‘Macau is our B&R headquarters’, IBF president says

Daryl James Peoples

The 2018 International Boxing Federation (IBF) Silk Road Champions Tournament has been held for the second consecutive year in Macau. The boxing event organized and scrutinized by the IBF has been gaining momentum, with the president of the IFB, Daryl James Peoples, stating that more and better audiences may be anticipated for  such events in the near future.

In an interview with the Times on the sidelines of the main event on Sunday evening, Peoples spoke about the initiative and the role of Macau within it, stating firstly that “‘Macau is our B&R [Belt & Road] headquarters.”

For the president of IBF, the Silk Road Champions is more than a boxing event alone: “What we are doing is trying to create a sportsman breed in which we use Boxing as a bridge between sports and culture.”

So far, the results of such a partnership have been very pleasing according to Peoples, who anticipates that such cooperation will continue in the long run.

“So far it has been fantastic. I think we are going to be here for a long time,” Peoples said, remarking on the results obtained in the past two years.

“People appreciate what we are doing here in Macau, so I can just see it moving forward,” he added.

For Peoples, “there is a lot of [boxing] talent around here and namely in China that [no one] is really aware of, so ultimately we want to develop these [talents] and showcase them and give […] these fighters some international experience.”

From such aims came the signing of a cooperation agreement on Sunday between IBF B&R, the Games and Amusements Board of Philippines (GAB), and event promoter, Rejoy Group, to enhance the all-round communication and cooperation of sports between China and Philippines.

The three sides promised to jointly strengthen exchange between professional boxers and coaches and thus between the two nations via IBF’s brand competitions.
GAB also agreed to improve the competitive level of boxers from both nations through actively participating in IBF Silk Road Champions, as well as by holding Sino-Philippines Friendly Boxing Games and organizing boxing training camps. among other initiatives.

According to Peoples, “there is a lot of boxing talent in China, and Philippines is well- known for its trainers (and coaching methods) as well as [the fact that] there are a lot more people in the Philippines familiar with the professional side of boxing.” He additionally noted that these initiatives will bring increased talent, “which ultimately will help IBF as well.”

To the Times, Peoples remarked, “There are more ‘Zou Shimings’ out there that we don’t know about. We are trying to get better trainers in or trainers that are more accustomed to training fighters in a more professional boxing style, which I think will bring the best [out] of these guys”.

To the question of how far such fighters can go, Peoples said, “It might not be immediately. but there are definitely some World Champions in China.”

Questioned also as to whether Macau is the right place to gather and foster these talents around the whole region (Southeast Asia), Peoples replied, “I believe so, Macau already has some boxing history, so there is some [measure] of a fan base, and people in the region [Southeast Asia] are accustomed to seeing boxing in Macau.” 

“On top of these, we count on the support of the local government and the local sponsors that reached out to us and [have] given a lot of support. All the elements of success are right here in Macau,” he added.

Questioned regarding the inclusion of IBF Silk Road Champions Tournament in a broader Martial Arts related event (Wushu Masters Challenge 2018) and the possibility of these partnerships of boxing with other events, the president of IBF said, “it is more of a cultural development in Macau and there is a history of combat sports,” adding, “we are not here just for boxing. We want to kind of pay Macau back for all the support they have given us so any attention we can bring [to] combat sports or any other development in Macau, we are 100 percent behind.”

As the president of IBF had previously announced, he once more said that he hopes to elevate the Silk Road Champions Tournaments to the next level, and hopes that next year. the event will include an international title match being fought in Macau. Renato Marques