After the Sunday evening welcome cocktail event and Monday’s day-long tour of Ho Chi Minh City, the business portion of the 41st IBF Convention in Ho Tram, Vietnam, kicked off this morning at 9 a.m. in the grand ballroom of the Grand Ho Tram Resort.
IBF President Daryl Peoples called for the customary self-introductions of all delegates in attendance, followed by introductions of the board of directors: President Peoples; Ratings Chairman Ben Kielty; Championship Chairman George Martinez; Ratings/Medical Chairman Massimiliano Bianco; Executive Vice President Levi Martinez; Vice President Melvina Lathan; Directors Aaron Kizer, Randy Neumann, Pete Podgorski, and Roberto Ramirez Sr.; and Carlos Ortiz.
The convention host, Mr. Lim Song, officially welcomed the convention to Vietnam, as did Ms. Jenny Do, chairperson of the Vietnamese Boxing Commission and CEO of Shadow Entertainment.
Thomas Pütz, president of the BDB, presented IBF President Daryl Peoples with a medal commemorating their joint appointments to their respective presidencies in 2010.
Here is the transcript of President Peoples’ opening remarks:
“One of the things when we came to Vietnam, we sat here and we went to a boxing show, and it was run to the highest standards I’ve seen. I would compare these guys with any commission in the world. What’s important is that they seemed interested in learning. They wanted to develop boxing in Vietnam, and they wanted to do it the right way.
So, that’s what piqued our interest. If we can help boxing develop anywhere, that’s our responsibility. So, we decided to come back to Vietnam. When we were talking to the commissions, we found something about their amateur program that we found extremely unique, and it’s timely in this part of boxing: 50% of the amateur program in Vietnam is female.
We don’t see that at all. So we said, “Okay, we’re in. It’s a no-brainer. We’re definitely going with Vietnam to help develop them.” Again, thank you for the invitation.
In 2025, our activity is up. These guys are working hard. We meet often to discuss the governance of boxing. I say this all the time: training, training, training. We owe the guys that get in the ring the best we can give them. They deserve fair decisions. They deserve just decisions. They deserve us doing the best we can to help them build their careers.
I tell you all the time, you guys are an integral part of that. This is a team. We build off each other. If something happens, we pick each other up. If you see something one of your colleagues does well, discuss it and learn from it. Make each other better. We build off each other, and that’s what makes us a strong organization. I’d like you to continue doing that.
To that end, we have the judges and referees seminar, and the medical seminar. Judges, you sit ringside too, so I’d like you to attend. Referees, I expect you to be there.
There’s Doc and Dr. Bianco — these guys do an excellent job. You’re going to have the opportunity to see one of the finest medical seminars in the world, so please make sure you attend.
Promoters and managers, during the ratings meeting and the championships meeting, Ben will take recommendations for your fighters. You can coordinate what titles will be available, and they’ll go over that in detail during the meetings.
We also have fun here. We have a few events to socialize. Look, that’s almost equally as important as the seminars. Again, build the family. Make friends. You should know 10 more people when you leave here than when you got here. That’s always my goal.
None of this would have happened without Janette and the rest of the staff. When you go buy your merchandise — which all goes to SARB so we can help our brothers and sisters who fall upon hard times — say hi to the ladies, tell them well done, and buy some merchandise.
Again, let’s just be family. Let’s have some fun. We have some social activities. Be with the family.
And I’m done. Thank you.”
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