The issue of the above came to mind after Alex Arthur's defeat to Nicky Cook. Arthur didn't win his title in the ring and just like Ken Norton 30 years ago he too was unable to defend it. I wouldn't feel right calling myself champion or former champion if that had happened to me. For me, not winning or successfully defending a title in the ring would cheapen any sense of achievement I felt about getting to the top of my sport. Is there a place for awarding titles in boxing?
It's a piece of garbage in my opinion. Simply put there should either be an incumbent champion or a vacant title. All this 'interim champ' nonsense and awarding titles to fighters because the champion didn't defend on time or pulled out of two fights is a load of meaningless nonsense. Let's keep it clean and simple.
It's a money decision. Lets say I work for the WBA and my boss wants some extra sanctioning fees. So what I'll do, is tell the current champion, Ruslan Chagaev, "We need 100,000.00 in Sanctioning Fees for your title defense" and he says his vaginal muscles are strained, and he cannot defend the title, because he is injured. "Ruslan, do you want to keep your pretty belt, my little Baboushka?" "Yes I do" so, I'll hit him with the 100,000 Dollar Sanctioning fee, and he gets to keep the belt and gets a new title. "WBA Champion in Remission" Then he gets as long as he wants to defend the belt, as long as he keeps paying. Then I'll get the schmucks from Team Ruiz and Team Valuev, and have them both pay sanctioning fees to fight for the WBA Interim Title, and the WBA Regular belt. So these two morons fight for the belts, and Andre the Giant hits him with the Big Splash and beats him. Now he is the WBA Interim and Regular Champ, and when Ruslan's ***** heals, they will fight for the WBA Champion in Remission/Interim/Regular HW Championship. They fight and Ruslan manages to bodyslam Andre, and now he is the WBA Interim, Regular and Remission Champion. Then he fights Wlad Frankenstein, and say Frankenstein wins. That makes Wlad the WBA Regular, Interim, Remission and IBF/IBO/WBO/Champ, which entitles him to a 4th WBA Title, the WBA SUPERCHAMPION which means now he only has to pay 7 different sanctioning fees.
Don't forget about all the different versions of one Division. Take the WBO Heavyweight Division. There is the WBO HW Belt. Then there is the NABO. Then the WBO Mexican Heritage. Then the WBO Intercontinental Title. The WBO Continental Americas Title, and the WBO International Title. The WBO Fedelatin, and WBO Youth.
I agree with you but I think I have a better idea... ok, we have all this sanctioning bodies, how about if we make them have a tournament in each weight division every 2 years were all the champs have to put their belts in the line and we will invite the #1 contender of each division just to make it a little more interesting. At the end, we have to crown a guy as the Super Champion of the Division.
Then we would have a Super Champion belt to go along with all the others. The WBA has beaten you with the idea. But if we were to create a 2nd Super Champion Belt, lets see, how many belts could one man hold? 1. The WBO 2. The WBA 3. The WBC 4. The IBF 5. The IBO 6. The IBA 7. The WBF 8. The NBA 9. The IBC 10. The WBU Than you could add to that the WBA Interim, and Regular Belts the WBA Superbelt, and the Newly Created "SuperChampion" belt in addition to the RING Belt. 15 belts. I think there is a picture of RJJ with this many at one time in the Lt. Heavy division.
