Former world boxing champion in four weight categories, Roy Jones Jr., was outraged by the refusal of the American team to participate in the World Boxing Championship due to the admission of Russian athletes.
“I was extremely disappointed when I learned about the US boycott of the World Boxing Championships. They issued a press release full of hackneyed phrases that have nothing to do with reality. Personally, I can assure all athletes, coaches and fans in the USA: this is a decision was accepted by the management, not by the boxers themselves,” he wrote on his social networks.
The reason for the US boycott was the admission to the championship of Russian and Belarusian athletes under national flags.
In December 2022, the WBA decided to restore all athletes from Russia and Belarus in the ratings. On December 13, the WBA also recognized Russian athlete Dmitry Bivol as the best boxer of 2022.
