Overview of the most important boxing organisations: WBA, WBC, IBF & WBO

In professional boxing, unlike many other well-known sports, there is not just one world association, but several. That's why there are several world champions in boxing. Boxing is dominated by four major boxing associations: The World Boxing Association (WBA), the World Boxing Council (WBC), the International Boxing Federation (IBF) and the World Boxing Organisation (WBO). These federations organise official boxing matches and award world championship titles that are internationally respected and are also recognised by the boxing federations themselves.

Why are there several boxing organisations?

There are numerous professional boxing associations around the world that organise fights at national and international level. The reason for this is that boxing federations are companies that are more profit-orientated and therefore see themselves less as sporting federations. The federations' fee for a fight is usually around three per cent of the fight purse. This is why many federations want to pit well-known boxers who are close to the public against each other in order to better market the fight.

The most important boxing associations: WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO

Four boxing associations have prevailed and are currently regarded as the most important federations. These are the World Boxing Association (WBA), the World Boxing Council (WBC), the International Boxing Federation (IBF) and the World Boxing Organisation (WBO), which we will now introduce to you in more detail.

Boxing organisation: World Boxing Association (WBA)

The WBA was founded in 1920 under the name National Boxing Association (NBA) in the smallest US state of Rhode Island. The name was not changed to the World Boxing Association until 1962. This makes it the oldest boxing association of the "big four". The current headquarters of the association is in Venezuela. The first fight organised by today's WBA was the heavyweight bout between Jack Dempsey and Georges Carpentier in the US state of New Jersey. One of the WBA's biggest boxing stars to date is Joe Louis. The US boxer first won the title in 1937 and held it until 1949.

Boxing organisation: World Boxing Council (WBC)

Shortly after the WBA changed its name, the World Boxing Council (WBC) was founded in Mexico City in February 1963. It was not until 1978 that the WBC had its own heavyweight world champion, Ken Norten. Nevertheless, the association is considered one of the most skilfully managed federations, as it has marketed many well-known title holders such as Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao and Hasim Rahmen.

In 1998, the WBC narrowly escaped bankruptcy. The reason for this was the reigning title holder Roy Jones Jr, who was considering no longer wanting to fight at light heavyweight in the future and changing weight classes. The federation interpreted this as a firm statement and arranged a fight between the now deceased Graciano Rocchigiani and Michael Nunn, which Rocchigiani won. When Jones retracted his statement and got the title back, Rocchigiani sued the WBC for around 31 billion dollars. It was not until 2004 that Rocchigiani agreed to a settlement of 4.5 million dollars. This ensured the financial survival of the WBC.

Homepage: https://www.wbcboxing.com/

Boxing federation: International Boxing Federation (IBF)

In 1983, the International Boxing Federation (IBF) was formed from the regional championship organisation United States Boxing Association (USBA). During an annual convention in Puerto Rico, Bob Lee was defeated in the election for chairman by Gilberto Mendoza. Lee then resigned and founded his own organisation, the IBF, with some of his followers. The organisation is still based in New Jersey in the USA today.

The first world champion of the newly founded IBF was Marvin Camel, a former WBC cruiserweight world champion. When US boxer Larry Holmes relinquished his WBC title to be recognised as IBF world champion, the IBF established itself as the third major boxing federation. In 1999, the IBF also had to fear for its existence. Former president Bob Lee was forced to resign due to illegal behaviour. In 2001, he was sentenced to 22 months in prison for tax evasion and money laundering. This was a major loss of image for the boxing federation.

Homepage: https://www.ibf-usba-boxing.com/

Boxing association: World Boxing Organisation (WBO)

The fourth major boxing association is the World Boxing Organisation (WBO). It was founded by a group of businessmen in 1988 in San Juan, Puerto Rico, also in protest against the WBA. The reason for the protest was the WBA's rules and rating systems, which the businessmen rejected. In the WBO's first fight, Thomas Hearns won against James Kinchen in the super middleweight division. A few years after its foundation, the WBO appointed the former world light heavyweight champion José Torres as its new president. With the new president, the association gained more recognition and was able to significantly increase the organisation's influence. In recent years, the WBO has achieved a great deal in establishing itself between the WBA, the WBC and the IBF. Nevertheless, the organisation is still not seen on an equal footing with the other three world associations, especially in the USA.

Homepage: https://www.wboboxing.com/

Only one boxing federation in amateur boxing

Only in professional boxing are there several world associations. In amateur boxing, the Association Internationale de Boxe Amateure (AIBA) is the sole international amateur boxing association. This is why there is only one boxing world champion per weight class. The reason for this is to ensure that boxing's eligibility for the Olympic Games is not jeopardised.