Chad and Equatorial Guinea have yet to confirm participation in the eagerly awaited showdown to feature the region’s top boxers.

FIRE FOR FIRE!!!🔥AS WAR OF WORDS HOTS UP BETWEEN KENYA’S LIZ ANDIEGO AND HER DR CONGO’S RIVAL MARIE JOELLE
▪️ Mimi nakuja Nairobi kubeta Andiego hata kama ni kwake kwa nyumba niko tayari, says Joelle meaning even if it’s at Andiego’s own house she will blow up the Kenyan boxer to avenge the Kinshasa defeat

War is war!! As we gear up for the first bell in the Africa Zone 3 Boxing Champions in Nairobi, a battle of words has erupted between Kenya’s national team captain Liz “Warhorse” Andiego and DR Congo’s Marie Joelle Mwika.

It’s do-or-die as the two rival boxers prepare for the “Mother of all Battles” in Kenya’s capital city Nairobi, the venue of the Africa Zone 3 Championships from October 15-25.

“I’m coming to Nairobi to beat Andiego at home, she will cry tears of blood,” Marie Joelle told boxersworld.co.ke in an interview from Kinshasa.

Commenting on her semi-final loss to Andiego in the 2024 Africa Elite Men’s and Women’s Championships in Kinshasa, Marie Joelle said: “The judges robbed me because I was the winner, I’m very annoyed; if it means punishing Andiego in her own bedroom in Nairobi I’ll do it.”

The DR Congo boxer – younger sister to Africa welterweight champion Brigitte Mbabi – said she’s still very annoyed on how the judges declared Andiego the winner.”

The quietly spoken Andiego has hit back in equal force.

“If I beat her at her home ground, there is no way I’m gonna lose at home
I respect her she is tough opponent but I’m ready to repeat the same, I’m ready to fire!,” Andiego told boxersworld.co.k.

“I’m used to such threats in boxing but Marie should know that she will not beat me at home, if she does it I’ll quit boxing.”

Andiego and Marie Joelle are the main actors in women’s light-heavyweight.

This is one big fight fans cannot afford to miss watching. It’ll be explosive!!!!

National team boxers led by celebrated Patrick Chinyemba and Margret Tembo have said they cannot work under newly-appointed head coach Kangwa because they feel he’s unqualified to handle them

The controversy surrounding the appointment of Charles Kangwa as the head coach of Zambia’s national boxing team has taken a new twist with the country’s top boxers disowning him and making it clear they still recognise Wisdom Mudenda as their head coach.

Paris Olympics quarter-finalist Patrick “Baddo” Chinyemba and 2022 African Championships minimumweight gold medallist Margret Tembo, speaking on behalf of national team boxers, have told boxersworld.co.ke they still recognise Wisdom Mudenda as their head coach.

A furious Chinyemba, a gold medallist in the 2022 African Championships and reigning African Games flyweight champion, said it’s impossible for Kangwa, Star-1 coach to replace more experienced Star-2 Mudenda.

“Coach Mudenda has been with us for a long time he’s very experienced more than Kangwa and understands boxing,” said Chinyemba, adding: “No coach had won more than four medals in the African Games but Mudenda did it with us in Accra in 2024 he won seven medals, Kangwa can’t be the senior coach but can work under Mudenda, infact we don’t want him at all in the national team.”

Tembo on her part said: I myself won’t allow it to happen because it will affect my performance, I have been with coach Mudenda ever since I joined the national team and I will say he is the best so far.”

Tembo pulled no punches telling the President of Zambia Boxing Federation Boniface Sokoni they will not work under Kangwa.

“If they want to put Charles Kangwa as the head coach they have to change the team as well because we’re with coach Mudenda, he knows us very well.

“As a senior national team boxer I’m not in support of removing Mudenda, we have been with him for a long time and respect his professionalism.”

Contacted, Mudenda dismissed the appointment of Kangwa whom he said is his junior having conducted a course in 2017 in which Kangwa was one of his students.

Mudenda put the record straight saying his removal has nothing to do with indiscipline as alleged by the Zambia Boxing Federation President Boniface Sokoni but it has more to do with the federation’s elections early this year.

Mudenda aligned himself with the President of the day Lt Colonel Mashakwa Nalumango who took over from Dan Chiteule at the end of last year after Chiteule stepped out for health reasons. Nalumango was the Deputy President to Chiteule.

“There was no way I would have gone against the current office as is normally the case during the elections that’s why I supported Nalumango,” Mudenda told boxersworld.co.ke in an interview from Lusaka.

Mudenda said Sokoni has no valid reason to replace him with a junior coach just because he (Mudenda) didn’t support him during the elections.

“Instead he should have elevated me to become the National Technical Director but not bringing Kangwa to replace me, it doesn’t make sense at all,” said Mudenda.

“The President didn’t even have the courtesy to write to me or call me for a meeting to discuss the change.”

Mudenda is one of Zambia’s most successful boxing coaches and has guided the national team to the medal bracket in a number of major international tournaments including the Accra African Games winning two gold, three silver and two bronze medals. He started coaching the national team in 2007 up to 2012 when he was removed after a new executive office took over and returned to the fold in 2017.

Mudenda is currently a Start-2 coach he acquired in 2010.

“I was the first Zambian coach to be given a star status. All the current Star-1 coaches passed through my hands.

“At one time,” recalls Mudenda, “I was given an opportunity to attend a Star-3 certification course by a white couple who owned a gym in Zambia, Ibex. They wanted to sponsor me to go to Kazakhstan during the World Championships but the offer was gunned down by the people who were in power.”

Mudenda said he would not mind being replaced by the right coach younger than him.

