IBF changes purse split rules

New Year’s resolutions are abound in boxing, it seems, as a second sanctioning body has made some changes to it’s rules for 2019.

Per an ESPN report, the IBF has announced that starting this year they have tailored their purse bid rules so that whenever one of their fights goes to bid, the reigning titleholder will entitled to 65% of the winning bid, with the challenger entitled to the remaining 35%. This change brings down the champion’s take, which used to be 75% of the winning bid.

In another slight change, the IBF also maintains the right to change the purse split percentages of any fight should it be requested and approved by a majority vote from the IBF’s board of directors.

That said, the rules for vacant titles will remain the same, with both fighters getting 50% of the winning bid. However, if a reigning titleholder takes on a mandatory challenger who’s rated #3 or below in the IBF ratings, the titleholder will still be eligible to keep 85% of the purse.