AIBA Championships Have Begun

The amateur boxing AIBA World Boxing Championships have kicked off at the Štark Arena in Belgrade, Serbia.

The competition began on October, the 24th and it will end on November, the 6th.

Inaugurated in 1974, the AIBA championships take place every two years, and the women’s category launched in 2001.

For over 40 years, amateur boxers from all over the world have faced each other, with athletes that range from minimumweight to super heavyweight.

During this year’s edition, even the judo federation has honored the boxing world. In fact, the President of the International Judo Federation (IJF) Mr. Marius Vizer attended the inauguration, a way to celebrate two sports.

The Opening Ceremony was an opportunity to celebrate professionalism and passion for the sport after a difficult year plus during the Covid-19 pandemic.

More than a ceremony, it was a true show. The 2021 AIBA World Boxing Championships aimed to showcase the developments of the sport and how its modern version came to be.

There were lovers of boxing as well as government representatives, like the Minister of Youth and Sports of Serbia, Vanja Udovičić, in attendance. Plus, over 500 athletes from 88 countries came to show their stuff. With 13 weight categories, the next two weeks in Serbia are bound to be full of action and excitement. Or so AIBA President Umar Kremlev believes.

“These Championships are special in so many ways,” said Kremlev, “despite everything we have been through, we are stronger than ever. We can see this strength in the improvements we have made to AIBA. Our community is now also fairer because of the huge efforts we have made to ensure you can all be certain of fair fights.” Fair and strong, these championships will surprise everyone watching, even those streaming sport with a VPN.

You likely don’t know there is a Fair Chance Team. Much like the Refugee Team of this year’s Tokyo Olympics, this AIBA team is created for athletes who had to leave their countries for different reasons, like wars or fear of persecution. Part of the Opening Ceremony’s parade, the Fair Chance boxers made their debut on the worldwide stage. The referees and judges, other important pieces of the fair puzzle, we’re played up. Indeed, fairness and transparency are the keywords of the 2021 AIBA World Championships.

“Every mistake in judging could cost an athlete the chance to achieve his or her destiny,” said Kremlev. “Should we fail, we risk having no new generations in our boxing gyms and no future.”

Then, there would be no future for Indian boxing, which has surprised all the viewers (even the ones using a VPN sport streaming connection) during the first few days of the competition in Belgrade. The name on everyone’s mouth is the one of the 20-year-old Rohit Mor, a young athlete from India who beat the odds, and his more experienced opponent, Ecuadorian boxer Jean Caicedo.

Already a success in his home country, Mor won the elite National Championships in 2021. He joined the AIBA to impress -and that’s what he did in the first fight.

“It is the very first time when I competed in an international elite championships,” said More after the match. “I enjoyed my debut at the World Championships.”

One boxer who didn’t celebrate was Fair Chance Team’s talent, Hasibullah Malikzadah. Competing against Bulgaria’s Javier Ibanez, Malikzadah lost but represented his team after fleeing Afghanistan.

Other boxers who impressed the sport’s aficionados were Luiz Gabriel Oliveira from Brazil and Mongolian Kazakhstan’s Serik Temirzhanov.

However, the 2021 World Championships have just begun. There is still a chance for the 150 boxers (of these, 47 women) to win medals and prizes that total over $400,000. And there is time for you to enjoy this competition.

But it does show live from Serbia, which might be out of reach for most TV stations and on-demand programs. If the content is restricted (which can happen in sports), the best way to watch it is by choosing a VPN for streaming sport online. These networks are able to circle around geographical restrictions, blocked content, and they ensure anonymity. Easy and fast, using a streaming VPN ensures Belgrade is just around the corner.

How will the AIBA World Boxing Championships go? Time to connect to never miss a punch.