“I can be comfortable when the federation appoints someone younger than me who understands boxing properly but not my student Kangwa who is over 60 years. In the class of 2013/17, I identified a few coaches who can take over and be groomed to be better coaches.”

The removal of Mudenda has ignited a hail of criticism from boxing stakeholders including former Zambia Boxing Federation President Thomas Chileshe and a prominent professional boxing promoter Christopher Malunga.

The federation’s Secretary-General Gift Banda has also resigned in protest at the appointment of Kangwa and what he said was poor leadership under Sokoni.

“Kangwa does not qualify to be the national coach, he lacks the requisite qualifications,” said Banda.

Chileshe was quoted in the local dailies saying the change was malicious and that proper procedures were not followed.

“Had the federation followed proper consultation, the question of qualification would not have been an issue,” said Chileshe while Malunga has described the appointment of Kangwa as an embarrassment to Zambia boxing.

In a statement, Malunga said: “It is shameful that Charles Kangwa has arrogated to himself the role of spokesperson for ZBF. His administrative knowledge of boxing is virtually nonexistent, and every statement he makes only exposes his ignorance.

“The Federation made a grave mistake appointing him as national team coach. A Star 1 coach has no mandate to lead a national team — at best, he only qualifies to assist a Star 2 coach, which is the minimum requirement for such a position.

“This appointment is a disservice to Zambian boxing and must be reversed without delay. We will take this matter up with the rightful authorities mandated to administer the sport, and we demand his immediate removal. Entertaining Kangwa any further is not only pointless, it is an insult to the integrity of our sport.”

With his guard high up to shield himself from a rain of punches from every corner, Kangwa has defended his appointment, and said he has attended two certified courses in Nairobi, one in 2007 under the military supervision.

“For people to say someone else wrote the exams on my behalf is unfair, let them prove it,” Kangwa was quoted as saying in a local daily.

He also took a swipe at criticism from the professional boxing sector.

“What’s their business in amateur boxing, let them concentrate on amateur boxing,” said a defiant Kangwa.

My efforts to get a comment from the Zambian federation president Sokoni were unsuccessful even through messages on his WhatsApp wall. For how long Sokoni will remain under his protective shell remains to be seen as pressure mounts on the removal of Kangwa.

Master planner IBA Sec-Gen & CEO Chris Roberts OBE lands in Dubai with one powerful message: IBA is not just an organisation; it’s a philosophy and a global movement that champions excellence, innovation and unity in boxing

First Place: $300,000 per weight category
Second Place: $150,000 per weight category

Third Place: $75,000 per weight category

Fifth Place: $10,000 per weight category 50% to the boxer, 25% to the coaches and 25% to the National Federation

The International Boxing Association (IBA) is proud to announce the 2025 IBA Men’s Elite World Championships, set for December 2 to December 13 at Dubai’s iconic Tennis Stadium, headlining a blockbuster two-week Festival of Boxing.

In this eagerly awaited showpiece, the IBA will welcome the world’s finest international talent to the region, all vying for a chance to capture championship glory and an opportunity to compete for a jaw-dropping $8 million in prize money. With a staggering $300,000 on offer for the winner of each category, the competition stands to be the richest in the sport’s history.

The record-breaking prize pool underscores IBA President Umar Kremlev’s continued commitment to investing in grassroots boxing and the IBA’s dedication to rewarding excellence on the global stage. The prize distribution celebrates the combined efforts of boxers, their coaches and their respective National Federations, with each payout shared to recognise their collective contributions.

Prize money distribution is as follows:

First Place: $300,000 per weight category
Second Place: $150,000 per weight category
Third Place: $75,000 per weight category
Fifth Place: $10,000 per weight category
* 50% to the boxer, 25% to the coaches and 25% to the National Federation

“This World Championships is not just about records and prize money – it is about giving every boxer, every coach and every National Federation the respect and reward they deserve,” said President Kremlev.

“Dubai will become the capital of boxing this December, where athletes from every corner of the globe will compete on equal terms, under their own flags, and with a chance to change their lives. The IBA exists to protect boxers, to create opportunities and to ensure that the sport remains a force for unity and fairness. The Festival of Boxing will be remembered as the moment when our sport reached a new level.”

With a legacy spanning over 75 years, and having nurtured some of the finest boxers to ever grace the sport, the IBA stands alone as the global leader of elite level boxing; guiding talent from day one and upholding the sport’s heritage and values.

The 2025 IBA Men’s Elite World Championships embody this enduring commitment, elevating boxing to new heights with a spectacle that blends world-class competition, cultural celebration and unparalleled showmanship. The tournament will seek to unite the world’s leading boxing nations and welcome fighters from around the globe in a display of unity, skill, and equality.

“The IBA Men’s Elite World Championships in Dubai this December will be more than a competition, it will be a celebration of boxing in all its forms,” said Chris Roberts OBE, Secretary General & CEO of IBA.

“Coupled with the IBA Global Boxing Forum, a top-class IBA Pro Event and the IBA Congress, this gathering represents the full spectrum of our sport. IBA is not just an organisation; it is a philosophy. A global movement that champions excellence, innovation, and unity in boxing.”

The Festival of Boxing will transform Dubai into the global epicentre of the sport, with the IBA welcoming fighters from all nations and federations, blending elite competition with vibrant fan experiences and further symbolising the IBA’s vision of a sport that unites without borders or politics. Further details of the Festival of Boxing will be announced in due course.

IBA invites fans, media, and enthusiasts to join this historic spectacle, as the world’s best boxers compete in a show-stopping event that will echo through the ages.

Further information regarding registration for the 2025 IBA Men’s Elite World Championships will follow in due course.

________________

Media contacts:

Elena Sobol, Head of President’s Operations, Communications and PR, International Boxing Association: elena.sobol@iba.sport