Former IBF President Hiawatha Knight Passes – IBF Press Release

IBF Statement: We were deeply saddened when we learned of the passing of our former President Hiawatha Knight last week. Hiawatha was part of the fabric of the IBF/USBA. She was a founding member of the organization and held a position on the board of directors until recently. Hiawatha became a leader in the sport when it wasn’t common to see a woman in such a position. She was one of the pioneers creating a path for many more women to come. Her passion and enthusiasm for boxing, and her dedication to this organization will always be remembered.

October 22, 1929 – October 22, 2014

Over the past few days we have received many condolence messages which we deeply appreciate. So many remember her with such fondness, but the common thread in all these messages is, “Hiawatha was a class act.” While our hearts are heavy with this loss, we join the Knight family in honoring and celebrating Hiawatha’s life.

Services for Hiawatha Knight will be held on Thursday, October 30, 2014 from 4pm – 8pm in the Northwest Chapel at Swanson Funeral Home, 14751 W. McNichols Road, Detroit, Michigan. A Celebration of Life will be held Friday, October 31, 2014 at Carter Metropolitan C.M.E. Church, 1510 W. Grand Boulevard in Detroit. Family Hour at 9:30AM, funeral immediately following.

With its past president on trial for bribery, the International Boxing Federation has elected a former Michigan boxing commissioner, Hiawatha G. Knight, as its new president, the group announced yesterday from its Newark headquarters.Knight, of Detroit, is believed to be the first woman to head one of boxing’s major sanctioning organizations. A longtime I.B.F. vice president, Knight has been interim president since January, a month after the I.B.F. founder and president, Robert W. Lee, resigned.

Lee is in the second month of a racketeering trial in federal court, accused with other I.B.F. officials of taking $338,000 to rig the organization’s rankings.