The World Boxing Association’s decision to reinstate Russian and Belarusian fighters in its rankings has drawn fury from the sport’s leading Ukrainian figures, as the governing body confirmed competitors from the nations will no longer be penalised as long as they do not publicly support Vladimir Putin’s war.
Alexander Krassyuk, promoter of the three-belt heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk – whose titles include the WBA strap – told i: “Money does not smell”.
The suggestion that finances have motivated the U-turn was echoed by Wladimir Klitschko, the former two-time unified heavyweight champion, who held the WBA title from 2011 to 2015. “Boxing needs more transparency, not more greed,” he said in a video posted to his social media channels. “The collaboration between WBA and IBA [International Boxing Association, who encouraged the decision] is a stain on the coat of the noble art.
“The decision to reinstate Russian and Belarusian boxers is an indelible moral fault. it is no coincidence that the IOC [International Olympic Committee] persists in excluding boxing from the 2028 Olympic Games. Boxing needs one big clean-up.”
Both Usyk and the Klitschko brothers are still taking part in the defence mission in Ukraine.
The WBA had said on Wednesday that the decision had been made through its championships committee and ratings committee, reversing the call made in March to remove the fighters from its standings.
“The athletes from this country are not soldiers or part of the government, so they have nothing to do with the war against Ukraine,” a statement read. “However, it was determined that any fighter who speaks out in favour of the war or is involved in it will be removed immediately.”
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In an appeal to the WBA shared with i, Krassyuk, Usyk’s promoter, added: “Perhaps you have forgotten (or have not heard), but there is a war still going on in Ukraine! While [the] WBA makes shameful decisions for the entire civilised world to restore the positions of boxers of a terrorist state in the rankings and authorises fights with their participation, our state undergoes missile attacks EVERY DAY and suffers from the undisguised genocide by Russia.
“Please do read the news, Mr. President! You have stated that Russian and Belarusian athletes have nothing to do with the war in Ukraine… So how did the Russian company World of Boxing manage to become one of the partners of this year’s WBA Annual Convention? These were its top boxers Alexander Povetkin and Ruslan Provodnikov who justified the war in Ukraine, right? It was Provodnikov who declared that he was ready to go to Ukraine to fight, wasn’t he? Shame on you!
“The oldest boxing organisation of the world ignores common sense from the very onset of the war and follows the lead of the terrorist state! A state whose hands are smeared with the blood of thousands of Ukrainians! Those who openly support the war have no right to participate in any international contests for the rest of their lives.
“Sport is about honesty, about dignity, about principles! A few weeks ago, the International Olympic Committee decided not to lift sanctions on Russian and Belarusian athletes while the war in Ukraine continues. Furthermore, the WBC has strengthened and extended their sanctions as well.
“We urge you not to become an accomplice to the evil, because unfortunately almost all Russian and Belarusian boxers silently support the policy of their dictators. None of them condemned Russia’s actions in Ukraine. Please undo your mistake. DO NOT tolerate the silence of those who want to return to the world rankings.
“Because people’s lives are of the highest value, and a peaceful life is everyone’s wish on our planet!”
The WBA had already been allowing Dmitry Bivol, their light-heavyweight champion, to defend his title following the invasion of Ukraine, despite protestations from the Klitschko brothers. Bivol, the Kyrgyzstan-born Russian who has beaten Canelo Alvarez and Gilberto Ramirez in 2022, was told he was free to fight but would not be allowed to display the Russian flag or play his country’s national anthem.
IBA President Umar Kremlev welcomed the WBA’s backtracking, saying that “sport should exist outside of politics… I am glad that WBA leadership shares this principle”. He added that, contrary to the WBA’s previous stance as dictated to Bivol, the IBA would allow Russian athletes to fight under the flag and play their national anthem.
Wladimir Klitschko has previously insisted that “every Russian representative needs to be sanctioned”. In an interview with IFLTV in May, Bivol hit back. “He is a sportsman, he should know sports and politics is different,” he said. “He was an athlete. Now he is [a] politician. It is sad that he wants to shake it up and mix sport and politics.”
Bivol is the only Russian boxer to currently hold a major belt other than IBF, WBO and WBC light-heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev, who has circumvented the ban on his country’s fighters due to his dual citizenship. He has lived in Canada for 15 years and holds a Canadian passport, hence why he was allowed to fight in New York earlier this year.
Yet the world of boxing may be feeling the pinch and will be taking note of developments in other sports. As reported by i earlier this month, the Lawn Tennis Association has had to cut back on some of its minor tournaments after being fined and threatened with expulsion from the men’s professional tour for banning Russian and Belarusians from Wimbledon.
i has approached the WBA for comment.
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