Re-writing the history of boxing: WBO belt

The IBO belt has been around for 30+ years already and isn't considered much. So, I don't know if another 20 to 30 years will change anything.

 

At HW the clean place to start counting the WBO as a major belt is Byrd v Vitali. Turn of the century. Nice easy to remember cutoff at which point the quality of the matchups is pretty much a major belt.

 

The IBO is considered in certain situations. Famously Manny v Ricky Hatton. But its not considered by default because its recognized by the IBO. The matchup needs to warrant its own consideration.

The IBO is more credible than the WBO in many ways but the WBO promotes badly needed diversity whereas the IBO is just another alphabet agency theres no reason to recognize. Everyime people talk about the IBO people its overwhelmignly positive though.

 

Wlad won 19 straight title fights without needing the WBO. His legacy is fine without it.

 

I disagree. I feel like Calzaghe and Hamed had turned it into a meaningful belt in their weight classes, but it wasn’t the same as a “Big 3” belt at heavyweight until Lewis retired.

 

I think it needs to be considered different at every weight class. The WBO doesn't become "major" as a body its belt becomes major because the matchups its sanctioning are title worthy matchups.

WBO was more credible than the other alphabet belts at HW during Lennoxs later reign because they took their belts from Lennox for no reason. Whereas Lennox never had the WBO belt and Wlad got it as part of a seperate lineage.

 

Just remembered yesterday it was Wlad's birthday today. Lol.

Wlad wasn't the best in the world or even close to it for his earlier WBO defences. But it's still a great achievement but it doesn't hold the same weight as his defenses from 2006 to 2015.

 

Interesting footnote in boxing history: Ray Mercer was WBO champ and had to give that belt up to take a better payday (iirc the WBO was mandating he fight Michael Moorer) to fight Larry Holmes.

If Ray hadn’t had to vacate, Larry grabs the WBO belt with his win over Mercer. Would have added even more to his legacy — not so much at the time, as the WBO was lightly regarded, but in retrospect as it became more accepted.

 

I wonder if there is some website out there where the lineage evolution of all those alphabet soup belts can be followed across years in a comprehensive and clear way.

 

Anyone can go listen to the broadcast of De La Hoya vs. Bredahl where Lampley disregards the WBO during the walk-ins. It wasn't until 2006 or so that all three major alphabet organizations recognized the WBO, either.

To me, it seemed like Bob Arum getting in bed with them, especially around Cotto's tenure at 140, is what gave them that final push.

I don't personally recognize any of these "historic" runs that the WBO was associated with, though I'm slightly more sympathetic to Michalczewski and Hamed, who established lineages.

 

All good points, but when Tommy Morrison won it he was doing the talk show circuit as the Heavyweight champion of the world with that belt. Most people really don't follow boxing so it worked to his advantage, plus starring in Rocky 5, being the latest White Hope, and being groomed as this All American Boy image which was definitely not the case.

 

And Holmes-Holyfield would've arguably been for all four belts, although the other sanctioning bodies didn't recognize the WBO and Holmes would've either had to vacate or the WBA may have demanded Evander vacate (like they did with Wilfredo Vazquez before the Naseem Hamed unification).