By Stuart Young -The WBC, WBA, IBF & WBO - Do we really need them? To confuse matters even worse we now have 'new' organisations on the scene like the WBU & WBF contributing to further 'muddy the waters' to the casual boxing fan, we have multiple belt holders in the same weight class & ridiculous 'titles' bestowed upon fighters such as 'champion in recess,' or 'super champion' & 'champion emeritus' whatever the hell that means!
Are these organisations more a hindrance to our sport than a help?
In days gone by, it was much simpler, the belt used to signify the best man in that particular weight division, the Champion, the Numero Uno - the man to beat.
Now, this is no longer the case, the belts no longer solely represent the best fighter, in some cases, they represent fighters who have the best promoters, or the promoters who have the most money or the most 'contacts' within the sport, or perhaps popular fighters who have the most fans or maybe a guy who comes across as more marketable will be given more opportunities to fight for these belts than a more deserving, but less marketable fighter?
The fact that rival organisations refuse to recognise or even rate fellow 'champions' is a major flaw in their ranking systems, their individual ratings force many 'world champions' into meaningless mandatory title defences against all kinds of no-hopers where, if you refuse to 'play their game' & do as they say, they immediately relieve you of their belt.
This just adds to the confusion of the armchair fan & forces fighters to waste years, in some cases - their peak years, making meaningless mandatory defences in order to keep their 'world title' belt. These organisations are in fact robbing fighters of their career, their hunger & their talent, it must be soul destroying preparing for a bout when you know your opponent isn't on your level. These organisations & the promoters who promote these 'world title' fights should be ashamed of themselves.
If you are an elite world class fighter you are unlikely to fight more than 2-3 times a year, first, you have put your body through a gruelling 10-12 week training 'camp', the rigours of a tough 'camp' are designed to get your body in peak physical condition ready for battle, ready for a 'war', this can't be done half-heartedly or by cutting corners, boxing is a serious sport, you can't 'play' at boxing - if you've not prepared properly for battle it can have grave repercussions.
Then, in the aftermath of a bout it's understandable that fighters want a little time to let their bruises & bumps heal, time to be with their family, time to relax, maybe take a well deserved holiday, after spending close to 3 months in a training 'camp' you no doubt, would want exactly the same, not having to worry about your weight 24/7 or getting up at 5am every morning 'pounding the streets' to do your monotonous (but essential) roadwork.
These meaningless fights waste close to 6 months of a fighters career & considering fighters usually have a limited shelf-life its time that could be better spent cementing a legacy or giving us fans cracking 50/50 pick 'em fights. If you happen to be talented enough to somehow defeat a fellow 'champion' & unify two of these straps you are then expected to fight both of their mandatory’s within a 12-18 month period - or else face the wrath of one of the alphabets boys Presidents, i.e. being stripped of one of your titles.
Talk about ridiculous demands, when you also take into account the risk of injuries in training 'camps' & the voluntary defences then it's easy to see why it's nigh-on impossible to unify & keep the four main belts.
It shouldn't be like this, but this is a pattern that is set to continue whilst there is money to be made with promoters advertising 'world title fights' & these governing bodies can make a quick 'buck' from the sanctioning fees of these 'world title' fights.
The 'Ring Magazine' stands alone like a shining beacon of hope, free from the corruption of the sport, or without any prejudice or bias towards these alphabet organisations, they try to restore a sense of cohesion & clarity to the masses. It has a few simple rules, basically:-
1) You can't become a champion until to you beat the champion
2) Once champion, you can't be stripped of your title unless you lose a fight in the ring, permanently move out of the weight class or retire
Its hardly rocket science is it?
The hardcore boxing fans already know who the real champions are, but if we are to get boxing back on the mainstream sports pages & back into the public conscience, like it was back in the '70's & '80s, we need the 'average joe' on the street or in the workplace to also know who the champions are.
We, the boxing public, need to demand change!
We need to stop placing so much emphasis on the 'world title' belts & look more to an independent ranking system like the 'Ring Magazine' or focus more of our attention on innovative tournaments like the 'Super 6' or tournaments of similar ilk & demand that promoters set up similar tournaments in all weight divisions to bring a sense of clarity to our sport.
It doesn't have to be a long-winded as the 'Super 6', it could simply be the four main belt holders in each division (WBC, WBA, IBF & WBO) squaring off against each other in a mini-tournament, with the winners meeting in the final to crown a champion - it would take less than 12 months to complete.
If one of the alphabet organisations are upset with this or say our champion can't defend against X champion because he has a mandatory, so what? give them the belt back…. the public knows you are the champion & the money you earn from TV Networks screening the 3 battles (2 semi & a final) would more than compensate for the money lost on a meaningless mandatory defence & if you were to win the tournament you are then seen as the 'top dog' in your respected division, the money fight, the fighter the people want to see, the golden goose, the fighter your fellow professional are gunning for.
If a champion happens to already possess 2 belts then you make up the tournament with the other two belt holders & the highest rated 'non champion' according to ‘Ring Magazines’ ratings to make up the four competitors.
It’s a simple idea but one which could be implemented in just 3 fights to crown one undisputed champion in each division, it just needs the TV Networks to back the idea with hard cash & breath new life into our sport.
