The International Boxing Federation and the boxing community mourn the passing of IBF Director Roberto Rea of Italy on October 27, 2021. Son of the great Natalino who coached the Italian Boxing Team in the 50s and 60s, Roberto immediately took the managerial path in sports with excellent results. At the age of 25 he was the head of the Italian Boxing Team at the Mediterranean Games and then at the Moscow Olympics.
Subsequently he held the role of Secretary General of the Italian Canoe-Kayak Federation and in the following years held a primary role in Equestrian Sports. He became Secretary General of the Italian Badminton Federation and then of the Billiard Sports Federation. In 2001 Rea was appointed Secretary General of the Italian Boxing Federation. His rise in the sport continued with the European Boxing Union, where he held the position of vice president. Shortly after Roberto established a very fruitful relationship with the IBF, where he rose to the position of European Representative and later was elected to the Board of Directors in 2014 at the organization’s convention in Atlantic City, New Jersey. His work in boxing has been appreciated by many having supervised hundreds of fights throughout Europe and the world. He will be greatly missed by many in the boxing community. He reaches his beloved wife Alessandra in heaven and together they will “supervise” their daughter Francesca Romana and their beloved granddaughter Giulia.
