The World Boxing Organization and the International Boxing Federation have launched the official website for their first joint convention, branding the event UN1FIED and opening registration for the December 9 through 13 gathering at the Caribe Royale in Orlando, Florida. The convention site presents the event under the tagline “One Historic Convention. Two Global Organizations. A New Chapter in Professional Boxing,” with the hashtag #BeltsMatter running across the page.
The published agenda opens Wednesday, December 9 with a golf tournament and a welcome reception at the host hotel. Thursday, December 10 features a Unified General Session, a referees seminar and the opening of an experiences and entertainment hall. Friday, December 11 includes a joint ratings and mandatories meeting between the two bodies, followed by separate WBO and IBF ratings sessions, along with specialized seminars on hand wrapping, anti-doping and medical protocols. Saturday, December 12 lists a boxing event at the Caribe Royale, a judges seminar and a closing gala dinner. Registration also includes a seminar from the Association of Boxing Commissions.
The fight card has not been detailed, and a “Meet the Champs” section of the site remains listed as to be announced. When the joint convention was first reported by BoxingScene in November, the plan included unification bouts between WBO and IBF champions.
The site’s messaging leans on the value of the two organizations’ titles. “UN1FIED is not only the name of this convention. It is its essence,” the site reads. Another passage states, “Different belts. The same pursuit of greatness.” The event is pitched to industry professionals and fans alike, with the site promising WBO and IBF museum exhibits, memorabilia auctions, autograph sessions and meet and greet experiences with current champions and Hall of Fame personalities.
The convention was formally announced in late May as the IBF closed its 41st annual convention in Vietnam. In a statement at the time, WBO president Gustavo Olivieri called the gathering “a landmark initiative reflecting institutional collaboration, global unity, and a shared commitment to the continued advancement of professional boxing.”
IBF president Daryl Peoples was more direct about the agenda in remarks reported by BoxingScene. “We have something that is somewhat provocative and new,” Peoples said. “The IBF and the WBO share, approximately, 85 percent membership. Gustavo and I had had some discussions; with both of our organizations being based in the United States, we decided that together we could address a whole bunch of issues affecting boxing.”
“So, in the first time in the history of all four organizations, the IBF and the WBO have decided to hold a joint convention,” Peoples continued. “There will be provocative things [discussed], judging, refereeing, and the administration of boxing overall. We’re also going to address one of the bigger challenges called Zuffa.”
Zuffa Boxing, the promotional venture led by Dana White and Nick Khan, has operated outside the four major sanctioning bodies and introduced its own championship in each division. The friction between the sides has already produced consequences. Jai Opetaia was stripped of his IBF cruiserweight title in March after fighting for the inaugural Zuffa cruiserweight belt against Brandon Glanton, and the Australian has since filed a lawsuit against the IBF seeking reinstatement as champion. The WBA and WBC, both of which carry sponsorship from Riyadh Season, are not part of the joint convention, a dynamic BoxingInsider covered when the WBO and IBF first confirmed the alliance in May.
Convention room rates at the Caribe Royale range from $155 per night for a house suite to $314 for a two-bedroom villa, with the group rate available for reservations made by November 13. Registration covers a welcome package, the seminars, a welcome cocktail, breakfast and lunch from Thursday through Saturday, and the gala dinner. Attendees who wait to register on site will pay an additional $25 per person. The Caribe Royale also hosted the WBA’s 2024 convention, per BoxingScene. The WBO held its 2025 convention in Bogota, Colombia, where Olivieri first floated the joint gathering with the IBF and proposed Budapest, Hungary for 2027.