The AIBA World Boxing Championships returns to Belgrade after 43 years of break

The 2021 edition of the AIBA World Boxing Championships was awarded to the capital city of Serbia which event will be held in Belgrade. Serbia’s capital hosted the AIBA World Boxing Championships in 1978 and after 43 years of break the AIBA World Boxing Championships will be returning to Belgrade in 2021.

The AIBA World Boxing Championships for the elite male boxers launched in 1974 and since 1989 each edition hosted every two years. The previous editions of the AIBA World Boxing Championships were held in Havana, in Belgrade, in Munich, in Reno, in Moscow, in Sydney, in Tampere, in Berlin, in Budapest, in Houston, in Belfast, in Bangkok, in Mianyang, in Chicago, in Milan, in Baku, in Almaty, in Doha, in Hamburg, and in Yekaterinburg. Belgrade is the first city among them which can host the AIBA World Boxing Championships second time in the history of the event.

The Serbian Boxing Federation is active in the European boxing map, they have several international tournaments every year including the traditional Belgrade Winner Tournament, the Golden Gloves of Vojvodina Youth Tournament, the Nations Women’s Cup and the Nations Junior Cup.

The biggest star of the Belgrade 1978 AIBA World Boxing Championships was Cuba’s three-time Olympic Champion legend Teofilo Stevenson who dominated all of his four fights at the heavyweight (+81kg). His legendary teammates as Adolfo Horta, and two-time Olympic Games gold medallist Angel Herrera also won their weight classes in Belgrade 42 years ago.

Five nations claimed at least one gold medal in the 1978 edition such as Cuba, the Soviet Union, Poland, Kenya and Nigeria. Fifteen nations shared the 44 available medals in 1978 and besides to the gold medallist nations, Yugoslavia, Finland, East Germany, Venezuela, Bulgaria, United States of America, West Germany, France, Japan and South Korea were on the medal table.

Yugoslavia had six finalists in the 1978 AIBA World Boxing Championships in the front of the home crowd but all lost their last challenge therefore the host country claimed half dozens of silver medals. Their top star in that event was Montreal 1976 Olympic Games silver medallist Tadija Kacar who became runner-up at the light heavyweight (81kg) in Belgrade where only Cuba’s Sixto Soria was able to stop him.