(DEC 5) VENTNOR CITY, N.J.  - The relaunched International Boxing Association (IBA) is making a full commitment to women's boxing, commencing with a new rule change to sanction 12-round world title fights.

The IBA is going back to the future having been an original pioneer in terms of giving much deserved recognition to women's boxing, represented by many former IBA world champions.  [Refer to Boxrec for champions from the past]

In 1991, two-time Major League Baseball all-star pitcher and Cy Young Award winner Dean Chance founded the IBA, guiding the international sanctioning body until his death in 2015. Under a new group headed by IBA president J.C. Courreges, the IBA relaunched during the summer of 2017.

"This is the IBA's first step towards establishing equality between men and women in professional boxing," Courreges announced. "Our goal is to offer equality for women boxers in our organization. Women's world title fights are 10, 2-minute rounds, not 12, like in the IBA.

"There is a new wave of women's boxing, led by Claressa Shields, Katie Taylor, Amanda Serrano and so many other rising female stars worldwide. The IBA plans to be in the forefront and we recently crowned our first woman world champion, strawweight Eva Guzman, of Venezuela. In 2019, we look forward to crowning many other women IBA world champions, in what the IBA is calling the Year of Women's Boxing."

Former IBA world champions during the past quarter-centory include Hall-of-Famers Oscar de la Hoya, George Foreman, Roberto Duran and Arturo Gatti, as well as stars such as Roy Jones, Jr., Bernard Hopkins, Shane Mosely, James Toney, Mikkel Kessler, Eric Morales, Diego Corrales, Jose Luis Castillo, Glen Johnson and Antonio Tarver.

IBA MEN'S WORLD CHAMPIONS

Heavyweight: Vacant
Cruiserweight: Mairis Briedis (Latvia)
Light Heavyweight: Vacant
Super Middleweight: Vacant
Middleweight: Curtis Stevens (United States)
Junior Middleweight: Vacant
Welterweight: Vacant
Junior Welterweight: Alexander Duran (Panama)
Lightweight: Vacant
Junior Lightweight: Vacant
Featherweight : Vacant
Junior Featherweight: Vacant
Bantamweight: Otto Gamez (Valenzuela)
Junior Bantamweight: Ronald Batista (Panama)
Flyweight: Nico Hernandez (United States)
Junior Flyweight: Vacant
Strawweight: Vacant

Based in Ventnor City, New Jersey, the IBA also has an office in Florida. The IBA is establishing international representatives around the world in Germany, Romania, Bulgaria, Australia, Canada and South Africa.

The following championships are sanctioned by the IBA: World, InterContinental, Americas and International. The IBA sanctions the following Regional Titles: Latino, Caribbean, European, African, Asian and South Pacific,.

IBA Executive Committee members are J.C. Courreges, President; Stephane Cabrera, Vice President, Jean Philippe Lustyk, Vice President; and Bruno Wartelle, Ratings Chairman; Klaus Hagemann and Steve Smoger are Co-Chairmen of the IBA Officials Committee.