USA Boxing announces termination of membership from IBA to join rival governing body

USA Boxing has announced that it has terminated its 77-year membership with the International Boxing Association (IBA) with immediate effect as it intended to join the rival body 'World Boxing' hoping to preserve boxing as part of the Olympic program.

The USA's national governing body of the sport has been a charter member of the International Boxing Association (IBA) and its predecessor Associations (AIBA) since 1946.

The decision has been confirmed by USA Boxing executive director Mike McAtee on Wednesday in a letter to members of the national governing body announcing the organisation's plan to apply for membership in World Boxing.

"USA Boxing will commit full support to World Boxing's efforts to seek provisional recognition of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and as an International Federation (IF) for the sport of Olympic-style boxing, Paralympic Boxing (Adaptive) and Esport Boxing," McAtee said in a letter.

The move comes after IBA filed an official complaint to the Boxing Independent Integrity Unit (BIIU) against individuals and entities involved in creation of a new organisation called 'World Boxing'.

Earlier, this month, the group of countries including USA and Britain announced the formation of a new organisation called 'World Boxing', hoping to preserve boxing as part of the Olympic program, amid an ongoing feud between the IBA and the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

Notably, Germany, Britain, The Netherlands, The Philippines, Sweden, New Zealand and the United States are represented on the Interim Executive Board as the new body looks to hold talks with the IOC in a bid to gain recognition.

"USA Boxing remains committed to the Olympic movement by following the principles of proper governance, promoting neutral third-party oversight of the field of play, condemning false and misleading information from IBA leadership, demanding transparent financial management.

"USA Boxing is committed to work tirelessly with World Boxing, like-minded National Federations and worldwide Olympic-style boxing community to earn the privilege to be part of the Olympic Movement now and in the years to come," the letter from USA Boxing read.

USA's decision to terminate membership with the international boxing association is due to IBA's failure to uphold its mission and principles of its constitution and failure to respect the Olympic charter and movement.

The IBA has been suspended by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) over its governance and other issues since 2019. This led to IOC administering boxing at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 directly and is managing the qualifiers for the 2024 Paris Olympics as well.

The USA Boxing also said, "it would immediately begin the World Boxing application process and submit the required application on the first day of acceptance, on or about May 1, 2023."