GB Boxing’s Chief Executive Matt Holt to stand for re-election as Vice President of World Boxing
The Chief Executive of GB Boxing, Matt Holt, is to stand for re-election as a Vice President of World Boxing at its forthcoming Congress in Panama on 20 November 2026.
Holt is currently one of three Vice Presidents on World Boxing’s Executive Board having been elected at its inaugural Congress in November 2023 for a three-year term. At the elections in Panama, he will be one of seven candidates contesting two Vice President roles (one of which must go to a female candidate) and one of nine candidates for two positions on the Executive Board.
Holt has been nominated by GB Boxing, which is an associate member of World Boxing, and his candidacy is supported by England Boxing, Boxing Scotland and Welsh Boxing, which are full members of World Boxing.
Having joined GB Boxing in 2009, Holt has overseen a period of unprecedent success in which boxers from Great Britain have won more than 100 medals at major international championships and twice topped the medal count table at the Olympic Games (at London in 2012 and Tokyo in 2021).
In 2022, he was one of the co-founders of World Boxing which was established as an alternative to the previous International Federation which had been suspended by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and seen the removal of boxing from the programme for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles (LA28).
Following the public launch of World Boxing in April 2023, Holt served on the interim Executive Board and was subsequently elected as a Vice President in November 2023, where he has been part of the leadership team that has seen World Boxing grow its membership from 27 National Federations to 183; secure provisional recognition from the IOC; and overseen the restoration of boxing to the sport programme for LA28.
He was instrumental in bringing the first ever World Boxing Championships to Liverpool and part of the Local Organising Committee that oversaw the successful delivery of the tournament in September 2025.
Holt said: “World Boxing has made a great deal of progress in a short space of time, yet there is still a lot to be done and I am confident that my knowledge and experience can continue to benefit the organisation in the crucial period building up to LA28, which will be World Boxing’s first Olympic Games as the International Federation for the sport.
“Steering World Boxing through this critically important period requires leaders with experience, good judgement and a deep knowledge of international boxing, and I believe that my track record with both GB Boxing and World Boxing demonstrates that I possess the professional capabilities, personal qualities and trusted relationships with colleagues, National Federations and international stakeholders that will enable me to continue to make a positive contribution.”
The Chair of GB Boxing, Jason Glover added: “As someone that has been part of World Boxing since the very first meeting and one of the key figures in helping to set it up, I think Matt’s commitment to the organisation and his contribution to the healthy state of international Olympic-style boxing is there for all to see.
“As a co-founder and Vice President, he has worked incredibly hard on behalf of World Boxing and I know from working closely with Matt over a number of years, that he is standing for a second term, not because he seeks the trappings of office, but because he is committed to delivering a better future for the sport.
“He has had a say in all of the key decisions relating World Boxing since it was established in 2022 and has played an important part in helping to deliver all of its most significant achievements since then, including a huge growth in membership, securing provisional recognition from the IOC, and overseeing the restoration of boxing to the competition programme at LA28.
“Through his work for World Boxing, Matt has also established a wide range of relationships with key stakeholders and I have no doubt that he has the connections, vision, experience, skills and personal qualities to continue to be an asset to World Boxing and make a positive contribution to the ongoing development of the sport across the world.”
The elections will take place at World Boxing’s fourth annual Congress on 20 November 2026 when 123 National Federations will be eligible to vote (on a one member one vote basis).
The full list of candidates for election is available HERE.
The candidates are contesting a series of roles on the Executive Board of World Boxing including: two positions as Vice President; two Executive Board member roles; and the Chairs of the Sport and Competition Committee, the Finance and Audit Committee, and the Medical and Anti-Doping Committee.
In line with the World Boxing Election Process and Voting Regulations all of the candidates have been assessed for eligibility by an independent Vetting Panel made-up of three independent, external experts.