FRIDAY, MAY 7th, 2010, 2:20 PM/PST

Welcome To The IAB

It is with great pride that International Fight Sports ( IFS - www.IFightSports.com ) has now launched two more Fight Sport Sanctioning bodies. These new bodies are for the sanctioning and regulating of both Pro and Amateur Boxing. For Professional Boxing IFS has launched the IAB, International Association of Boxing and for Amateur Boxing they have launched the IAB, International Amateur Boxing. Both can be found at the web address www.IABProAmBoxing.com.

IFS is the parent company of the Largest Kickboxing sanctioning body in the world, the IKF, International Kickboxing Federation ( www.IKFKickboxing.com ) and the First ever and Largest Mixed Martial Arts ( MMA ) Sanctioning body in the world, the ISCF, International Sport Combat Federation ( www.ISCFMMA.com )

Their success in the fight sports of MMA and Kickboxing makes the new IAB Organizations far more serious contenders in the boxing sanctioning world than other "start-up" from scratch alphabet soup sanctioning bodies that the sport of boxing is already exposed to.

Both IAB organizations will feature many of the same things on their website that has made the IKF and ISCF the leaders in their sports. Such aspects include a detailed list of ranked fighters, up to date news, events and event results along with many other things that will include titles as small as State Titles up to World Titles for both Amateur and Professional Boxing.

No stranger to the fight game, the IKF was formed in 1992 while the ISCF was formed in 1999. Between the two they sanction and regulate around 700 Fight Sport events a year around the world.

IAB VS USA Boxing... Already Some Drama...
When the news was announced about the new IAB Amateur organization, word spread fast. What started out to be an organization focused on fighters not wanting to be a part of the USA Boxing Olympic system quickly changed after so many fighters and trainers urged the IAB to re-think about directly competing with USA Boxing because of so many negative aspects they were being told about USA Boxing. Word of the new IAB spread so fast that strong supporters of USA Boxing put the pressure on the ABC, Association of Boxing Commissions to actually send the IAB Amateur division a threatening letter.

The letter basically "Threatened" the new IAB Amateur Division to NOT sanction Amateur Boxing, BEFORE the IAB even become public. If this letter was not enough to "Fuel The FIRE" of those behind the IAB Amateur Division, Nothing will be! The closing paragraph of the letter read;

"If you, the officers and directors of the IAB, or others affiliated with the IAB conduct such illegal activities in jurisdictions which do not permit the same, the ABC will lend its full support and assistance to each and every ABC member commission that may be effected; and, in addition, the ABC, itself, will seek to effectuate appropriate enforcement measures."

"Illegal Activities??" Where has the IAB EVER claimed or stated it would be a part of any "illegal activities?" Wasting no time in the attack, the IAB sent out a quick reply to those behind the letter and as of this writing there has been no reply. Probably because the threatening letter was so far out of line with false accusations about what the ABC "Thought" the IAB was going to do, the reply by the IAB simply set the facts straight.

What the ABC letter has done now is spark controversy in the world of Amateur Boxing, or at least here in the USA. USA Boxing DOES NOT have a MONOPOLY in EVERY USA State. In fact the IAB has been ENCOURAGED to submit rules and regulations to SEVERAL States that are not at all happy with the work of USA Boxing and these states are very eager to have "Another Choice" for AMATEUR Boxers to fight under. No one reading this needs anyone here to express the many complaints that many state commissions as well as trainers and fighters have been making about USA Boxing for years now. Some states such as California actually had to ban USA Boxing from sanctioning events until they made some necessary changes. These are the problems with USA Boxing or anyone for that matter having a "MONOPOLY" on something.

"How is an organization's ethics and integrity, let alone fairness and other aspects judges when there is no other choice or competition to be judged against?"

This is what happens when you have a "Monopoly" such as USA Boxing doing "As they PLEASE." The IAB AMATEUR Division is a "SANCTIONING BODY", NOT A "PROMOTIONAL COMPANY" as the ABC letter implied. The goal of the IAB is to regulate safety and fairness for amateur boxers and amateur boxing events, "Where they are allowed to."

To Focus on that last comment, just like in Amateur Kickboxing and Amateur MMA these sports are regulated in various ways;
*Some states regulate these sports with their State Commissions.
*Some states have appointed 1 or several amateur sanctioning bodies to regulate these sports.
*And the most RIDICULOUS of decisions for the Amateur Athletes, Some states have sadly banned them.

The IAB is well aware that many states have stood by the "Monopoly" of USA Boxing. Surly USA Boxing would like to use a different word, however, the word "Monopoly" is not meant to be offensive, simply a fact;
MONOPOLY: A government-granted monopoly (also called a "de jure monopoly") is a form of coercive monopoly by which a government grants exclusive privilege to a private individual or firm to be the sole provider of a good or service; potential competitors are excluded from the market by law, regulation, or other mechanisms of government enforcement.

Some states have choose not to have USA Boxing as their only allowed Sanctioning Body to Regulate Amateur Boxing. It is within these states that the IAB will begin working and expand from them. In such states, as the IKF and ISCF have operated, the IAB would safely regulate amateur boxing events.

However, although the state of California has appointed USA Boxing to regulate Amateur Boxing, some promoters are so against using USA Boxing that they would rather the State Athletic Commission in association with the IAB Sanction the event and some of their title fights. Such is the case with the IAB's first official event.

Badge Vs Badge - ( www.badgevsbadge.com ) is an event for law enforcement and fire fighters and will kick off the IAB Amateur division (International Amateur Boxing) on Friday, May 21st at the Radisson Hotel Ballroom in Sacramento, California. This is sure to be the beginning of something new and exciting for Amateur Boxing.

The IAB Pro Division has yet to confirm their start date but have been speaking with a lot of promoters around the world who already heard about the IAB Pro Division long before this article.

Regardless of when things get going, the past history of the IKF and ISCF through the works of those behind International Fight Sports is enough to prove to anyone that both the amateur and professional divisions of the IAB should be taken very seriously and is surly a fresh new choice with Integrity and Ethics for a sport that has been looking for something fresh for some time now.

Welcome To The IAB!

IAB is a Division of
INTERNATIONAL FIGHT SPORTS
IFS is a Global Fight Sport Company that Regulates Fight Sports around the World. The companies under the IFS umbrella all have a mutual goal of fostering National and International Pro and Amateur Fight Sport Competition through the Sanctioning of Fight Sports. Some of these companies include the IKF, International Kickboxing Federation, ISCF, International Sport Combat Federation, IAB, International Association of Boxing, and several other fight sport companies.