WBA Lists 30 world champions on their website for just 17 divisions

Discussion in 'World Boxing Forum' started by McGrain, Oct 25, 2021.


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  1. McGrain

    McGrain Diamond Dog Staff Member

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    https://www.wbaboxing.com/wba-champions#.YXbg5hrMJPY

    Bad jam. The reason, of course, is that they can milk all of them for money whenever they fight via sanctioning fees. A few years back, the WBA decided, aye, **** all that regional belts nonsense, those fighters don't get big purses, why stick with just one world champion? That's where the big money is?

    So they started naming more champions, just whenever they felt like it, world champions of all shapes and sizes with nice, big, fat, tv paychecks to raid for their cash.

    I'll list them all below with the current TBRB ranking next to them in brackets to give you some idea of their real status. Rememebr, don't shoot the messenger! These are the champs listed by the WBA's own website.

    HEAVYWEIGHT
    Anthony Joshua (2)
    Trevor Bryan (Unranked)
    Mahmoud Charr (Unranked

    200lbs
    Arsen Goulamirian (Unranked)
    Ryad Merhy (Unranked)

    175lbs
    Dmitry Bivol (1)

    168lbs
    Saul Alvarez (Champion)
    David Morrell (7)

    160lbs
    Ryota Murata (Unranked)
    Eris Lara (Unranked)

    154lbs
    Jermell Charlo (1)
    Eris Lara (4)

    147lbs
    Yordenis Ugas (3)
    Jamal James (9)

    140lbs
    Josh Taylor (Ch.)
    Gervonta Davis (6)

    135lbs
    Teofomo Lopez (Ch.)
    Gervonta Davis (6)

    130lbs
    Roger Gutierrez (3)

    126lbs
    Leo Santa Cruz (Unranked)
    Leigh Wood (7)

    122lbs
    Murodjon Akhmadaliev (1)

    118lbs
    Naoya Inoue (1)

    115lbs
    Juan Franco Estrada (Ch.)
    Joshua Franco (6)

    112lbs
    Artem Darlakian (Unranked)

    108lbs
    Hiroto Kyoguchi (2)
    Esteban Bermudez (9)

    105lbs
    Victorio Saludar (5)
    CP Freshmart (1)



    Crazy, crazy stuff, 1-3 champs per division, zero divisions without a moneymaker, which is probably the main point tbh. By far and away the most common ranking for TBRB is "unranked" which is also just bizarre. WBA establish a customer relationship with a fighter early then grandfather him into title shots...the above is the result. Not pretty.
     
    Last edited: Oct 25, 2021
    McGrain, Oct 25, 2021
    McGrain, Oct 25, 2021
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  2. TBI

    TBI Active Member Full Member

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    So shameful. How do they stay solvent when they destroy their own credibility? That goes for organizations really.
     
    TBI, Oct 25, 2021
    TBI, Oct 25, 2021
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  3. Wizbit1013

    Wizbit1013 Drama go, and don't come back Full Member

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    The WBA is pretty much a lot of whats wrong with Boxing.

    This list is crazy

    They have no shame either
     
    Wizbit1013, Oct 25, 2021
    Wizbit1013, Oct 25, 2021
    #3
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  4. Aussie Invader

    Aussie Invader Boxing Addict banned Full Member

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    because they are registered charities?
    someone tell me if i'm wrong.
     
    Aussie Invader, Oct 25, 2021
    Aussie Invader, Oct 25, 2021
    #4
  5. lufcrazy

    lufcrazy requiescat in pace Full Member

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    I thought they had removed all the dodgy title holders?
     
    lufcrazy, Oct 25, 2021
    lufcrazy, Oct 25, 2021
    #5
  6. McGrain

    McGrain Diamond Dog Staff Member

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    Well, I understand your question. The answer is television, and fans.

    Fans, not us, the fans that pay the bills, they want "world title fights". So the WBA - they give the people what they want. They provide television in dozens of different country with a steady stream of champions. TV pay for those champions to fight on their station ("welcome to this tv station where we tonight bring you world championship boxing!") and people watch the fights and the tv shares the advertising revenue with the fighters who share it with the WBA.

    It is a proven model.

    The outcome though, as you say, is to undermine credibility of the sport, overall. Worse it makes a fool of its fans, who are misled about who the featherweight champion is, or whatever...so that drives fans out of the sport, but the ones that can continue to be captured are captured by "world championship boxing".

    A self-fulfilling disaster.
     
