Gennady Golovkin has transitioned to a position as sports administrator following his retirement from professional boxing and is already on course to potentially become President of World Boxing ― the most prominent amateur governing body in the world.
Following a 16-year career in boxing, Golovkin’s retirement ― following his trilogy bout against Canelo Alvarez in 2022 ― was confirmed last year when he was appointed President of Kazakhstan’s [Golovkin’s native country] National Olympic Committee.
It was a surprising shift for the former world champion who had no prior degrees or background in sports administration and only earlier this year [in April] received an honorary doctorate by Kazakhstan’s KIMEP University.
But now, with just roughly one year experience as a sports administrator, Golovkin has refused to settle and is aiming for even loftier goals: to become World Boxing’s next President.
The impending withdrawal of current World Boxing President Boris van der Vorst ― who has indicated to not stand for reelection for a second term ― from the organization’s upcoming November elections will create a void that will be need to be filled and Gennady Golovkin has emerged as one of two candidates battling to become President.
Golovkin, who has willingly put his name forward to stand for election, had just a month ago expressed a desire to return to professional boxing at the age of 43 but a potential appointment as President of World Boxing would stifle any such aspirations ― with the demands of the position having actually led to Van der Vorst’s decision not to run for President again.
As the President of an Olympic committee and chair of World Boxing, Gennady Golovkin has reportedly contributed to boxing being reinstated for the upcoming 2028 Olympics after being banned from competition by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 2023.
However, with his experience paling in comparison to rival candidate Mariolis Charilaos from Greece, who’s been President of Greece’s boxing federation for four years, Golovkin seems to be the underdog in the upcoming World Boxing elections.
Despite the odds against him, a election in favor of Gennady Golovkin would signal a risky shift for the young World Boxing who is currently still fighting for legitimacy against fellow global amateur boxing organization the International Boxing Association (IBA) who still considers themselves the frontmost amateur governing body due to their prior dominance that spanned for decades.
