Access All AreasLiverpool has been selected as the host city for the inaugural World Boxing Championships 2025 for Elite men and women.
The Championships, which will take place from 4 – 14 September 2025 at the M&S Bank Arena, will be the first Elite-level global championships hosted by World Boxing, the new International Federation.
Organisers said the event will feature competition in 10 weight classes for both men and women, and will be the first time that male and female boxers have competed in Olympic-style boxing for the title of world champion at the same event.
The bid to host the World Boxing Championships 2025 was developed by a group of partners including England Boxing, GB Boxing, Liverpool City Council and the M&S Bank Arena and is supported by the National Lottery and UK Sport.
Liverpool has a long history of staging major international events and was the location for the European Boxing Championships in 2008. More recently it hosted the 2019 Vitality Netball World Cup and the 2022 World Gymnastics Championships at the M&S Bank Arena and The Open Golf Championship at Royal Liverpool in 2023. The arena also hosted the Eurovision Song Contest in 2023.
The president of World Boxing Boris van der Vorst said, “Liverpool is a globally famous city with a proud heritage in boxing and it will be a fantastic place to host our first ever Elite World Boxing Championships. This will be a superb showcase for the sport of Olympic boxing, particularly as it will be the first time ever that the men and women’s competition will run alongside each other as part of the same Championships.
“I would like to thank all of our partners in Great Britain and the city of Liverpool for their enthusiasm and support in wanting to stage these Championships and I look forward to working closely with all of them to deliver what will be a historic event for the boxers and for our sport.”
M&S Bank Arena commercial & business development director Ben Williams said, “We are delighted to be hosting this auspicious event. Liverpool loves boxing and we intend to use our world-class facilities and vast experience of hosting major events to put on the best show for visitors from across the globe. As a venue based on Liverpool’s famous waterfront, in the heart of a city that is immersed in sport, we’re perfectly positioned to provide a fantastic experience.”
World Boxing was launched in April 2023 with the aim of ensuring that boxing remains at the heart of the Olympic movement. On 7 May it held its first meeting with the IOC which signalled the start of formal collaboration between the two organisations aimed at establishing a pathway for boxing to remain in the Olympic Games.