George Francis: Sex-test error meant boxer missed U19 World Championships

A teenage English boxer says he was left “broken” after he was banned from competing at the Under-19 World Championships because his team forgot to organise a sex verification test to prove he is male.

George Francis, 18, was due to fight in the 60kg category in Budva, Montenegro last month.

But he says that he was informed he was ineligible only hours before the draw because of an “administrative oversight” by governing body England Boxing.

“They got me in a room and told me that I couldn’t box because they didn’t know if I was a boy or a girl, basically,” Francis told BBC Sport.

“The explanation was that they couldn’t provide a blood sample for me in time. Everyone else was able to provide a blood sample, but they just forgot me.

“Somehow I wasn’t on the system. Apparently, there were no qualified doctors in Budva to do it. It’s crazy.”

A multiple schoolboy and junior national champion, Francis said he had been training “non-stop” for the “dream” of representing England in his first World Championships.

“It was the worst news I’ve ever had in my life,” said the Essex-based fighter, whose plight was first reported by the Times newspaper.

“I wouldn’t wish it on anyone, to be honest. I was just broken. They were speaking to me and I couldn’t even really hear. I was devastated. I couldn’t really talk. I literally couldn’t feel anything. There was a hole left there.”

World Boxing introduced mandatory genetic sex testing for female competitors aged 18 and above last year to ensure “the safety of all participants and provide a level playing field”, with national federations responsible for ensuring samples were processed.

The move followed a major controversy in the women’s boxing competition at the 2024 Olympics in Paris, where fighters Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-ting both won golds, despite being disqualified from the previous year’s World Championships for allegedly failing sex eligibility tests conducted by the then governing body, the International Boxing Association.

In January however, World Boxing extended the rules to include male boxers.

“I can’t put into words how it just doesn’t make sense,” said Francis, who has now missed out on the chance of trying to qualify for the Olympics, and is planing to turn professional.

“I feel like there’s nothing really left for me as an amateur.

“I turned 18 four days before flying, so it must have been that they hadn’t checked their system in time to get me tested. Going forward, there should be someone there making sure it doesn’t happen because I don’t want any of these mistakes happening to anybody else.”

While Francis’ father has been contacted by Boxing England since the episode, his son claims the governing body is yet to contact him directly.

“I haven’t had one phone call or message from them. I’ve just been forgotten about. I don’t know how that’s been allowed,” he said.

In a statement, England Boxing said it “acknowledges that an administrative oversight occurred, once the issue became apparent, we worked closely with the competition organisers to explore all appropriate options in accordance with World Boxing’s rules and regulations.

“We maintained open communication with George and his family throughout, despite this, a resolution was not possible.

“George remained a valued member of the England team, including representing the squad as flag bearer.

“England Boxing has no greater priority than the health and wellbeing of athletes on its performance pathway and are committed to learning from this experience and strengthening our processes to prevent a recurrence.”

World Boxing has been approached for comment.

In 2025, a dozen female fighters across five nations were barred from the World Championships in Liverpool because deadlines for their sex tests were missed.