The International Boxing Federation has announced that George Martinez is the new IBF Ratings Chairman joining the Executive Staff. Additionally, IBF Board Member Ben Keilty will take on the role of Vice-Chairman of the IBF Ratings Committee and will oversee the Female Ratings specifically.
“George and Ben are both passionate and vastly knowledgeable about boxing,” said IBF President Daryl Peoples. “Having held the position of IBF Ratings Chairman for several years, I have great respect for what they will do and what they will bring to the table. These two gentlemen are committed to their new roles, and to continue to produce solid and fair ratings contributing to the IBF’s continued success.”
Martinez has an extensive history in boxing. He joined the World Boxing Association (WBA) in 2000 as a President of the North American Boxing Association (NABA), a position he inherited from the late IBF Ratings Chairman Anibal Miramontes. Martinez was a Directorate Member and a Ranking Committee Member with the WBA for 20 years. In 2004 he organized female boxing for the WBA, creating the rankings and overseeing the Female Championship Committee. In 2016 he took on the role of Championship Chairman for the WBA. Two years later, in 2018 he was appointed Ranking Chairman and held that position until October of 2020 when he resigned from the WBA. Martinez remained managing President of the NABA until recently.
Keilty also has a considerable background in Boxing having judged 265 bouts from 2008-2015. In 2010 he joined the IBF as a member, and in 2015 became a Supervisor for the IBF Pan Pacific Region overseeing 65 championship bouts since then. Keilty was elected to the IBF Board of Directors in 2018 during the organization’s convention in Saint Vincent, Italy.
The IBF may be the most respectable of the sanctioning bodies. They actually enforce mandatories and they’ve stripped Canelo and GGG in recent years for not taking them. But too many times they end up with mandatory challengers who have absolutely no chance. Michael Dasmarinas against Inoue, Josh Taylor had to fight that Thai fighter, Szeremeta against GGG. They will fall in love with fighters and make them #1 and they won’t be ranked AT ALL by anyone else. So they do need some ratings help.
Now you know who to pay for an increased ranking for your fighter.