This is a list of IBF world champions, showing every world champion recognized by the International Boxing Federation (IBF). The IBF is one of the four major governing bodies in professional boxing, and has awarded world champions in 17 different weight classes since 1983.
Boxers who won the title but were stripped due to the title bout being overturned to a no contest are not listed.
Lewis vacated the IBF title after refusing to negotiate terms with mandatory challenger Chris Byrd and by being given US$1 million and a Range Rover by promoter Don King to do so, because King wished to promote a fight between Byrd and Evander Holyfield for the vacant title.[3]
Cole was still listed as champion on IBF's June 1996 rankings posted on 31 July[7] however, just one day after it was posted, a schedule slated for 31 August was released for the vacant IBF title between Adolpho Washington and Torsten May.[8]
Bell was stripped of the title after undergoing dental surgery and subsequently withdrawing from a fight with mandatory challenger Steve Cunningham scheduled for 6 May.[11]
Tarver vacated the title due to agreeing to a fight with Roy Jones Jr. which included a rematch clause that would have made him unavailable for a mandatory defense had he won.[19]
Dawson vacated the title after refusing to negotiate terms with mandatory challenger Tavoris Cloud and instead pursued a rematch with Glen Johnson.[21]
Rocchigiani, citing difficulties making weight, vacated the title and withdrew from a scheduled October fight with Frank Tate to move up to light heavyweight.[24]
Jones, having previously moved up to light heavyweight in November 1996 when he defeated Mike McCallum for the interim WBC title, vacated the IBF super middleweight title, citing the sanctioning bodies' policies of not liking titles to be held in different weight classes simultaneously.[25]
After Golovkin's fight with Canelo Alvarez on 5 May was cancelled, the IBF granted an exemption to him to face Vanes Martirosyan in a non-IBF sanctioned bout on the same date with the stipulation that he must face mandatory challenger Sergiy Derevyanchenko by 3 August. After Golovkin failed to agree in writing to a fight with Derevyanchenko, he was stripped of the title.[37]
Norris was stripped of the title after failing to negotiate terms with mandatory challenger Raúl Márquez and instead agreeing to a fight with Félix Trinidad in June,[40] which was ultimately cancelled.
The IBF refused to sanction Honeyghan's defense against Jorge Vaca because he was not ranked among its top 12 contenders and stripped him of the title after he lost the bout.[47]
Brown vacated the title due to the IBF's decision to sanction bouts in apartheid South Africa and for its handling of his March title unification bout with former WBC champion Maurice Blocker.[48]
Mayweather vacated the title to fight a notable opponent instead of fighting his mandatory challenger Mark Suárez.[51] The title was vacated on IBF's June 2006 rankings posted on 20 June.[52]
Margarito vacated the title after refusing to fight mandatory challenger Joshua Clottey and instead agreed to a fight with Miguel Cotto for his WBA title on 26 July 2008.[53]
Clottey vacated the title after Miguel Cotto, the WBO welterweight champion, failed to sign his contract in time for the IBF to approve their 13 June fight as a unification bout and grant Clottey an exemption from facing mandatory challenger Isaac Hlatshwayo.[54]
Berto vacated the title after HBO indicated a lack of interest in him facing mandatory challenger Randall Bailey on their network and instead pursued a rematch against Victor Ortiz.[55]
Malignaggi vacated the title after refusing to participate in a rematch with mandatory challenger Herman Ngoudjo and instead agreed to a fight with Ricky Hatton.[64]
Alexander was stripped of the title after failing to negotiate terms with mandatory challenger Kaizer Mabuza and instead agreed to a unification fight with WBO champion Timothy Bradley.[65]
Crawford vacated the title after refusing to negotiate terms with mandatory challenger Sergey Lipinets, citing an inability to make the fight under the IBF's time frame.[67]
Garcia vacated the title after deciding to move back down in weight and defend his WBC lightweight world title rather than face IBF mandatory challenger Ivan Baranchyk.[68]
De La Hoya vacated the title after refusing to negotiate terms with mandatory challenger Miguel Julio and instead accepted a fight with Genaro Hernández.[71]
Díaz vacated the title after withdrawing from a fight with mandatory challenger Leavander Johnson scheduled for 11 February and instead agreed to a fight with WBC champion José Luis Castillo.[74]
