ASportIndependent states
Kazakh boxing
The sport that has brought Kazakhstan the most Olympic golds; three of its boxers have won the Val Barker Trophy.
Boxing has become the sporting symbol of independent Kazakhstan. From Atlanta 1996 to Rio 2016 Kazakh boxers won gold at every Olympic Games.
The Val Barker Trophy for the most stylish boxer of the Olympics has gone to Vassiliy Jirov (1996), Bakhtiyar Artayev (2004) and Serik Sapiyev (2012) — more than any other country.
In professional boxing Gennady Golovkin ("GGG") reigned as middleweight world champion for many years. Thousands of children train in boxing clubs across the country, and Astana and Almaty regularly host international tournaments.
Sources
Updated: October 2, 2026