International Boxing Night

To Take Place In Baku On 10 July!

(July 9th) Baku, Azerbaijan, will host an international boxing night at Sea Breeze Resort on 10 July, with the card held with the support of the International Boxing Association (IBA).

The programme will feature six professional-format bouts, bringing together boxers from Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Russia, Belarus and the Philippines. Azerbaijani boxers will be represented in five of the six contests.

World champion Subhan Mammadov (AZE) will face Richard Garde (PHI) at 47.6kg, while World Championships medallists Sarkhan Aliyev (AZE) and Saidjamshid Jafarov (AZE) will meet Nurtas Azhbenov (KAZ) and Mikalai Vesialou (BLR), respectively.

European Games bronze medallist Tayfur Aliyev (AZE) is set to take on Khurshidbek Rasuljonov (UZB) at 60kg. Nebi Isgenderov (AZE), a World Cup semi-finalist, will face Khikmet Garaev (RUS) at 70kg.

Each bout involving an Azerbaijani boxer is scheduled for six rounds.

The card will also include an eight-round contest at 76.2kg, as Cheerav Ashalaev (RUS) meets Mikhail Dolgolevets (BLR).

The boxing night is scheduled to begin at 19:00 local time.

IBA President Umar Kremlev: IOC Had No Choice But To Accept Lifting The Restrictions On Russian Athletes!

(July 7th) The International Boxing Association (IBA) supports the decision by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to provisionally lift the suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee and declare its neutrality restrictions no longer applicable.

This decision marks the exact outcome the IBA consistently predicted. When the IBA became the first international federation not to impose the ban of Russian and Belarusian athletes—fully following their right to compete under their national flags and anthems, the global sporting community watched with skepticism.

Yet, the IBA stated clearly from the beginning that the rest of the sporting world, including the IOC, would eventually have no choice but to follow boxing’s lead. Today’s announcement proves that prediction entirely correct.

IBA President Umar Kremlev issued a definitive statement on the IOC’s decision: “The IOC had no choice but to lift the restrictions and admit its mistakes. The new leadership is successfully replacing the previous managers and getting rid of old and erroneous decisions. International associations must protect athletes, and athletes should stand on the podium, not politics.

Russian athletes must fully return to the world stage: under their flag, under their anthem, for their country. For an athlete, the flag and anthem are their heart and soul. Russia was and remains a great sporting power. Our athletes must return with dignity—with the right to defend the honour of their country. The IBA expects that the IOC will finally completely get rid of its past mistakes.”

The IBA expresses its expectation that the IOC will continue on its path of reviewing past decisions and definitively rectify its previous mistakes.

The IBA also believes that no athlete should be discriminated against on the basis of their nationality, the country they represent, or their faith and calls on international sports federations to support this approach and ensure that Russian athletes are given the opportunity to compete in world competitions under their national symbols.

IBA Bare Knuckle Unveils Star-Studded Fight Card

Ahead Of Its First Event In The USA!

(July 2nd) On July 18, 2026, the James L. Knight Center, a multifunctional convention hall in Miami, Florida, will host an IBA Bare Knuckle tournament, the International Professional Bare Knuckle League established under the auspices of the International Boxing Association (IBA) at the direction of the organization’s president, Umar Kremlev.

The event will be hosted by Jon Jones, widely regarded as one of the greatest boxers in UFC history, who will help deliver an unforgettable evening of world-class bare-knuckle action for fans.

One of the tournament’s main attractions will be a bare-knuckle showdown between Viacheslav Borshchev, a former UFC boxer from Russia and an International Master of Sports in kickboxing, and Elvin Brito, Puerto Rico’s professional boxer and the inaugural BKFC champion, widely known by his nickname “El Bandido.”

The event will also feature a bout between Javier Fortuna, a Dominican professional boxer, former WBA Regular Super Featherweight World Champion (2015–2016) and former WBA Interim Featherweight World Champion (2012–2013), and Colombian professional boxer Alejandro Munera. Known in the ring as “El Abejon” (“The Bumblebee”) for his exceptional speed, aggressive boxing style, and southpaw stance, Fortuna is expected to deliver another electrifying performance.

