The International Boxing Union (IBU) is a

professional boxing Professional boxing, or prizefighting, is regulated, sanctioned boxing. Professional boxing bouts are fought for a purse that is divided between the boxers as determined by contract. Most professional bouts are supervised by a regulatory autho ...

sanctioning body founded in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,7 ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

, United States, in 1996. It is unrelated to the International Boxing Union, based in Europe, which operated until the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

. Although the IBU has sanctioned title matches and "world champions" from countries such as Barbados, Guyana, Germany, and Hungary, they often lack widespread recognition as the best fighters in their class. IBU titles can be a first title for boxers who progress to gain additional titles of the more recognized "Big Four".

Notable champions

One notable former IBU Heavyweight Champion was Shannon Briggs, who had his title stripped in 2003 after refusing to face quality opponents. Briggs went on to win the

WBO The World Boxing Organization (WBO) is an organization which sanctions professional boxing bouts. It is recognized by the International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF) as one of the four major world championship groups, alongside the World Boxing ...

title a few years later, after defeating Sergei Liakhovich in November 2006. Another notable former IBU World Heavyweight Champion is "Fast" Eddie Chambers who captured the title in 2005. The IBU also sports two notable former Lightweight Champions in Gary Balletto and

Gregorio Vargas Gregorio Vargas Hernández, better known as ''Goyo Vargas'' (born 27 October 1970) is a Mexican retired professional boxer who held the WBC featherweight title in 1993. Professional career Vargas was born in Santa María Natívitas, a small com ...

. Balletto was 29-1-2 before losing the IBU Lightweight title to Vargas in 2003. Balletto attempted a comeback in 2006 on ESPN's " The Contender". Other notable fights of the IBU were the two IBU World Super Middleweight title fights of Scott "The Sandman" Pemberton and

Omar Sheika Omar Sheika (born February 20, 1977) is an American former professional boxer and multiple time super middleweight world title challenger. He is of Palestinian descent. Raised in Paterson, New Jersey, Sheika attended Eastside High School and ...

that became ESPN2's "Fight of the Year" in 2003 and 2004. On 7 April 2012, 7-time multiple weight class World Champion

James Toney James Nathaniel Toney (born August 24, 1968) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1988 to 2017. He held multiple world championships in three weight classes, including the IBF and lineal middleweight titles from 1991 to 1 ...

captured the vacant IBU World Heavyweight championship with a TKO over World Heavyweight Bare Knuckle Championship Holder Bobby Gunn.Jake Donovan
James Toney Stops Bobby Gunn In Five Rounds
''Boxing Scene'', 8 April 2012. The match is listed in th

section of the IBU website and o
BoxRec
According to the IBU's rankings page, it considers the title vacant as of 2017 (or earlier).

References

External links

Official International Boxing Union website
Professional boxing organizations Sports organizations established in 1996 {{Boxing-stub