Alphabet Soup Madness: How it all started

Benoit on Roids · Mar 10, 2012

By Kurt Ward

On March 25th 1920 The Walker law, named after Senator James J. Walker was passed by a vote of 30-19, which legalized professional prize fighting in the state of New York thus, establishing the New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC).
This law meant that the State would now license everyone employed in boxing: Promoters, managers, refs, judges, and fighters. A board of three state commissioners would now supervise the sport and had the right to revoke licenses if warranted. Prior to the new law being passed, the west had largely dominated boxing at the start of the century with James Coffroth who was based in California recognized as the Nation’s first big time promoter along with Reno in Nevada being the stage for the huge super fight between Jack Johnson and James Jeffries in 1910. With the Walker law coming into effect, the power shifted, and, New York City was now the place to be.

The following year (1921), fifteen States would form the National Boxing Association (NBA) to counter the influence and dominance of the NYSAC. This would be the start of a split in the world of boxing that would eventually lead to the Alphabet organizations we now have today.
The first NBA sanctioned fight would take place on July 2nd 1921, when Georges Carpentier would challenge universally recognized Heavyweight Champion Jack Dempsey. The NYSAC would also make Dempsey their Heavyweight Champion a year later when he defeated Jimmy Darcy. Over the following years, just like today, there were times when more than one man could call himself a Champion.
With the popularity of boxing growing around the world, the NBA decided to make a change, and in 1962 the National Boxing Association (NBA) became the World Boxing Association (WBA). On the 14th of February 1963 however, representatives from eleven countries (USA, Argentina, Mexico, Panama, Great Britain, France, Chile, Brazil, Venezuela, Peru and the Philippines) would meet in Mexico City, invited by the then President of Mexico Adolfo Lopez Mateos, on the basis of forming a true international boxing organization to represent the world of boxing, and with support from the NBA/WBA rival - the NYSAC, the World Boxing Council (WBC) was born.
Sadly that was not the end of the alphabet madness.

In 1980, Second Vice – President of the WBA, Mr Robert W. Lee, ran for President of the organization but lost. He then decided to form a new organisation, one which would encourage young fighters to realize their dreams of becoming World Champions and give more promoters a chance to get involved in world championship boxing. And so, the United States Boxing Association – International (USBA-I) was formed.
Progress was slow at first but that would soon change when the WBA/WBC Middleweight Champion Marvin Hagler was due to defend his titles against Wilford Scypion in May of 83’.
A dispute arose when the WBC informed Hagler that the fight would have to be contested at the new title limit of twelve rounds rather than fifteen and unless the new ruling was followed, the WBC would not sanction the fight as a title fight. Hagler refused and the USBA-I was then asked to sanction the bout, which it gladly accepted. Jose Sulaiman, president of the WBC then changed his mind and agreed to sanction the fight at Haglers preferred limit of fifteen rounds but then made another U turn when he was informed that the USBA-I would be appointing the fight officials. The referee Frank Cappuccino and one of the judges; Joe Cortez were not members of the WBC.
“We can only sanction a fight where the rules are obeyed” Sulaiman would say.

Fifteen rounds were not needed as Hagler punished the challenger in four rounds to defend his new title. The WBA or WBC sensibly did not strip him and he would go on to defend all three titles another five times.
The USBA-I were about to get an even bigger push for true credibility alongside the WBA & WBC however when long reigning Heavyweight Champion Larry Holmes was due to defend his WBC title against the son of the legendary ‘Smokin’ Joe Frazier, Marvin, in October 1983. The WBC, not happy with the opponent, decided they wouldn’t sanction the fight. This annoyed Holmes – in what should have been his seventeenth defense of the WBC title he had defended with pride - so much that he vacated the belt and was then honored by the USBA-I, – who are now called the International Boxing Federation (IBF) – as their Heavyweight Champion.
Holmes first defense of his new IBF title is against James Smith and in that instant, the fledgling USBA-I/IBF are now seen as a legitimate organization to rival the WBA & WBC. Tim Witherspoon would go on to face Greg Page for the now vacant WBC title but it didn’t really matter, because, the man recognized by fans around the world as the true Heavyweight Champion, Larry Holmes, now carried the IBF title so fans saw the new red belt as the real thing.

The last of the major boxing organization, the World Boxing Organization (WBO) would face a much tougher task than its IBF rival in becoming a legitimate force in the sport however.
Division in the WBA yet again would cause this new organization when, in 1988, a dispute broke out over certain rules and ratings within the World Boxing Association. Ramon Pina Acevedo of the Dominican Republic would become the first president of the WBO and legendary Thomas Hearns, now fighting in the newly created Super Middleweight division (168lbs) would be the first man to win a WBO World title.
Mistakes would be made however, which cast serious doubt amongst boxing as to the legitimacy of thei brand new ‘world’ title.

