On December 12 in 2020, Russia's Umar Kremlev was elected as President of the International Boxing Association.

He won 57.33 per cent of the vote as the IBA's Congress was held virtually amid the coronavirus pandemic, and saw off a field which began as six challengers.

In May 2022, he was re-elected by acclamation and his Presidency was confirmed at an IBA Extraordinary Congress in September 2022.

Greek George Yerolimpos is the secretary general of the IBA, following the departure of István Kovács in July 2022.

After taking his job, Kremlev immediately called for unity and reforms as he prepared to lead amateur boxing worldwide.

The IBA have been working to improve their global reputation, with two Commissions formed to help with this. 

A Reform Commission on IBA statute amendments was created, which includes IBA legal advisors and senior members of IBA Federations. Presidents of each Confederation are also on the Commission. 

Kremlev, the Russian Boxing Federation secretary general, was made head of the new Marketing Commission, which aims to create a global marketing plan to attract sponsors and secure broadcaster deals for the World Championships and World Cup.

He also oversaw a sponsorship agreement with Gazprom to help boost the IBA's finances.

To improve dialogue between the IBA, Confederations and National Federations, Kremlev devised Continental Boxing Forums, where reports from both the Reform and Marketing Commissions were presented. 

So far, the Americas Forum has been held in Panama, the Oceania Forum in Fiji and the Asian Forum in the Jordanian capital of Amman. 

The European and African Forums are yet to be held. 

The Global Boxing Foundation project is also being developed, having first been initiated by Kremlev at the Global Boxing Forum. 

The Foundation will try to unify boxing stakeholders all around the world. 

It will not only focus on the IBA’s collaboration with other boxing organisations, but also on social investments such as charity events, legal assistance to boxers, aid for veteran boxers and the development of boxing across the world.

The Boxing World Cup is tipped to make a comeback after an absence of more than a decade.

Meanwhile, preparations for future editions of the men's and women’s World Championships continue.

International Boxing Day takes place every year on August 27. 

The date ties in with the first edition of the International Boxing Federation (IBA) World Championships, which were held in Havana, Cuba in 1974.

The competition was held between August 17 and August 30 with 11 champions crowned and the host country topping the medal table.

International Boxing Day first took place in 2017. After that, fans, athletes and stakeholders alike were encouraged to come together to celebrate boxing every year on July 22. 

The new August 27 date was confirmed in July 2021.

Muslim Gadzhimagomedov celebrated a victory over Cuba's Julio La Cruz in one of nine five-round bouts.

The IBA's Board of Directors were among the "many esteemed guests" in attendance.

In the main event, a men's heavyweight bout, double Olympic gold medallist La Cruz and two-time world champion Gadzhimagomedov went the distance in a close fight.

The latter took the win by a slender advantage in the eyes of the judges, which brought the crowd to its feet.

The theme of the 2023 International Boxing Day was "Beyond the Ring" and aimed to bring people together using the power of sport.

The IBA also labelled 2023 as the "Year of Asia" to celebrate the continent and boxing's development in its countries.

A multitude of events took place across the world to celebrate the 2023 edition.

In Somalia, a boxing tournament was launched on the seaside by the National Federation while similar events to promote the sport took place in Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sri Lanka, Macao, Pakistan, Cuba, Bhutan and Tajikistan.

Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, hosted the main celebrations for International Boxing Day in 2022.

The IBA billed 2022 as the "Year of Africa" and decided to take celebrations for the day to the continent.

"I am excited to visit DR Congo on such a significant day of the year," said IBA President Umar Kremlev.

"This celebration will inspire the young generation to start doing boxing and take the best from our sport.

"We can see many stories of success of African boxers, and I want to emphasise that with hard work, many of the athletes from the continent will be able to become successful.

"Our goal is to create conditions for everybody to practice boxing all around the world."

Kinshasa is a famous boxing city as it hosted the famous "Rumble in the Jungle" between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman.

IBD celebrations in the city included a public training session featuring notable names from the continent, as well as social activities.

Estelle Mossely, the women's Olympic lightweight gold medallist at Rio 2016, was a special guest.

She was born in France to a Congolese father and Ukrainian mother, before making her international boxing debut aged 17.

In 2021, the celebrations were held in Belgrade, Serbia, and included an open workout featuring world champion Roy Jones Jr of the United States and German national champion Zeina Nassar.

