Boxing seemed destined to be removed from the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games until very recently.
It was reported following the 2024 Paris Olympics that boxing would likely not return for 2028 in Los Angeles.
Boxing has faced the threat of being cut from future games since 2016, when controversial scoring, as well as other governance issues, marred the Rio Olympics. One result many point to as flawed was Joe Joyce‘s loss to Tony Yoka, who lost to Martin Bakole in the professional game.
Though things looked dark for the sweet science, a recent update has changed everything.
Gennadiy Golovkin restores boxing to LA Olympic Games
Gennadiy Golovkin enjoyed a legendary career, full of thrilling moments and brutal knockouts. Golovkin stopped Ryota Murata when he was 40 years old.
His career as a boxer may be over, but he remains invested in the sport. Golovkin, who shrugged off a shot by Canelo, is the president of the National Olympic Committee of Kazakhstan, and most recently became the chair of a new Olympic commission – World Boxing.
Golovkin’s role with World Boxing was to strengthen its relationship with the International Olympic Committee to encourage the restoration of boxing for the LA games.
It seems Golovkin, who struggled against Sergey Derevyanchenko, has done just that, as the games are now set to return to Los Angeles in the next Olympics.
“The fight is won”… Gennadiy Golovkin reacts to boxing’s return to the Olympic Games
Following the news, Golovkin, who boasts one of the best amateur boxing records of 345-5, took to Instagram to celebrate:
Golovkin fought in the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece, where he came home to Kazakhstan with a silver medal.
Boxing remaining in the Olympics is not only great for fans, but means the pathway into the professional game remains intact. Paris 2024 Olympian Teremoana scored a 57-second knockout in a recent fight, and seems destined for professional success owing to his amateur pedigree.