Fans will also witness a bare-knuckle clash between Russian MMA star Alan Salamov, the undefeated champion of the Nashe Delo league and HFC MMA, and American professional mixed martial artist and bare-knuckle boxer Markus Suarez, also known by his nickname “Murk.”

Another highly anticipated matchup will see promising undefeated Ossetian welterweight (77 kg) MMA boxer David Mistulov take on American professional mixed martial artist Nathan LaRocco in a hard-fought contest.

Throughout the evening, spectators will witness ten intense and action-packed bouts, showcasing elite bare-knuckle competition and world-class combat sports talent.

Full fight card:

Viacheslav Borshchev (Russia) vs Elvin Brito (Puerto Rico)

5 rounds × 2 minutes

Weight: 75 kg

Javier Fortuna (Dominican Republic) vs Alejandro Munera (Colombia)

5 rounds × 2 minutes

Weight: 70 kg

George Sosa (USA) vs Coty Cook (USA)

5 rounds × 2 minutes

Weight: 72 kg

Kendrick Miree (USA) vs Alex Cook (USA)

5 rounds × 2 minutes

Weight: 93 + kg

Ivanieldo Mettendaf (USA) vs Louis Brewington (USA)

5 rounds × 2 minutes

Weight: 88 kg

Sean Hotusing (USA) vs Dustin Bailey (USA)

5 rounds × 2 minutes

Weight: 84 kg

Markus Suarez (USA) vs Alan Salamov (Russia)

3 rounds × 2 minutes

Weight: 84 kg

Freddy Saavedra (USA) vs Diego Romo (Ecuador)

5 rounds × 2 minutes

Weight: 84 kg

Lazaro Lara (USA) vs Micah Mitchell (USA)

3 rounds × 2 minutes

Weight: 57 kg

Nathan LaRocco (USA) vs David Mistulov (Russia)

3 rounds × 3 minutes

Weight: 77 kg

The International Boxing Association (IBA) is a worldwide boxing governing body that sanctions professional fights and crowns champions across the sport’s divisions. Since its relaunch in 2017, the organization has sought to strengthen boxing’s global profile through major events, title opportunities, and ongoing support for elite fighters.

Boxers Did It First: IBA President Welcomes

IOC’s Decision On Allocating Funds Among Athletes!

(June 24th) IBA President Umar Kremlev has welcomed the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) decision to establish a $100 million athlete support fund, declaring it a long-overdue sign that the IOC has finally listened and commenced necessary reforms.

The financial commitment, announced during an IOC meeting led by President Kirsty Coventry, will see $10,000 grants made available to athletes at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Games and the Los Angeles 2028 Summer Games. The decision to distribute approximately $110 million among Olympic competitors comes as a direct response to growing global calls for the financial support and recognition of athletes.

Highlighting that the IBA was the pioneer in introducing prize money for Olympic Games, President Umar Kremlev characterised the move as a significant shift, whilst challenging the governing body to scale its future athlete-centred support to $1 billion to truly match real actions by the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.

“Finally, the IOC has listened and started reforms. Of course, more than 100 million dollars is already a significant shift, but we hope that in the future, a billion dollars will be allocated to support athletes.

The IBA was the first to start paying prize money for the Olympic Games. Then, track and field followed this example, and we thank World Athletics leadership for such an important decision.

We hope that by the 2028 Olympics, these will no longer be just words, but real actions. The IOC President, Kirsty Coventry, is on the right track. Prize money for athletes is an indicator that the athletes are truly being heard. That we are being heard.

I am proud and sincerely glad that it was the boxing family that took this step first. The boxers did it. The IBA did it.”

For the IBA leadership, this decision marks a definitive shift in the global sports landscape, proving that international governing bodies can no longer ignore the necessity of direct financial rewards for the central stakeholders of the Games.

The IBA was the first international association to introduce prize money for its athletes at Paris 2024. As the global sporting community moves toward the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic cycle, the IBA remains dedicated to acting as a financial shield for its boxers during the LA Games, ensuring that sport administration serves the people who create the spectacle, carry the pressure, and generate the audience: the athletes themselves, creating real-life opportunities for them.