    McGrain, Oct 25, 2021
    McGrain, Oct 25, 2021
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  7. McGrain

    McGrain Diamond Dog Staff Member

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    That's the thing though, the above list isn't an example of a company not making money.

    That's evidence of them making lots of money.

    David Morrell's purse for his last fight was 175k and his opponent trousered 50k. WBA takes a chunk of both and their outgoings are tax deductable travel and accommodation for a geezer to be on site that day. To oversee the fight for the WBA. So let's say they take 22k and spend - let's say 12k to get the fight done from their perspective. 10k profits essentially for updating the website (when they're good and ready - the eagle-eyed among you will have noticed Joshua is still listed as WBA champion).
     
    McGrain, Oct 25, 2021
    McGrain, Oct 25, 2021
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  8. Aussie Invader

    Aussie Invader Boxing Addict banned Full Member

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    that's why it's so scandalous, right?
     
    Aussie Invader, Oct 25, 2021
    Aussie Invader, Oct 25, 2021
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  9. McGrain

    McGrain Diamond Dog Staff Member

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    Partly, partly it's because they are charging "champion" Morrell and his man for holding the belt, but everyone - everyone - knows Canelo is the man in that division.
     
    McGrain, Oct 25, 2021
    McGrain, Oct 25, 2021
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  10. Aussie Invader

    Aussie Invader Boxing Addict banned Full Member

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    that's why there is no integrity in boxing without one federation, my friend.
     
    Aussie Invader, Oct 25, 2021
    Aussie Invader, Oct 25, 2021
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  11. Chuck Norris

    Chuck Norris Obsessed with Boxing Full Member

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    The WBA promised to clean up their multi-belt situation this year and so far they have announced tournaments and Super vs Regular champ fights in almost every category besides Super Middleweight and Middleweight to my understanding.

    Usually boxing fans are pessimistic when it comes to promises by sanctioning bodies, but I think by this time next year there will be only one champion in almost all weight classes.
     
    Chuck Norris, Oct 25, 2021
    Chuck Norris, Oct 25, 2021
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  12. McGrain

    McGrain Diamond Dog Staff Member

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    I think that's exactly what will happen.

    Two years after that, multiple champions in each division. Two years after that, more Super vs Regular showdowns!!!"!2!!"!!"!"!!!!!!

    Out of interest, does that include HW? Any idea if it's Joshua or Usyk that's slated to fight Bryan never?
     
    McGrain, Oct 25, 2021
    McGrain, Oct 25, 2021
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  13. Chuck Norris

    Chuck Norris Obsessed with Boxing Full Member

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    WBA are gonna order a tournament between Dubois, Bryan, Charr and Helenius to face the WBA champ whether that is Usyk, Joshua or Fury. So expect the winner of the tournament to face the super champion sometime in 2023.
     
    Chuck Norris, Oct 25, 2021
    Chuck Norris, Oct 25, 2021
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  14. McGrain

    McGrain Diamond Dog Staff Member

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    A tournament between four totally unranked dudes to fight an as yet unknown champion in two years time. What could go wrong?

    Tbf, if Dubois had a fight with Helenius, the winner would surely be among the best ten fighters on the planet? But the whole thing is immediately destroyed if Wilder or Fury or AJ or even Usyk decides they're fighting any of these guys. Just no whack.
     
    McGrain, Oct 25, 2021
    McGrain, Oct 25, 2021
    #14
  15. TBI

    TBI Active Member Full Member

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    I've always thought about the angle of being a young fighter who has the chance to have a belt to show off...
    Forget the lack of credibility, if you wave a championship belt in the faces of young impressionable fighters to win in a "championship" fight, they are going to want the belt. Again forget that is some fringe belt nobody cares about and everyone knows you ain't ever gonna fight, much less beat the real recognized champ in the division... They want that silly belt anyway.

    So it's also the fighters lust for recognition and trinkets that sustains. If all these fighters told the WBA to get lost, they would. If nobody accepted their belts, they would go away. Just be standing in the room of action with their d*ck in their hands feeling stupid, and then eventually leave.

    It's literally a scam that everyone seems to fall for and go along with...

    It's like your ret*rded cousin who acts like a policeman and wants everyone to play along, and now everyone has to pretend that this ret*rd is a cop.... It's like "why are we still doing this"?

    Well maybe that's not a good analogy but it was funny when I thought of it.
     
    TBI, Oct 25, 2021
    TBI, Oct 25, 2021
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