The World Boxing Association and other governing bodies

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To the casual observer, boxing is a simple sport: two competitors standing toe to toe in a ring, exchanging punches. In reality, however, boxing is much more complex, and fighters spend their entire careers mastering the intricacies of this “sweet science.” Fortunately, the Web can make it easy to understand the sport, both inside and outside of the ring. It can teach you the rules of boxing, boxing history, help you follow professional boxing, show you how to learn to box your self, and where to buy boxing equipment.

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The history of boxing

The history of boxing traces back to ancient Greece, where it was part of the Olympic games. It ... read more »

The World Boxing Association and other governing bodies

Boxing has a complicated maze of governing bodies, which can be confusing even to boxing experts. The Web sites in this section aim to teach you what these bodies are, which fights they sanction, and what fighters top their rankings.

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Governing bodies sanction bouts and award championship belts.

The glut of governing bodies, and their championship belts, is often mentioned as a reason for the decline of professional boxing’s popularity. The “alphabet soup” of these organizations’ initials creates confusion and leads to multiple world champions. Furthermore, belt holders are often required to fight the top contender within the governing body instead of the champion of another governing body. This frustrates many fans because it hinders the search for a true champion and prevents some potentially great fights.

There are frequent reports of corruption within governing bodies, which are known to accept bribes and favor one promoter’s fighters over others.

For further reading on the issues surrounding boxing’s governing bodies, including the alphabet soup champions, the lack of oversight, and the corruption, see these articles from the New York Times, East Side Boxing, and Irish-Boxing.com.

For a list of governing bodies not listed here, see BoxRec’s Boxing Encyclopedia.

Each professional boxing governing body’s Web site has a brief history, fighter rankings, schedule, results, a list of current champions, federation by-laws, and rules and regulations.

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For professional boxing …

The World Boxing Association is boxing’s oldest governing body, originally called the National Boxing Association when it was founded in 1921. It was the only national governing boxing body until 1963, and it featured famous champions like Jack Dempsey, Joe Louis, and Rocky Marciano. Like the other sites below, this site posts association rules, rankings, fight results, and a schedule of upcoming title fights. There is also a separate site for WBA records, which requires free registration.

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The World Boxing Council is, along with the WBA, one of the sport’s two most prominent governing bodies. It was created in 1963 as the first international governing body (the WBA was strictly national at the time). It declared bankruptcy in 2004 following a controversy involving its light heavyweight champion, but it continues to function and sanction fights. Its site features the remnants of its short-lived “Boxing Season,” which attempted to create standings based on a fighter’s performance during 2006. It may have been a failure, but the WBC has had other successes, chronicled in the interesting “Accomplishments that have Changed the World of Boxing” section.

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The International Boxing Federation is the third of the “big three” bodies. It was initially considered a fringe organization, but it gained respect when Larry Holmes relinquished his WBC belt to become IBF champion in 1984. The site features up-to-date rankings, but its schedule and results sections are empty.

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For amateur boxing …

The International Boxing Association (AIBA) sanctions amateur boxing, including the biannual World Amateur Boxing Championships and Olympic boxing. Its Web site features information about its rules, history, commissions, and member federations.

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USA Boxing is the official governing body of amateur, Olympic-style boxing in the United States. It promotes amateur boxing through clinics, camps, and competitions for fighters of many ages, weights, and ability levels. It also, as a member of the AIBA, holds qualifying tournaments for international competitions. Its Web site has news, rankings, results, and fighter bios, as well as contact information for state associations.

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