Winners Giving Their Defeated Opponent's Belts Back.

The defending champion is actually the owner of that belt. Each time a guy wins a world title, his new belt is mailed to him. His name is often inscribed on the belt itself.

He's then supposed to bring that belt with him to every defense.

Whether he wins or loses, it's his. When he is defeated, the winning fighter is handed the belt as a symbolic gesture.

He can take pictures with the belt or otherwise celebrate with it. The winner (if it is the challenger) is supposed to give the belt back before he leaves the arena. It's not his.

So, what you're witnessing isn't an INSULT. He's just returning the guy's property to him in camera view. But he has to give it back before they all leave anyway.

They don't make a new belt before every title fight in case the challenger wins. They make him a belt after the fact (should he win) and then the org mails it to him.

 

I remember watching a fight years back. I think it was Kostya Tzsyu v Jake Rodriguez. The Aussie TV coverage had a camera in Tszyus dressing room post fight. When Rodriguez's people came down to get the belt, the Tszyu team wouldn't give it back. Either they didn't know the protocol or they did and wanted to make a scene.

 

I remember Bam bringing Sunny Edward's belts back to him after the fight, in Sunny's locker room. The vid of it was posted. Bam was back to quiet and polite, and Sunny said something to the effect of "I like you a LOT more outside of the ring".

 

I remember John Ruiz losing to Valuev, and Ruiz's manager Norman Stone, who was a hothead who didn't agree with the decision, storming the ring and snatching the belt back, and Valuev's people punching him and grabbing it back again.

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I hated that guy, Stone. It was awesome when he copped one in the chops.

 

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Character, Stoney

"Youve got no balls you ****ing **** sucker!"

 

No problem with a fighter showing symbolic respect if they think it's been earned. Operating in good faith shows humility. Its the defeated fighters belt anyway

 

Stoney was (is ?) an original.

 

Totally agree, it’s patronising and embarrassing.

 

The belts are completely unnecessary.
I watch loads of old fights. Great fighters. Real champions.
I don't see them coming into the ring with belts prior to about 1979 or 1980.
Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Robinson, Sonny Liston, Joe Louis didn't need to parade into the ring with a load of tacky belts round them.

Nowadays you get these guys with "4 belts" or even 5 or 6 belts, having entourage members carrying them in for them too, and defending against guys who already had 1 or 2 "interim belts".

The belts don't even look good.
It's gay as ****, let's be honest.