Pro boxing must clean act

If mixed martial arts is gaining in popularity as the No. 1 professional combat sport in the world, boxing has only itself to blame. Greed is slowly eating up what is left of boxing’s integrity with different governing or the so-called alphabet-soup bodies compromising every principle in sports to put one over the other in the chase for more dollars.

There are four major boxing organizations with some measure of credibility – the World Boxing Council (WBC), World Boxing Association (WBA), International Boxing Federation (IBF) and World Boxing Organization (WBO). Another body called the International Boxing Organization (IBO) claims to be independent and non-partisan but has no resources to make an impact in the struggle for global prominence. The IBO enjoys widespread support in South Africa.

The WBC was organized in 1963 and Filipino Jun Montano was one of its former presidents. Another Filipino Rudy Salud crafted the WBC Constitution and By-Laws and served as secretary-general during Montano’s administration. Since 1975, the WBC has been ruled by the Sulaiman family of Mexico, first by the late Don Jose and now his son Mauricio.

The WBA was formed in 1962 and traces its roots to the US National Boxing Association. Since 1982, Gilberto Mendoza has controlled the Panama-based body with his son Jesus groomed as heir apparent to preserve the dynasty like the Sulaimans in the WBC.

The IBF was set up in 1983 and is based in New Jersey. Bob Lee formed the IBF after he lost to Mendoza in the WBA presidential elections. Lee was the president of the United States Boxing Association which metamorphosed into the IBF. Two of the IBF’s former presidents are women, Hiawatha Knight and Marian Muhammad. Today, the IBF president is Daryl Peoples.

The WBO was organized in 1988 after a breakaway group made up of Latin delegates left the WBA. Since 1996, the WBO president has been Puerto Rican Francisco Varcarcel. One of its executives is Leon Panoncillo, a Hawaiian of Filipino descent and the Asia-Pacific chairman.

Because every governing body wants its share of the money pie, there are now over 60 world champions in 17 weight categories. That’s not counting the interim world champions whose fights also stipulate sanction fees. The confusion as to who deserves to be the real world champion has caused critics in social media to describe the WBA as “rancid” and WBC as “wretched.”

Probably, the most shameless of the governing bodies is the WBA which recognizes 27 world champions and 12 interim titlists in 17 divisions. No other organization recognizes as many world champions and no other organization charges sanction fees as mercilessly as the WBA.

There are several classifications of world champions in the WBA vocabulary – super world champions (an honor bestowed arbitrarily by the WBA rulers), world champions (the regular kind), unified world champions (shared recognition with another governing body), undisputed world champion (definition is unclear) and interim world champions (titleholders-in-waiting).

The confusion is exemplified by the coming featherweight duel between WBA undisputed world champion Nonito Donaire, Jr. and WBA world champion Nicholas Walters at the StubHub Center, Carson City, California on Oct. 18. Donaire’s undisputed world title is on the line because it is superior in classification to Walters’ but if Walters loses, does he also lose his world title? This isn’t a unification bout because both world champions are recognized by the same body.

Aside from Donaire and Walters, there are three more featherweight world champions, raising the question as to how the WBA recognizes the Filipino Flash as the undisputed titlist. The other featherweight champions are Mexico’s Jhonny Gonzalez of the WBC, Russia’s Evgeny Gradovich of the IBF and Ukraine’s Vasyl Lomachenko of the WBO. So there are five world champions in the 126-pound division. How can fans relate to his anomaly? There is only one world so how can there be five world champions?

In the bantamweight division, the world titleholders are WBA super world champion Juan Payano of the Dominican Republic, WBA world champion Jaime McDonnell of the UK, WBC world champion Shinsuke Yamanaka of Japan, IBF world champion Paul Butler of the UK and WBO world champion Tomoki Kameda of Japan. Can you believe that in the same weight class, the UK has two world champions and Japan, too?

Of course, the fighters don’t mind this mess because the more world titles, the more opportunities to capture a world championship. The presumption of greed taints that mindset.

Another anomaly is allowing Floyd Mayweather to reign as world champion in two divisions. He is recognized by the WBC and WBA as world champion in the superwelterweight and welterweight classes. The rule is, or used to be, a fighter may hold on to only one world title at a time. But because Mayweather brings in big bucks, the WBC and WBA are making an exception to the rule. By the way, Manny Pacquiao is the WBO welterweight champion as opposed to Mayweather who is recognized by the WBA and WBC and the UK’s Kell Brook who is the IBF titlist. Mayweather’s persistent refusal to battle Pacquiao is another source of disenchantment among boxing purists who insist that there should be only one world champion in a division.

At the moment, the Philippines has three world champions – Pacquiao, Donaire and WBO lightflyweight titlist Donnie Nietes. Two other Filipinos are recognized as world champions by minor organizations, Rey Loreto as IBO lightflyweight titlist and Bruno Escalante as IBA (International Boxing Association) superflyweight king. The WBA recognizes Filipino Randy Petalcorin as the interim world lightflyweight champion, whatever that means.