Boris van der Vorst, who played a key role in setting up World Boxing, will no longer be a candidate in the upcoming presidential elections in November 2025.
The President of World Boxing (WB), Boris van der Vorst, will not run for a second term in the next presidential elections. The leadership elections will take place at the third annual congress of the World Boxing Association in November 2025.
This decision was communicated by van der Vorst in a personal letter, according to a press release. This letter was sent to the presidents of all national member federations of World Boxing.
“Inspiring – but also relentless”
In it, van der Vorst wrote: “I am writing personally to inform you that after long and careful consideration, I have decided not to stand for re-election as President of World Boxing … My time as President has been fulfilling and inspiring, but also relentless,” he said, explaining his decision not to stand for re-election.
“After years of traveling the world and the daily demands of building World Boxing from the ground up to meet the requirements of the IOC and other stakeholders, I have come to the conclusion that I will not commit to another term as President.” WB is firmly established and recognized, the outgoing WB boss emphasized. It was time “for new leadership to guide the association towards Dakar 2026 and Los Angeles 2028”.
The successes of the term of office
The Dutchman’s letter also highlighted the key achievements of World Boxing under his presidency. These included the increase in membership to more than 120 national federations from all five continents; the introduction of an annual competition calendar, which recently included the first World Championships in 2025 for elite men and women; and the provisional recognition of WB by the IOC, which led to the resumption of boxing at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles (LA28) in March 2025.
“The fact that we have achieved our primary goal of keeping boxing at the heart of the Olympic movement fills us with great pride,” commented van der Vorst in his letter. It is the realization of a dream. “This was only possible thanks to the support and close cooperation of many colleagues from all continents. Many of these colleagues will read this letter and I am deeply grateful to you all.”
Candidates in the examination
In a statement, the WB Board thanked “Boris for his hard work and dedication over the last three years”. As the first President, he had made a decisive contribution to the development and successes of World Boxing. “We wish Boris and his family all the best for the future and for everything he will do after his term as President ends.”
The deadline for nominating candidates for the elections at the annual congress in November has expired. All candidates will now be checked for their eligibility in accordance with the procedure laid down by WB. This will be done by an independent committee. Once the vetting process has been completed, a final list of eligible candidates will be published at least 30 days before the elections.
Text: Frank Schwantes