Six months after Hearns wins the WBO title, the new organization would crown their first ever Heavyweight Champion when strangely sanction the fight between Francesco Damiani and Johnny du Plooy. At that time Mike Tyson held the three legitimate world titles and was the undisputed Heavyweight Champion yet, Damiani could also call himself the Champion after his win over Du Plooy. The Heavyweight Championship is seen as the pinnacle of the world of boxing and having a Mike Tyson, or an Evander Holyfield hold their title, much like the IBF with Holmes, would gain the new body a credibility it so desperately craved. However, men such as Michael Bentt, Herbie Hide and Henry Akinwande would all have a claim at being ‘the man’ in the Heavyweight division after winning the latest new organizations title.
It was very much seen as in those early days that if you held the WBO title you were a level below the real champions who held the more highly regarded legitimate titles.

Unfortunately for the WBO however, a couple of truly bizarre incidents would seriously damage the organizations reputation, and create a struggle for true legitimacy that is still, somewhat, going on today.
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Read the rest here (If this interested you at all) - http://www.boxingasylum.com/main/?p=3986

hitman_hatton1 · Mar 10, 2012

the sanctioning bodies have combined to ruin any credibility they once had.

self serving cancer on the sport.

but they serve a purpose for promoters.

so they won't be going anywhere. :verysad

Mordechai · Mar 10, 2012

and right now the new order:

1. wbo
2. ibf

3. wbc

4. wba

qwert · Mar 10, 2012

Cheers for posting. I didn't know Japan still doesn't recognise the WBO or the IBF. Respect.

chatty · Mar 10, 2012

qwert said: ↑

Cheers for posting. I didn't know Japan still doesn't recognise the WBO or the IBF. Respect.
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I give them credit but unfortunately for them the WBA and the WBC are by far the biggest jokes of all the sanctioning bodies

trotter · Mar 10, 2012

Dunno if it's just my Particular age but the wbo really seemed to screw it up when they came along.

3 seemed manageable, 4 was daft and then it just went berserk until the whole thing consumed itself to a point where now, it just doesn't even really matter.

Probably just what i was used to though (3 belts)

slip&counter · Mar 10, 2012

As pathetic as it is having all these alphabet soup titles. It'd be pretty bad aswell just having one, imo. Can you imagine if there was only the WBC? Just think of the amount of fighters who'd be frozen out and no one would be making much moolah either. In an ideal world two belts would be perfect.

chatty · Mar 10, 2012

slip&counter said: ↑

As pathetic as it is having all these alphabet soup titles. It'd be pretty bad aswell just having one, imo. Can you imagine if there was only the WBC? Just think of the amount of fighters who'd be frozen out and no one would be making much moolah either. In an ideal world two belts would be perfect.
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One would be fine if there was a decent worldwide boxing board. Unfortunately the sanctioning bodies all have clowns in charge of them.

SouthpawSlayer · Mar 10, 2012

do away with all of them, boxing has become too hard to follow lately and i dont mean from all the world title but its just pisses you off so much with all the drama and the best fights not happening, imagine how good it would be if it was governed by one non corrupt body

slip&counter · Mar 10, 2012

chatty said: ↑

One would be fine if there was a decent worldwide boxing board. Unfortunately the sanctioning bodies all have clowns in charge of them.
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The chances of having one board is very unlikely. The chances of getting one board and that one board being 'decent' is just extremely improbable. Fantasy land.

Having one organisation would just mean people like Sillyman having more power.

TBooze · Mar 10, 2012

1920? Queensberry Rules have always had trouble defining their World Champions. It is a bit of a myth to suggest there was this golden period of only eight divisions, each with one World Champ. Well actually, that is not strictly true, there was a golden period, in 1948 and 1949. Then there was only eight divisions (130 and 140 had temporarily ceased), and each division had a universally recognized champion. The only time since 1882 that, that has happened in boxing.

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Alphabet Soup Madness: How it all started

Benoit on Roids Active Member Full Member

hitman_hatton1 Boxing Addict Full Member

Mordechai Boxing Addict Full Member

qwert Boxing Addict Full Member

chatty Boxing Addict Full Member

trotter Boxing Addict Full Member

slip&counter Gimme some X's and O's Full Member

chatty Boxing Addict Full Member

SouthpawSlayer Im coming for you Full Member

slip&counter Gimme some X's and O's Full Member

TBooze Obsessed with Boxing Full Member