The International Boxing Federation, or IBF, is one of many organizations which sanction championship boxing bouts, alongside the WBA, WBC, WBO, and a dozen or so others.

The IBF was preceded by the USBA, United States Boxing Association, a regional championships organization. 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 IBF-USBA. 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 under obscurity. 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.

Ever since then, the IBF has been the sanctioning body of many important fights and world champions. Félix Trinidad was the IBFs world Welterweight champion from 1993 to 2000, and is one of a long list of world champions who have been recognized by the IBF.

The organization's reputation was seriously damaged in 1999 however, as Lee resigned as the IBF's President upon conviction on racketeering and other violations, and Hiawatha Knight became the first woman president of any of the world's governing boxing bodies. In 2001, Marian Muhammad followed her as president. The organization was under federal observation from Lee's conviction through September 2004, though remaining recognized as one of boxing's "big three" sanctioning organizations.