World Boxing Council
From Freepedia
- WBC redirects here. For other meanings, see WBC (disambiguation).
The World Boxing Council (WBC) has operated since 1963 as a competitor to Venezuela's World Boxing Association (WBA) and, according to its founders, a way to improve professional boxing's standards. It is one of many organizations which sanction world championship boxing bouts, alongside the International Boxing Federation (IBF), (WBO), and a dozen or so others.
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Organization
Initially, representatives of 12 countries met in Mexico City during February 1963 to organize the WBC: The United States, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Venezuela, Panama, Peru, Brazil, Japan, Argentina, Spain, Great Britain, and the Philippines. That meeting was called by Mexico’s then-President Adolfo López Mateos. At its apex, the WBC had relations with more than 170 countries, including Kuwait, where the first world title fight in an Arab country was held (in 1986).
Championships
The WBC's classic, intense-green championship belt portrays the flags of all of the countries it represents; the flags of the original 12 member-nations are displayed on the belt’s ovular, gold center-plate (surrounding a boxer raising his arm in victory). All WBC World title belts look identical regardless of weight class; however, there are minor variations on the design for secondary and regionally-themed titles within the same weight class. A WBC Title belt is a highly sought-after collector's item.
The WBC's relationship with other sanctioning bodies improved over time, with unification bouts being staged in various divisions. The exception to this was Puerto Rico’s WBO (World Boxing Organization), a group that splintered off from the WBA in 1988. When a WBO-recognized champion wished to fight for a WBC championship, he had to abandon his WBO title first, without any special considerations.
In 1983, the WBC took the unprecedented step of reducing the distance of its world championship bouts, from 15 rounds to 12 -- a move other organizations soon followed (for boxers' safety).
Among those to have been recognized by the WBC as world champions were Wilfredo Benitez, Wilfredo Gomez, Julio Cesar Chavez, Muhammad Ali, “Sugar” Ray Leonard, Salvador Sanchez, Hector “Macho” Camacho, Sr., Marvelous Marvin Hagler, Carlos Monzon, Roberto “The Hands of Stone” Duran, Juan Laporte, Félix “Tito” Trinidad, Edwin Rosario, “Iron” Mike Tyson, Alexis Arguello, Nigel Benn and Lennox Lewis. The first ever fight held between two WBC world champions took place on February 25 1995 when WBC world Super-Middleweight champion Nigel Benn defeated WBC world Middleweight champion Gerald McClellan on a tragic night in London. The federation bolstered the legitimacy of women’s boxing by recognizing fighters such as Christy “The Coalminer’s Daughter” Martin and Lucia Rijker as contenders for World Female titles in 16 weight divisions. The first WBC World Female Champion (on May 30 2005) was super-bantamweight (limit of 122 lbs. / 55.338 kg.) Mexican, Jackie Nava. With her former-champion father at ringside, Laila Ali won the super-middleweight (limit of 168 lbs. / 76.204 kg.) title on June 11 2005.
Former WBC presidents include Mexicans Luis Spota and Ramon G. Velazquez, Briton Onslow Fane and Philippine Justiniano Montano. The organization's “final” -- and long-running current -- president is Jose Sulaiman.
Near Demise
In early 1998, Roy Jones, Jr. announced that he was relinquishing his WBC world Light-Heavyweight Championship. In response, the organization ordered a bout between German contender Graciano Rocchigiani and former champion Michael “Second to” Nunn to fill the vacancy, sanctioning it as a world championship match.
On March 21 1998 Rocchigiani won the fight and a WBC belt; in the subsequent WBC rankings, he was listed as “Light-Heavyweight World Champion”. Jones, however, had a change of heart and asked if the WBC would reinstate him as the champion. In a move that violated nearly a dozen of its own regulations, the WBC granted the reinstatement. Rocchigiani received a letter from the WBC, advising that the publishing of his name as champion was a 'typographical error', and he had never really been the official titleholder.
Rocchigiani immediately filed a lawsuit against the WBC in a U.S. federal (New York City) court, claiming that the organization's actions both were contrary to their own rules, and injurious to his earning potential (due to diminished professional stature). On May 7, 2003, the judge ruled in Rocchigiani's favor, awarding him $30 million (U.S.) in damages and reinstating him as a "former" WBC Champion (Rocchigiani had lost a bout since his WBC Title match).
The following day, the WBC sought protection by filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy (i.e., corporate debt restructuring) in Puerto Rico, an obvious attempt to avoid paying Rocchigiani. The organization then spent the next 13 months attempting to negotiate a lowball, six-figure settlement with Rocchigiani, but to no avail.
On June 11, 2004, the WBC announced it would enter Chapter 7 bankruptcy liquidation (i.e., business closing and total asset sell-off) proceedings, effectively ending its existence. This action prompted some in the boxing community to plead with Rocchigiani to settle the dispute, which he did in mid-July 2004.
Criticism
Like the WBA, IBF, and WBO, the WBC is almost universally criticized in the boxing community for its corruption. Its rankings are inaccurate: numerous contenders are considered unworthy of their respective rank. And many of it's champions are not considered to be the world’s best fighters in their particular divisions. Of their current 17 recognized Champions, about 8 are considered by most experts to be the theoretical “true champions” of their divisions.
See also
Other world organizations
- World Boxing Association (WBA)
- International Boxing Federation (IBF)
- World Boxing Organization (WBO)
- Womens International Boxing Association (WIBA)
Affiliated organizations
- Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation (OPBF)
- North American Boxing Council (NABC)
- European Boxing Union (EBU)