Two semi-finals drawn together randomly, fighting on the same night with both winners facing off against each other to create one true champion six months later.
Think about it…..
Are these organisations more a hindrance to our sport than a help?
In days gone by, it was much simpler, the belt used to signify the best man in that particular weight division, the Champion, the Numero Uno - the man to beat.
Now, this is no longer the case, the belts no longer solely represent the best fighter, in some cases, they represent fighters who have the best promoters, or the promoters who have the most money or the most 'contacts' within the sport, or perhaps popular fighters who have the most fans or maybe a guy who comes across as more marketable will be given more opportunities to fight for these belts than a more deserving, but less marketable fighter?
The fact that rival organisations refuse to recognise or even rate fellow 'champions' is a major flaw in their ranking systems, their individual ratings force many 'world champions' into meaningless mandatory title defences against all kinds of no-hopers where, if you refuse to 'play their game' & do as they say, they immediately relieve you of their belt.
This just adds to the confusion of the armchair fan & forces fighters to waste years, in some cases - their peak years, making meaningless mandatory defences in order to keep their 'world title' belt. These organisations are in fact robbing fighters of their career, their hunger & their talent, it must be soul destroying preparing for a bout when you know your opponent isn't on your level. These organisations & the promoters who promote these 'world title' fights should be ashamed of themselves.
If you are an elite world class fighter you are unlikely to fight more than 2-3 times a year, first, you have put your body through a gruelling 10-12 week training 'camp', the rigours of a tough 'camp' are designed to get your body in peak physical condition ready for battle, ready for a 'war', this can't be done half-heartedly or by cutting corners, boxing is a serious sport, you can't 'play' at boxing - if you've not prepared properly for battle it can have grave repercussions.
Then, in the aftermath of a bout it's understandable that fighters want a little time to let their bruises & bumps heal, time to be with their family, time to relax, maybe take a well deserved holiday, after spending close to 3 months in a training 'camp' you no doubt, would want exactly the same, not having to worry about your weight 24/7 or getting up at 5am every morning 'pounding the streets' to do your monotonous (but essential) roadwork.
These meaningless fights waste close to 6 months of a fighters career & considering fighters usually have a limited shelf-life its time that could be better spent cementing a legacy or giving us fans cracking 50/50 pick 'em fights. If you happen to be talented enough to somehow defeat a fellow 'champion' & unify two of these straps you are then expected to fight both of their mandatory’s within a 12-18 month period - or else face the wrath of one of the alphabets boys Presidents, i.e. being stripped of one of your titles.
Talk about ridiculous demands, when you also take into account the risk of injuries in training 'camps' & the voluntary defences then it's easy to see why it's nigh-on impossible to unify & keep the four main belts.
It shouldn't be like this, but this is a pattern that is set to continue whilst there is money to be made with promoters advertising 'world title fights' & these governing bodies can make a quick 'buck' from the sanctioning fees of these 'world title' fights.
The 'Ring Magazine' stands alone like a shining beacon of hope, free from the corruption of the sport, or without any prejudice or bias towards these alphabet organisations, they try to restore a sense of cohesion & clarity to the masses. It has a few simple rules, basically:-
1) You can't become a champion until to you beat the champion
2) Once champion, you can't be stripped of your title unless you lose a fight in the ring, permanently move out of the weight class or retire
Its hardly rocket science is it?
The hardcore boxing fans already know who the real champions are, but if we are to get boxing back on the mainstream sports pages & back into the public conscience, like it was back in the '70's & '80s, we need the 'average joe' on the street or in the workplace to also know who the champions are.
We, the boxing public, need to demand change!
We need to stop placing so much emphasis on the 'world title' belts & look more to an independent ranking system like the 'Ring Magazine' or focus more of our attention on innovative tournaments like the 'Super 6' or tournaments of similar ilk & demand that promoters set up similar tournaments in all weight divisions to bring a sense of clarity to our sport.
It doesn't have to be a long-winded as the 'Super 6', it could simply be the four main belt holders in each division (WBC, WBA, IBF & WBO) squaring off against each other in a mini-tournament, with the winners meeting in the final to crown a champion - it would take less than 12 months to complete.
If one of the alphabet organisations are upset with this or say our champion can't defend against X champion because he has a mandatory, so what? give them the belt back…. the public knows you are the champion & the money you earn from TV Networks screening the 3 battles (2 semi & a final) would more than compensate for the money lost on a meaningless mandatory defence & if you were to win the tournament you are then seen as the 'top dog' in your respected division, the money fight, the fighter the people want to see, the golden goose, the fighter your fellow professional are gunning for.
If a champion happens to already possess 2 belts then you make up the tournament with the other two belt holders & the highest rated 'non champion' according to ‘Ring Magazines’ ratings to make up the four competitors.
It’s a simple idea but one which could be implemented in just 3 fights to crown one undisputed champion in each division, it just needs the TV Networks to back the idea with hard cash & breath new life into our sport.
Two semi-finals drawn together randomly, fighting on the same night with both winners facing off against each other to create one true champion six months later.
Think about it…..
