Remember The Days Of Just 2 Belts?

Sure, they get paid, for now. Sure, the sanctioning bodies who created this mess, are getting paid, for now. But the structure has been undermined. No newspaper coverage, no magazines. USA, HBO, Showtime and main networks have all dropped boxing. You have to know that it is a dying sport without a fanbase and public interest.

 

I only count lineal, NYSAC and IBC.

 

The biggest problem is inexperienced champions and contenders not fighting

The fewer the belts the more tough fights a contender has to take before getting a championship. With four belts per division someone could theoretically win a title without beating somebody in the top five. In the old days that fighter would have to have fought at least one guy in the top five in order to get a title fight, and the contenders that that guy would have to face would be more seasoned.

now we get so many title fights between two and inexperienced guys who aren’t really ready for primetime and it turns out to be lower quality of competition

 

Hell...I remember one belt...and 15 rounds for the title fight!

 

It's a Royal pain in the arse,Fergy! Only the various commisions and promoters gain from this farcical situation,which is an explanation in itself.

 

Wasn't WBA the oldest one since it originated with the NBA? WBC was a new organization, partially created by NYSAC, but in the end completely different.

Anyway, I only respect the lineal and The Ring champions (TBRB too, but it's not getting any clout, which is sad). Alphabet bodies are good for underlining which contenders are at the top and legible for the crown.

 

No chance, I was born into the four belt era. But if I had a time machine...

 

Going WBA first is fair and respectable. It's really a perspective question.

In short the W/NBA is the first body to claim a global presence. The WBC is the formations of the regional bodies who existed prior to the NBA coming together to form a global body.

IBU+NSC+NYSAC=WBC

So, if you like WBA first because they were first to the world stage, fair, but personally I like the WBC first because that belt is the modern representation of Sam Langford's HW title, Langford just being an example, the point is a lot of pre-WBA champs had an IBU or NSC title and it's just kinda cool to me that a modern body can claim that lineage.

If y'all are interested I would do body lineages. They are interesting, imo.


However, really my point was the WBC, as the WBC, has never split. The WBA as the WBA is currently split into the IBF and WBO.

 

Its progress folks, though not suggesting progress for the better.

The sport evolves, it was well within my lifetime that certainly the Heavyweight title was virtually exclusively US centric, now those dam Brits and Eastern Europeans have been holding the belts for long periods.

Only way the alphabet titles will cease (or at least not further proliferate) is if the boxing audience do not buy PPV or seats at boxing venue when these titles are fought for.

 

That's interesting. If you could elaborate it would be dope.

 

Would love to. If I don't get to it by monday remind me because I would like to write and source that for folks. ATM daughter sleeping and scared to wake. typing very slowly.

 

The WBC was formed in the early 60s and was the brainchild of west coast promoter George Parnassus. He needed a forum in getting title shots to his bevy of Mexican fighters, which soon thereafter meted results and is still Mexican-based. The WBA on the otherhand, was usurped by some really heavy money-grubbers who outvoted the original regime and has been latin-based for decades. But in the 70s and 80s they were about as corrupt as one could get. Shoving some of the most unprepared, underdeveloped, inexperienced fighters into title shots that they had no chance of winning outside of some very friendly WBA judges (if they weren't knocked out first). The countries that benefitted were the ones came in with cash (Bob Arum admitted in a lengthy article/interview with Ring Magazine several years back that Pepe Cordero out of Puerto Rico was the bag man). Back then the countries with the WBA cash was Panama, Venezuela, South Korea, South Africa, Puerto Rico and a few more like Japan and Argentina. These were the countries that were getting undeserved title shots over and over. I'd like to say, don't get me started, but apparently I already have.