Is Armenia joining World Boxing? First tournament under the aegis of the new organization

The Armenian national boxing team has departed for the Georgian city of Batumi to participate in the international Irakli Abashidze Memorial Tournament. This is the first international tournament for Armenia's men’s team in 2025. Until now, Armenian athletes had only competed at the domestic tournament in Yerevan.

Armenia will compete with its strongest lineup, except for the +92 kg weight class, where 2024 Olympian Davit Chaloyan is absent.

Athletes from 11 countries will participate. The tournament will be broadcast live on the GMS TV channel on YouTube.

The competition will run from June 25 to June 29.

Armenia’s lineup is impressive:

• 50 kg — Baregam Harutyunyan, Rudolf Garboyan

• 55 kg — David Egoryan, Ruslan Aslikyan

• 60 kg — Artur Sargsyan, Jirair Sargsyan

• 65 kg — Narek Hovhannisyan, Artur Shahpazyan

• 70 kg — Zaven Galstyan, Ararat Harutyunyan

• 75 kg — Vakhtang Harutyunyan

• 80 kg — Hamlet Harutyunyan

• 85 kg — Rafael Hovhannisyan

• 92 kg — Narek Manasyan, David Simonyan

• +92 kg — Ishkhan Ovsepyan

Notably, the tournament is held under the auspices of World Boxing, a new international organization created in response to the crisis within the International Boxing Association (IBA). This marks Armenia’s debut in a competition organized under World Boxing.

While Armenia is not yet an official member of World Boxing, participation in the Batumi tournament may signal an upcoming membership. Georgia joined World Boxing on June 18, 2025, becoming the 111th member and enabling it to host the international tournament.

Interest in Armenia’s accession is also driven by the upcoming first World Championship under World Boxing, starting on September 4 in the UK. This tournament is crucial not only for sporting prestige but also as part of the Olympic qualification for the 2028 Games in Los Angeles — now managed by World Boxing.

Thus, Armenia’s participation in Batumi can be considered a key step toward integration into the new sports structure and preparation for the Olympic cycle.