As exclusively reported by insidethegames earlier this month, there had been calls for his removal, with 10 regions to two requesting he leave, despite his work to modernise the ABAE.

"My objective when I joined the ABAE was to help modernise the organisation and create a more professional governing body that is equipped with the capabilities to oversee the sport and effectively distribute the increased levels of public funding [from Sport England] that have come into boxing in recent years," said Caborn, who has been part of the body for five years - he joined as President in 2008 before becoming chair last year.

"With the changes to the constitution and the appointment of a new Board this process is now almost complete and I am happy to step aside and let the board begin the search for a new chair now that the objective of modernising the governance of the ABAE and the way the organisation works has been achieved."

The new Board, which met for the first time today, was appointed through a "skills-based recruitment process" as opposed to the previous system, which saw executive directors regionally elected.

The changes will be written into the ABAE's constitution, which is currently being updated to ensure it complies with International Boxing Association (AIBA) statutes after England was provisionally suspended for breaches of the sport's world governing body regulations earlier this year.

Richard Caborn joined the ABAE as President in 2008 and was named chairman in July 2012


A Compliance Committee is also in place to manage the transition process and liaise with AIBA to ensure the changes and the establishment of the new board are ratified by AIBA.

The new directors have been named as Darren Chapple, Henry Herbert and David Newth, who previously served on the board from January 2012, and new board members Giorgio Brugnoli, Nicholas Griffin, Luigi Leo and Mike Loosemore.

They will be joined by four non-executive directors and an independent chairperson, who has yet to be named.

"The creation of a new board is the final stage of a two-year process of modernisation for the ABAE and I am very pleased with the composition and calibre of the people that have been appointed," Caborn said.

"It has an excellent mix of professional skills and boxing experience and I am confident it will help to drive the sport forward, represent its interests and enable the ABAE to be more direct and transparent in the way it supports and helps clubs, schools and the thousands of volunteers and coaches that do such great work in the grassroots of the sport."

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]


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