As Gennady Golovkin prepares for his run to become President of World Boxing, Manny Pacquiao is another fighter that is making waves in sports administration after being appointed as Vice-President of the International Boxing Association (IBA).
The appointment was confirmed yesterday [October 27th] during a Board of Directors meeting held in Manila in Pacquiao’s home country of the Phillipines.
Despite the lofty appointment, Pacquiao has little to no actual body of work with the IBA and virtually no experience in sports governance or administration ― though the Filipino official does have experience as a former politician in his home country.
The move has been described as a step towards a “Golden Era” that IBA president Umar Kremlev is planning to launch, though the organization itself is very much facing a decline of sorts with World Boxing considered the foremost amateur governing body globally.
Being the contributing factor in boxing having been barred from the 2028 Olympics, before the efforts of World Boxing reinstated its position, the IBA is still facing the aftershocks of its Olympics corruption scandal which implicated the governing body in corrupting dozens of officials and fights throughout several Olympic tournaments over the span of more than a decade.
With the IBA’s image dented, Kremlev began a campaign to present the organization as more transparent and involved earlier this year with a gala show that featured several celebrities and well-known fighters where the goal to launch the IBA towards a new golden era having been prominent in its messaging.
The sudden shift in the IBA’s approach to clean up their image suggests Pacquiao’s appointment is more of a PR campaign rather than a genuine effort to help develop amateur boxing. This is supported by the duties and responsibilities bestowed on Manny Pacquiao which corresponds more with a role of an ambassador rather than a Vice-President.
Though the IBA still sanctions and regulates official amateur bouts and tournaments, it is currently heavily under pressure by World Boxing who seems to be ahead in the battle of legitimacy and has gained decent momentum with several competitions it has launched this year.
World Boxing’s contribution towards reinstating boxing for the 2028 Olympics has further set the organization apart as the leading amateur governing body in the world, with the organization further managing to incorporate the bulk of boxing federations globally into its system to further legitimize itself.
