How Boxing Became What It Is Today
by on Jun.14, 2011, under Facts
Boxing is a sport activity in which competitors, usually two, engage in a fight where they aim at hitting each other and at the same time try to avoid each other’s blows. The competitors usually wear gloves in their hands. The origin of boxing could be traced back to those days when a person first lifted his fist against another person in a play.
Boxing at the Early Stage
According the ancient Greeks, they believed that boxing was one of the normal games that the gods used to play on Olympus. This is why the game has become a part of the Olympic Games that started as far back as 688 BC. During the Roman period, boxing began to increase on a high level. Initially, the fight was engaged in with competitors wearing leather bands around their fists in order to protect their fists. They also sometimes wore lather hand bands that are filled with metal. The metal filled leather bands are called cesti. The results of using these bands were usually deadly. The fights could become bloody and could also be a duel- to- death battles.
Landmarks in Boxing Activites
It is important to note that the different eras of the sport have been differentiated by the non- use or use of fist coverings. The game of boxing became less prominent immediately after the fall of the Roman Empire. However, in the 18th century, it was restored in England. It became very popular in the time of the championship reign of Figg James. James was given the heavyweight title in 1719 and he held it up to 1730. With the popularity of the sport, people started going over to watch the event. The fight was not really organized at the start but with time, it became a very organized event where there are rules that govern the fight.
World Boxing Association (WBA)
by on Jun.14, 2011, under Federations
World Boxing Association (WBA) is the body that is responsible for sanctioning professional boxing. The first body that was assigned to the task of sanctioning professional boxing was National Boxing Association, established in 1929. WBA is an offshoot of this body. The NBA comprises of representatives from thirteen American states in response to the influence of the New York State Athletic Commission in the boxing world.
The Development of WBA
With growth of boxing activities in the world, the NBA changed its name to WBA, World Boxing Association, in 1962. This organization was pure American until 1974 when two boxing figures, Elias Cordova and Rodrigo Sanchez influenced the WBA rules so as to give a majority of the votes to nations that are in Latin America. The president of the body is Gilberto Mendoza and has been operating in that capacity since 1982. The World Boxing Association relocated its central offices from Panama, Panama City to Venezuela, Caracas. The body moved back its offices to Panama again in January 2007. The title holders that are recognized by WBA include those from WBO, IBF, and WBC organizations.
Titles in WBA
The name given to champions that hold two or more of these titles in similar weight classes are called ‘Super Champion’ or ‘ Undisputed Champion’ by the World Boxing Association (WBA). In addition to this, if one of the several titles held to receive the title WBA Super Champion is the title from WBA, the fighter is endorsed to Super Champion and the customary title becomes open for other WBA ranked fighters to fight for. This is why the WBA title tables can show a WBA Regular Champion and WBA Super Champion for the same class of weight.
World Boxing Council (WBC)
by on Jun.14, 2011, under Federations
The World Boxing Council (WBC) was first established by eleven countries on the 14th of February, 1963. These countries are United States of America, United Kingdom, Mexico, Argentina, Philippines, Venezuela, Brazil, France, Peru, Panama, and Chile. These countries were invited by Adolfo Lopez Mateos, the then President of Mexico to establish an international boxing body with the aim of achieving the unity of all the commissions of the world. The objective of this is to ensure a proper control of the expansion of boxing in the world.
Other Aspects of WBC
This body is one of the four main organizations that are acknowledged by the International Boxing Hall of Fame to sanction various world championships boxing sessions, in conjunction with WBA, WBO, and IBF. The flags of all the one hundred and sixty one countries that are part of the organization are portrayed in the green championship’s belt of the organization. It is important to note that all the world title belts of WBC look identical irrespective of the weight class. Although, there are some minor variations which could be noticed on the designs for regionally themed and secondary titles within similar weight class.
The Body of WBC
There are nine regional governing bodies that are associated with WBC. These bodies include Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation (OPBF), North American Boxing Federation (NABF), African Boxing Council (ABC), and European Boxing Union (EBU). There is a cordial relationship between WBC and other sanctioning bodies despite all the rivalries and as a matter of fact, there has been discussion on the alliance with the WBA. The talk of unification between WBC and other champion body have become common recently. In early years, WBC prevented its champions from receiving WBO belt and whenever a holder of WBO champion title wants to fight for a WBC championship title, he would have to abandon his WBO title. The situation has changed over time as a champion holder of WBO can now contest for a title of WBC.
World Boxing Organisation (WBO)
by on Jun.14, 2011, under Federations
The WBO, World Boxing Organization is a sanctioning body that currently recognizes professional champions in the world of boxing. The organization is a group of Dominican and Puerto Rican businessmen opt out of the WBA annual convention in 1988. The reason for the break was as a result of the dispute that arose regarding the rules that should be applied. As soon as the body was established, the body started organizing world championship sessions around the world.
The Presidents of WBO
The first fist conference (championship fight) that was organized by WBO was to fill the super middleweight title that has been vacant. The first president of the body was Ramon Pina Acevedo, a Dominican Republican. There are some strategic insight that the organization has to increase their credibility and recognition. The body elected former world light heavyweight champion as its president to give the much needed credibility to the organization. The heavyweight champion that was elected then was Jose Torres of Ponce, Puerto Rico. In 1996, Torres resigned and Francisco Varcarcel, a Puerto Rican lawyer, was elected as the president and he has been there ever since.
Famous Boxers in WBO
The World Boxing Organization became popular by some great boxers who contested for one of the titles organized by the body. Some of these boxers are Chris Byrd, Verno Phillips, Chris Eubank, Manny Pacquiao, Marco Antonio Barrera, Nigel Benn, Riddick Bowe, Wladimir Klitschko, Michael Carbajal, Harry Simmon, Naseem Hamed, and Paul Jones to mention few of them. The organization has organized many fighting bouts since inception ranging from lightweight, middleweight to heavyweight. The body has become popular overtime with the numerous activities that they have engaged in.
