Why did the WBO succeed in becoming a major governing body where other organizations failed to do so

I think you answered your own question there. I would wager that they built ties with the right promoters and eventually were part of big fights.
It´s not the belt that matters, but the fighter. However, if a belt is often around the waists of prominent boxers, they gain credibility.

The first was Eubank Jr, followed by Nigel Benn. Hearn used the WBO belt to win a championship at 168, which he then defended vs Leonard.
Then Hamed picked up one. Hamed who was promoted by Warren.
Heck, I´d say we have Warren to thank for the WBO.

I am 100% certain Bob Arum is paying some WBO heads in envelopes to guarantee rankings and title shots for his guys.

 

It wasnt a new entity if I recall correctly. It was an off shoot.

 

Yes, the WBO was a break away from the WBA. I remember the early years of the WBO well. American magazines The Ring, KO, Boxing Digest etc refused to acknowledge them and so did US TV. I always found it a bit depressing to hear WBO champs like Kamel Bou Ali, Manning Galloway, John David Jackson and Doug De Witt getting called out by , mostly second string , British fighters. Eventually Benn and Eubank gave the organisation credibility in Britain and Europe and everyone just got used to them.
The IBF only started about 5 years earlier with such well known brits as Murray Sutherland and Lester Ellis holding early belts. Terry Marsh gave them initial credibility in the UK. I remember an IBF world championship taking place in a British nightclub with no TV, that’s how unrecognised they were. Najib Daho v Barry Michael in the Granada TV studio, I’m guessing for the regional ITV boxing show Fightnight.
To me, it seems like a golden era now, all the British fights on terrestrial TV, massive ratings and front page newspaper coverage. Terry Marsh, the fighting fireman was probably more famous than every active British boxer now outside of Fury and Joshua. Live boxing on the BBC and ITV felt like such a big occasion, with everyone in black tie and that sense of occasion made it seem really exciting. If I hear the theme tune to the Big Fight Live on ITV it takes me right back, Jim Rosenthal and Barry McGuigan up in the TV box and Reg and Jim at ringside. Des Lynam and Harry Carpenter on the BBC. We didn’t know how lucky we were.

 

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They’re all a crock of **** nowadays, a way for people who don’t work to profit off of those who do, and generally a hindrance to the sport.

 

Money bro, most those orgs you mentioned were HQ'd in a shed.

 

Wlad and Joe Calslappy calling themselves world champions with the WBO belt.

They were promoted by Klaus-Peter Kohl and Frank Warren at the time..

 

It catered to Europe and thus found a huge, untapped market.

 

Two fighters that gave the WBO credibility were Hamed and De La Hoya.

 

Because big name fighters fought for WBO belts during the 90`s, like Hearns, Benn and Eubank, I can remember the British media selling Watson v Eubank for the WBO title as a battle between the two top middleweights at that time despite Watson coming of a failed title challenge v McCallum the previous year and Toney being the IBF champ at the time after beating Nunn for that title in 91.

 

The IBF achieved the same feat a decade before the WBO did, just depends on which fighters fight for the titles and which promoters think they can use those titles to promote their fighters.

 

One thing the WBO stands out for is giving title shots to regional champs who otherwise wouldn't receive fights. The US was very dominant the last 5 or 6 decades of the 20th century. Even the Europeans and Commonwealth champs were only getting title shots every once and awhile. Never mind Africa and Asia the former USSR, Australia etc. The best fighters in most of the world just couldn't get shots.

The WBC was founded by the Europeans and British sanctioning bodys for much the same reason and established regional bodys for all the continents a structure the WBA copied. But that didn't diversify the belts much. Case in point the third major body the IBF started as the WBAs North American sanctioning body "the United States Boxing Association".

 

Warren helped a lot seemed to have some kind of special relationship with WBO would love to know how many of his fights fought and won a wbo title