Russia has hosted a number of significant events to celebrate International Boxing Day. 

The first year of celebration saw a mass boxing training session held in the iconic Red Square in Moscow, attended by around 3,000 people. 

In 2018, teams from Russia and Germany participated in an exciting and competitive boxing show. 

In 2019, another spectacular celebration was held at Red Square.

More than 40,000 young athletes performed for an enthusiastic audience, who were then treated to a series of high-level bouts featuring the likes of Fedor Chudinov, Magomed Madiev and Islam Edisultano.

A cultural programme also took place alongside the boxing action. 

Among the performers was Jones Jr, the former middleweight, super middleweight, light heavyweight and heavyweight world champion. 

In 2020, more than one million people tuned in to a show celebrating International Boxing Day which was broadcast by the Russian Boxing Federation on VK. 

In lieu of an event in Red Square, which was not possible because of the coronavirus pandemic, the seven-hour broadcast featured interviews with officials and boxers, musical performances and boxing highlights. 

Artur Beterbiev, the IBA's light-heavyweight world champion in 2009, was among those to contact the programme.

The Global Boxing Forum was launched in 2018 by Russian Boxing Federation secretary general Umar Kremlev, who became IBA President in December 2020. 

Polish city Kielce staged the Youth World Boxing Championships in April 2021.

More than 400 boxers aged 17, 18 and 19 from in excess of 50 countries traveled to Poland for the competition at the Hala Legionow Sports Complex.

Twenty sets of medals were on offer in total - 10 for men and 10 for women.

Poland saw off competition from rival bidder Nicaragua to earn the right to host the event, which had been scheduled for November 2020 but was postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The IBA later waived the host fee for the Youth World Boxing Championships as spectators were not allowed at the 3,000-capacity venue for health reasons.

India topped the medal table when it was all said and done, winning eight golds and three bronzes for a grand total of 11.

The nation was especially dominant in the women's contests, winning seven of the 10 available world titles.

Vinka, Gitika, Arundhati Choudhary, Sanamacha Thokchom, Babyrojisana Chanu, Poonam and Alfiya Tarannum Akram Khan Pathan all won their respective women's divisions, with Sachin India's sole men's victor.

Russia also won 11 medals in total - three gold, five silver and three bronze - while Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan won 10 each.

Twenty-three countries were represented on the various podiums.

The event was tinged with sadness, however, as Jordanian boxer Rashed Al-Swaisat tragically died more than a week after collapsing during a fight at the tournament.

The IBA has commissioned an independent investigation to "investigate and review the circumstances of his participation in the Championships, his injury, his treatment and the protocols followed on that occasion". 

The 2021 Youth World Boxing Championships was the third edition of the event in a row where men and women competed alongside one another, having done so in Hungarian capital Budapest in 2018 and Sofia in Bulgaria in 2014.

There, 359 boxers from 65 countries battled for the world titles. 

Russia finished as the most successful country, earning six gold medals. 

Boxers from the United States claimed three gold medals between them, while Thailand and India got two golds each. 

A biennial competition, the first edition of the Youth World Boxing Championships was held in 1979 in Yokohama in Japan. 

It was originally called the Junior World Championships, before switching to its new name in 2008, when the event was held in the Mexican city of Guadalajara.

The next edition is planned for September 2022, with the host as yet undecided.

The Boxing World Cup has been tipped to return after last being held in 2008.

It is expected to feature 16 countries and teams, comprising a mix of Olympic boxers and professional fighters. 

The event had been scheduled to make its grand return in October 2020, but was pushed back because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Up to $5 million (£4 million/€4.5 million) in prize money could be offered at the tournament. 

The tournament’s motto will be "Boxing for Peace", with competition hoped to coincide with the 75th anniversary of the end of World War Two before it was delayed. 

If it is a success, the IBA hopes to include female boxers in future tournaments.

The Boxing World Cup was originally launched in 1979 when it was staged at Madison Square Garden in New York City, with the United States beating the Soviet Union in the final.

It was held from 1979 to 1998 as an individual competition and from 2002 to 2006 as a team competition. 

In 2008 the format returned to individual competition, though the team score was still accounted for, with Cuba triumphing.

Indeed, Cuba are the most successful team in the World Cup, winning seven of the 12 editions so far. 

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