WBO and IBF Plan Joint Alliance to Counter Zuffa Boxing

The World Boxing Organization (WBO) and the International Boxing Federation (IBF) will hold their first joint convention in the fall of 2026 to emphasize the importance of their championship titles, reports BoxingScene.

Zuffa Boxing is expected to receive approval from the U.S. Congress to implement new rules that would allow it to independently rank boxers and award its own championship belts — while bypassing existing financial disclosure requirements. Additionally, Dana White, president of Zuffa Boxing, has stated that he does not intend to cooperate with the four major sanctioning bodies or major promoters.

In response, the WBO and IBF plan to launch an active information campaign to explain to fighters how winning a sanctioned world title increases their earnings. According to one official source, the convention will take place in Orlando, Florida, USA. An official announcement is expected next week.

Last month, the WBO held its annual convention in Bogotá, Colombia, while the IBF convention is scheduled for this spring in Vietnam.

The joint 2026 event will include unification bouts between WBO and IBF regional champions. The organizations will also conduct shared seminars and award ceremonies, and until then, will work to lobby for the preservation or restoration of federal protections for boxers.

At present, the WBA and WBC are not participating in the initiative. The report claims they have accepted sponsorship backing from Turki Alalshikh, chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority, and Riyadh Season.