Lausanne, Switzerland
International Boxing Association (IBA) President Umar Kremlev marked International Boxing Day on Thursday by announcing a commercial and competitive restructuring of the organization, aiming to build a centralized "sporting ecosystem" amidst ongoing geopolitical shifts in the sport.
Speaking from the body’s headquarters in Lausanne, the Russian official leveraged the anniversary to outline a strategy heavily focused on commercial expansion, structural autonomy, and grassroots development.
The address comes as the IBA pushes to solidify its position against rival factions. "IBA is the home of boxing," Kremlev stated, framing the governing body as the permanent foundation of the sport. "It is a great family that brings together people from all over the world."
Commercial Diversification and New Formats
Central to the IBA’s survival and growth strategy is a rapid expansion into professional and alternative combat sports entertainment. Kremlev confirmed the organization is accelerating the development of its IBA.PRO and IBA Bare Knuckle divisions.
Additionally, the IBA has partnered with the combat sports promotion NOMAD to pioneer alternative tournament formats, alongside launching an in-house apparel brand, IBA Apparel, to capture direct merchandising revenue.
Socioeconomic and Public Health Initiatives
Addressing deep financial disparities in youth sports, Kremlev announced an aggressive infrastructure rollout. The IBA is funding the construction of dedicated Boxing Progress Centres and establishing free localized training sections equipped with subsidized gear.
"No child should have to give up sport simply because their parents cannot afford to pay for training," Kremlev said. "Everyone should have the chance to walk into a gym, find their own path, and pursue their dream."
The IBA is also introducing public health programming through IBA JANAMEN, a specialized initiative utilizing boxing training regimes to combat critical adult obesity. Kremlev described the project as a vehicle to prove the sport offers "the chance to become the best version of yourself" outside of traditional podium victories.
Geopolitical Context
While Kremlev noted that International Boxing Day "was born in Russia," he asserted that its current global footprint underscores a unified, sport-first agenda. The expansion plan follows recent statements from Kremlev praising decisions by regulatory bodies to allow Russian and Belarusian boxers to compete under their national flags and anthems, an issue that remains a major point of friction within global sports governance.
Defending the expansion, Kremlev concluded that the institutional health of international boxing relies entirely on the IBA’s capability to independent-source its revenue and scale its community from the ground up.