Corrales vacated the title to focus in his trial on felony charges of him assaulting his wife.[83] He later claimed that it was relinquished without his consent. The title was vacated by his manager Cameron Dunkin so that one of Dunkin's other clients, Steve Forbes, could fight for it.[84]
Paez, who had previously challenged Tony Lopez for the IBF junior lightweight title in September 1990, vacated the title citing his inability to make the featherweight limit.[95]
Marquez was stripped of the title because no promoter was willing to bid at least US$50,000 to stage a mandatory defense against Fahprakorb Rakkiatgym.[99]
Guerrero lost to Orlando Salido but the result was overturned to NC after Salido tested positive of the banned substance Nandrolone. The title is vacated.[100]
21
Robert Guerrero (2) (def. Spend Abazi)
23 Feb 2007 – 23 Jun 2008
2
Guerrero, citing an inability to make weight, vacated the title one day before a scheduled purse bid for a fight with mandatory challenger Orlando Salido.[101]
Lee is forced to vacate the title when the IBF stops promoting fights in South Korea. Lee was ranked on WBC's March 1988 ratings posted on 23 March, meaning that he had already vacated the title.[105]
Donaire vacated the title shortly before his fight with Toshiaki Nishioka in order to avoid paying the IBF's sanctioning fee, citing HBO's lack of interest in purchasing rights for an upcoming mandatory defense against the winner of an 27 October title eliminator between Takalani Ndlovu and Alejandro López.[110]
Frampton vacated the title to move up to featherweight and fight Leo Santa Cruz for the WBA title rather than face mandatory challenger Shingo Wake.[111]
Canizales moves up and was scheduled to challenge for the WBA junior featherweight title. His title is vacated on IBF's December 1994 ratings posted on 21 December.[113]
Santa Cruz, citing his difficulty making the 118-pound limit, vacated the title to move up to junior featherweight one day before a scheduled purse bid for a fight with mandatory challenger Jamie McDonnell.[116]
Caballero was stripped of the title after failing to make weight before his bout with interim IBF champion Lee Haskins. The IBF promoted Haskins to full champion status and the fight was cancelled.[119]
WBA/IBF champion Burnett vacated the title after agreeing to fight WBA mandatory challenger Yonfrez Parejo rather than IBF mandatory Emmanuel Rodríguez.[120]
Pical, who also held the WBAtitle, was stripped of the IBF title after a loss of the WBA title by TKO to Khaosai Galaxy in Jakarta, Indonesia. The title was stripped on WBA's ratings posted on 18 March.[122]
Pérez was stripped of the title after failing to make weight the day before his scheduled defense against Ricardo Vargas. Arizona Boxing Commission chief John Montano cancelled the fight, citing safety and contractual reasons.[126]
Kameda vacated the title citing difficulties making weight.[130] He was defeated by Liborio Solís in his only defense on 3 December 2013 but retained the title as Solis failed to make weight for the bout.
Johnson, citing weight problems, vacated the title to move up to junior bantamweight and pursue a fight with Johnny Tapia,[135] which never materialized.
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^Smith, Tim (14 December 2001). "Forrest-Mosley A Fan-Friendly Bout". Hartford Courant. Hartford, Connecticut. Retrieved 7 June 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
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^Cotey, John C. (19 August 2002). "Forbes win disputed by Santos". Tampa Bay Times. St. Petersburg, Florida. Retrieved 25 May 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
^Freitag, Karl (21 September 2004). "IBF strips Morales!". Fightnews. Archived from the original on 22 September 2004. Retrieved 7 November 2021.
^"IBF strips Tapia of belt". The Santa Fe New Mexican. Santa Fe, New Mexico. Associated Press. 2 October 2002. Retrieved 23 May 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
^"Payakarum to defend title". The Index-Journal. Greenwood, South Carolina. Associated Press. 10 February 1987. Retrieved 25 May 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
^Frauenheim, Norm (7 September 1998). "Latest flap too familiar for Tyson". Arizona Republic. Phoenix, Arizona. Retrieved 26 May 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
^"IBF ratings". IBF. 14 July 2009. Retrieved 4 October 2021.
^"Penalosa Stripped of Flyweight Belt". The Daily Times. Salisbury, Maryland. Associated Press. 19 July 1986. Retrieved 25 May 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
^"Valley fight still in limbo". Arizona Republic. Arizona, Phoenix. 17 November 1995. Retrieved 9 November 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
^Robb, Sharon (11 May 1997). "S. African heavyweight takes title". South Florida Sun Sentinel. Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Retrieved 20 May 2018 – via Newspapers.com.