In September 2025 in Istanbul, International Boxing Association president Umar Kremlev welcomed Donald Trump Jr., the eldest son of the United States' president, onto a stage already graced by boxing legend Manny Pacquiao and Rasheda Ali Walsh, daughter of Muhammad Ali. The occasion was the IBA Sport + Business Forum. Besides being the president of the IBA, Kremlev is described as a Russian oligarch with close ties to president Vladimir Putin. One year later, according to a ProPublica story published this week, Kremlev "secretly bankrolled" Trump Jr.'s Bahamas wedding, spending "hundreds of thousands on expenses like renting out a private island."  The story said Kremlev attended the intimate wedding with a large group of other Russian guests. ProPublica also reported that the payments came from an IBA-affiliated entity in Dubai that the boxing sanctioning organization uses for financial transactions.

 

As ProPublica's story broke, the news immediately raised questions about the son of a sitting U.S. president receiving an expensive gift from someone closely connected to the leader of Russia. ProPublica opined that this "represents an extraordinary development: a member of Putin’s circle financially supporting the president’s son and gaining intimate access to the Trump family. For a decade, Putin’s government, regarded as a chief adversary of the U.S., has been accused of efforts to influence American elections." 

 

Trump Jr.'s new wife, Bettina Trump, acknowledged the gift from "her dear friend" on social media this week. She wrote, "apparently our wedding is making headlines again, so a little clarity seems in order. Don and I got married privately on Friday, surrounded only by our family... Our dear friend Umar very generously hosted two incredible nights of celebrations for us after our wedding. It was an extraordinarily generous wedding gift from a friend, and something for which we were and remain incredibly grateful."

 

Kremlev is no stranger to boxing controversy. He became head of the Russian Boxing Federation in 2017 and has led the IBA (formerly known as AIBA) since 2020, taking over at a time when AIBA scandals nearly led to the boxing competition being thrown out of the Olympics (which would have been an irreparable loss to the sport). Instead of discontinuing boxing, the International Olympic Committee suspended IBA from organizing the 2021 Olympic boxing competition. In 2023, the suspension became an expulsion as, the International Olympic Committee stripped the IBA of all responsibilities as the organization overseeing the Olympic boxing tournament and qualifying process. The expulsion was triggered by reports of financial corruption, including a heavy financial dependence on Russian state energy firm Gazprom, reports of gold medals being promised to certain countries, and documented incidents of compromised judging integrity. Thankfully for boxing, IBA was replaced by an organization named World Boxing and boxing has remained an Olympic sport. The IBA continues to run its world amateur championship and now promotes professional and paid "amateur" boxing as well as bare-knuckle fighting competitions, mostly in Russia and Central Asia.

 

The IBA's report on the 2025 event quoted Trump Jr.'s speech on stage as follows: "I probably don’t belong to this incredible family of champions and legends, but my family has been involved in boxing for many years. I grew up watching those great Saturday night fights, learning from the front row about work ethic, discipline, and unity. I remember sitting beside Lennox Lewis, watching and learning not just about the sport but about life. Even after the most brutal fight, two opponents come together with deep respect – that is the best of people. What I saw at the last Olympic Games was truly sad [Trump Jr. was presumably making a reference to Algerian boxer Imane Khelif who was accused of being a biological male but competed as a woman and won gold at the 2024 Olympics], especially as the father of a young female athlete. The fairness of sport matters. My daughter has dedicated her life to excellence, and to see those values undermined is unacceptable. What Umar is doing – restoring actual fairness, bringing back the purity of boxing, and giving the youth of today a chance to step away from the computer and into the ring – is extraordinary. This is not just about boxing; it’s about life lessons, discipline, integrity and opportunity. That’s the legacy we need, and I am proud to call Umar not only a leader but a friend."

 

 

The IBA issued a press release in 2025 boasting, "President Kremlev and Donald Trump Jr made it clear – this alliance will not remain symbolic. More joint initiatives will follow, uniting continents, generations, and industries under one bold vision. The world of sports has witnessed the birth of a partnership powerful enough to reshape the global sporting landscape."