The International Boxing Federation or IBF is one of four major organizations recognized by IBHOF which sanction world championship boxing bouts, alongside the WBA, WBC and WBO.

The IBF is preceded by the United States Boxing Association (USBA), a regional championships organization like the NABF, NABC and NABA. In 1983, at the WBA's annual convention, held in Puerto Rico that year, Bob Lee, president of the USBA, lost in his bid to become WBA president against Gilberto Mendoza. Lee and others withdrew from the convention after the election, and decided to organize a new world-level organization. At first, the new group was named the USBA-International. They decided to base the new organization in New Jersey, where its main offices are still located.

The IBF's first world champion was Marvin Camel, a former WBC world Cruiserweight champion who won the IBF's belt in the same division. During its first year of existence, however, the IBF remained largely obscure. But by 1984, the IBF decided to recognize Larry Holmes, Aaron Pryor, Marvin Hagler and Donald Curry, already established champions from other organizations, as IBF world champions. In Holmes' case, he relinquished his WBC title to accept the IBF's recognition. It established the IBF as the "third" sanctioning body, and a legitimate organization.

James Frederick DeGale MBE (born 3 February 1986) is a British boxer and Olympic gold medalist. He was born in Harlesden, London. He started amateur boxing at the Trojan club at the age of 10 before moving to Dale Youth boxing club. As a boy he soon acquired the nickname Chunky a name that has followed him throughout his career and to this day he is known as James ‘Chunky’ DeGale. The predominantly southpaw Londoner fights as a switchhitter. At the Commonwealth Games 2006 he won Bronze when he lost to Jarrod Fletcher.

He was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2009 New Year Honours.

Degale represented Great Britain at the 2008 Summer Olympics in the Middleweight boxing event, winning the gold medal. In the quarter finals he beat a former Olympic gold medalist from Athens (Bakhtiyar Artayev) and in the semi-final once again beat the late Irishman Darren Sutherland (prior to this latest meeting the boxers had fought five times with Sutherland winning four and DeGale only one). In the final DeGale won a scrappy and bad tempered affair against the Cuban Emilio Correa who was deducted two points in the first round for biting DeGale's shoulder.

Carl Froch (born on 2 July 1977) is a British professional boxer and the current IBF Super Middleweight Champion and former two-time WBC Super Middleweight Champion. He has also held the British, Commonwealth and English titles at super middleweight.

Froch began boxing at his home in Colwick, Nottingham at 9 years old. He later joined the Phoenix ABC in Gedling, near Nottingham. As an amateur, he won two ABA Middleweight titles in 1999 and 2001 and a bronze medal at the 2001 World Amateur Boxing Championships before turning pro and having his first pro fight in March 2002. As an amateur, Froch lost to American Peter Manfredo Jr. in a 4th round technical knock out.

During his amateur career, he lost a fight to Denis Inkin, who he was scheduled to fight in a title eliminator in 2008, but Inkin pulled out on three occasions.^{[citation needed]}

Froch has had 31 professional fights, with 21 knockout and 8 decision victories, suffering defeat only twice.

Froch is trained by Robert McCracken and managed by Barry Hearn.

Wladimir Klitschko (Ukrainian: Володи́мир Володи́мирович Кличко́ [transliteration: Volodymyr Volodymyrovych Klychko], born 25 March 1976) is a Ukrainian heavyweight professional boxer. Klitschko is the WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, IBO & The Ring Heavyweight Champion. His older brother Vitali Klitschko is the current WBC Heavyweight Champion. Klitschko is the longest reigning Heavyweight Champion in history for the IBF, WBO & IBO Heavyweight titles, both in measurements of defenses and time & overall the 6th longest reigning Heavyweight Champion of all time. As of 2011, Boxrec rates Klitschko as the number 2 pound-for-pound in the world. Ring Magazine currently rates Klitschko as the number six pound-for-pound boxer in the world.

Since 2005, Klitschko has been the dominant force in the heavyweight division, defeating a majority of the top heavyweights in the rankings. When Klitschko won the IBF title against Chris Byrd there were four separate Heavyweight Champions. Since then, he has unified the IBF, IBO, WBO & WBA belts and defeated the WBA Champion in recess. Following his win over Ruslan Chagaev, Klitschko was awarded the vacant Ring Magazine Heavyweight title.

Michael Gerard "Mike" Tyson (born June 30, 1966) is a retired American professional boxer. Tyson is a former undisputed heavyweight champion of the world and holds the record as the youngest boxer to win the WBC, WBA and IBF heavyweight titles at 20 years, 4 months and 22 days old. Tyson won his first 19 professional bouts by knockout, with 12 of them occurring in the first round. He won the WBC title in 1986 after defeating Trevor Berbick by a TKO in the second round. In 1987, Tyson added the WBA and IBF titles after defeating James Smith and Tony Tucker. He was the first heavyweight boxer to simultaneously hold the WBA, WBC and IBF titles, and the only heavyweight to individually unify them.

In 1988, Tyson became the lineal champion when he knocked out Michael Spinks in the first 91 seconds of the fight. Tyson successfully defended the world heavyweight championship nine times, including victories over Larry Holmes and Frank Bruno. Tyson lost his titles to 42-to-1 underdog James "Buster" Douglas on February 11, 1990, in Tokyo, Japan, by a knockout in round 10. Tyson continued in his quest to regain the titles, defeating Donovan Ruddock twice in 1991. Tyson was then scheduled to take on the undisputed heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield but pulled out due to injury.