Professional boxing is one of the ten most popular sports not only in Russia, but throughout the world. However, not everyone knows that, in addition to world champions, there are also absolute world boxing champions.
Who are these people? Why is it extremely difficult to get this title in modern sports? How is it that there are several boxing organizations in the world that have the right to call different people world champions? How does the disunity of the boxing community affect the development of sports? The answers to these questions can be obtained by reading the article.
What is the rating in professional boxing and why is it needed
In professional boxing, an integral attribute of the world champion is the champion belt. There is no championship system, as is the case in other sports. The right to possess a belt is given to the leader of the rating or the boxer who defeated the champion. In order to get the right to challenge the champion and win the trophy, you need to get a high rating, which is due to victories won over other athletes of the boxing organization.
The Origin of World Boxing Organizations
In 1920, the New York State Sports Commission (NYSAC) appeared in the United States, the first boxing association in the world to authorize world-class fights. A year later, the National Boxing Association (NBA) was created in the state of Rhode Island, which also claims to be a coordinator in world boxing. Thus, already in the 20s of the last century, the world title could be won according to one of the organizations - NYSAC or NBA. The concept of an absolute world boxing champion was not yet applied, since organizations recognized one world fighter as the world champion.
Boxing, meanwhile, developed rapidly. The Second World War ended. There has been a sharp jump in the development of television. There was an opportunity to broadcast boxing fights across the country. Great interest in this martial art was among the black people of the United States, who were gradually gaining their civil rights. As Mohammed Ali, one of the greatest boxers of all time, later put it: “Boxing for a black guy is one of the best ways to achieve something in life.” Gyms opened all over the country, thousands of parents gave their children to this sport.
The split between WBA and WBC
In the wake of the popularization of boxing in 1962, the expanded NBA was renamed the World Boxing Association (WBA). It would seem that a unified association of professional boxers appeared in the world, but the situation turned around differently.
Increasingly, the WBA was accused of bias, of juggling sports meetings and choosing insufficiently strong opponents for reigning champions. Many of the current situation did not suit. In the wake of dissatisfaction in 1963, a new organization was formed - the World Boxing Council (WBC). The creation of a new community was supported by 11 countries led by the United States. These organizations - WBA and WBC - are now considered the most respected and respected in the world. At the same time, the gap between them is gradually increasing.
Bridging the gap between WBA and WBC
One of the precedents that widened the split between the World Boxing Association and the World Boxing Council was the event that happened with the great Mohammed Ali. Having won the world title in a fight with Sonny Liston on February 25, 1964, Ali refused a rematch. Such an act was regarded by the WBA as a violation of existing rules, for which the legendary boxer lost recognition of this community as a world champion. However, the WBC continued to consider Mohammed the champion. Shortly after this incident, NYSAC joined the World Boxing Council.
By the end of the 1960s, the term absolute boxing world champion came into use. In order to win the title, the athletes needed to conduct the so-called unification fight, in which only champions with the belts of their boxing organizations could participate.
The emergence of IBF and WBO
In 1983, the International Boxing Federation (IBF) was created, which included the boxing community, not involved in existing organizations. From this moment, the fighter who collected 3 belts was called the absolute champion.
The last community recognized by the world in 2007 is the World Boxing Organization (WBO). Since 2007, the list of absolute world boxing champions can only be supplemented by a fighter who has gathered champion belts of all 4 world boxing organizations.
Absolute World Champions in WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO
Since 2007, only 4 athletes have won the right to be called the absolute world boxing champion.
In the middle weight category, the absolute boxing champions among professionals were the Americans Bernard Hopkins and Jermen Taylor, as well as the undefeated today Gennady Golovkin from Kazakhstan. In the first welterweight category, all four championship belts were won by American Terence Crawford.
As a result, the title of the absolute world boxing champion among professionals is the result of the fragmentation of the main boxing organizations. At the same time, a split in the world boxing community has a bad effect on the development of this sport.
Unifying fights for the absolute champion title are not in the interests of many leading boxers. The leaders of world ratings prefer to quietly carry out belt defense and receive decent money for their title. Many say that professional boxing is corroded by corruption, and for champions they often pick up “whipping boys”.
Only the unification of the entire world boxing community into one organization can change the situation, as has happened in other sports. Given that there are prerequisites for the unification, perhaps such an event will happen.