ROME -- Former boxing champion Gennadiy Golovkin, who fought in some of the sport's most lucrative bouts, is set to take over as president of the new body aiming to run the Olympic tournaments at the Los Angeles Games in 2028.
Golovkin had been due to run against Greek official Mariolis Charilaos in a vote in Rome for the World Boxing presidency but the organization said Friday he was now the only eligible candidate following a vetting process.
The former middleweight champion from Kazakhstan was widely considered the frontrunner after he headed a World Boxing delegation to rebuild ties with the International Olympic Committee, which had hinted at removing boxing from the Olympic program for 2028.
Golovkin won an Olympic silver medal in 2004 and, after turning pro, was a longtime world champion who finished with a 42-2-1 record.
World Boxing, which launched in 2023 amid a rift between the IOC and the International Boxing Association, didn't clarify why Charilaos was no longer a candidate.