Everything You Need To Know About The World Boxing Championships

The eyes of the boxing world will be on Liverpool this September as the very first World Boxing Championships land in the city with the force of a well-aimed jab.

Featuring more than 550 fighters from over 65 countries, this high-octane event will see Olympic champions, hometown heroes, and rising stars battle it out for 20 world titles.

Get set for a week and a half of prestigious pugilism that’s guaranteed to pack a punch.

What are the World Boxing Championships?

The Championships are the first elite-level global tournament hosted by the new International Federation, World Boxing. Formed in 2023 to keep the sport at the heart of the Olympic Movement, the federation is giving boxing a fresh new feel – and Liverpool gets the honour of hosting its debut.

Featuring 10 weight classes for both men and women, the World Boxing Championships will crown 20 new world champions (10 men, 10 women) in one history-making event. Think of it as a mini-Olympics of boxing…right here on the banks of the Mersey.

What is Olympic-style boxing?

There are two main types of boxing:

Professional – fighting for prize money.

Olympic-style (sometimes referred to as Amateur) – fighting for sporting glory.

If you watched the boxing in Paris 2024, you’ll know what to expect: quick-fire bouts that focus on scoring punches rather than knockouts.

When and where do the World Boxing Championships take place?

The action runs from Thursday 4th September to Sunday 14th September at the M&S Bank Arena.

The opening bell rings on 4th September with preliminaries in Women’s Light-flyweight, Flyweight, and Middleweight, plus Men’s Bantamweight, Welterweight, and Light-middleweight.

For the first week, two rings will run at the same time, giving you double the action. Then, for the final three days, the arena switches to one ring for the Quarter-finals (10th September), Semi-finals (12th–13th September) and the all-important Finals on 14th September, when the first-ever World Boxing champions will be crowned.

How does the tournament work?

The World Boxing Championships follow a classic knockout format. Win, and you’re through. Lose, you’re out.

A draw will decide each boxer’s path to the final, with medals awarded as follows:

Gold – winners of each weight category.

Silver – losing finalists.

Bronze – both beaten semi-finalists.

Bouts are three rounds of three minutes, with a one-minute break in between. Judges score each round based on:

The number of clean scoring blows

Technical and tactical skill

Competitiveness

Scores follow the “Ten Point Must” system – 10 to the winner of the round, 9 or less to the other fighter. And remember: Olympic-style boxing rewards speed and precision, so expect points to rack up rapidly.

Boxers wear protective gloves to reduce the risk of injury, and shots below the belt or to the back of the head are strictly off-limits.

Why is the event such a big deal for Liverpool?

From Eurovision and the World Gymnastics Championships to the Netball World Cup and The Open, our city knows how to host a world-class sporting event.

We’ve proven time and again we can put on a show that makes waves across the world.

And having produced champions like John Conteh, Natasha Jonas, Tony Bellew, the Smith Brothers, Rocky Fielding, Nick Ball (need we go on?), there’s no question that boxing is in our blood.

Liverpool’s fighters are famous for their grit, skill and unmistakable Scouse spirit. Now we get to welcome the world’s brightest boxing talents to our iconic waterfront.

The World Boxing Championships isn’t a run-of-the-mill amateur tournament; it’s the first of its kind. Be proud it’s happening here.

Why should you book tickets?

With prices starting from £15 for adults and £5 for concessions, tickets are unreal value for a world championship event—especially considering the non-stop action.

Day one could see up to 11 English fighters in action – including Liverpool’s own Odel Kamara – alongside GB’s Paris 2024 Olympians Charley Davison and Chantelle Reid. There’s also a strong Irish contingent with Daina Moorehouse, Aoife O’Rourke and Jack Marley competing. That’s serious talent from the first bell.

The quarter-finals on Wednesday 10th September will feature an incredible day of 32 medal bouts. Then, you can see the cream of the crop at the Semi-finals & Finals from 12th–14th September, where 20 new World Champions will be crowned.

Whether you pick an early round or finals night, you’ll be part of boxing history.