(MARCH 5) The WBC, WBA, WBO, and IBF are known in men’s boxing as the “big
four” because they are the most prominent sanctioning bodies in
men’s boxing.
In September 2004, Bernard Hopkins became the
first male boxer to hold belts from these sanctioning bodies in
one weight class. This fight was in the middleweight division.
Hopkins defeated Oscar De La Hoya by knockout in the ninth round
to become the first undisputed world champion in what is known
as the “four-belt era” in men’s boxing.
A decade later, the same
accomplishment as Hopkins was achieved in women’s boxing in
September 2014. Cecilia Braekhus became the first undisputed
world champion in women’s boxing in September 2014 by defeating
IBF welterweight champion Ivana Habazin by unanimous decision.
Braekhus added this title to her WBC, WBA, and WBO titles.
The Women’s International Boxing Federation (WIBF) began
sanctioning world title fights for women in 1993. The WBC did
not start sanctioning world title fights in women’s boxing until
May 2005 when Jackie Nava won the vacant WBC super bantamweight
title.
In a press release from December 2023, WBC President
Mauricio Sulaiman stated that the WBC supported women’s boxing
“when no one else did since the late 90s.” Obviously, that was
not true. The WIBF began in the early 1990s. In the late 1990s,
the International Female Boxers Association (IFBA) began
sanctioning world title fights. Bonnie Canino won the vacant
IFBA featherweight title in August 1997.
I spoke to former WIBF President Barbara Buttrick about her
sanctioning body which she co-founded with Jimmy Finn. She
revealed to me that BoxRec only recognizes the world title of
the WIBF. Other WIBF titles such as their Americas title are not
recognized by BoxRec. There is a sanctioning body called the
National Boxing Association (NBA) which is not recognized at all
by BoxRec. The NBA also has an Americas title, but it is not
recognized by BoxRec.
The NBA’s website states that Shamara Woods
and Michaele Nogue fought to a six-round draw in December 2023
and that the NBA Americas super lightweight title remained
vacant. The fight is listed on BoxRec, but there is no
information on BoxRec about the title at stake. Even the NBA’s
world titles are not recognized by BoxRec such as Chevelle
Hallback’s recent victory for the vacant NBA welterweight title.
Hallback defeated Yamila Reynoso by unanimous decision to win
the title. The fight is listed on BoxRec, but the title is not.
It is obviously not a level-playing field for all the
sanctioning bodies in the boxing business. BoxRec recognizes all
the titles of the “big four.” However, BoxRec chooses not to
recognize secondary titles such as regional titles from some
sanctioning bodies. These titles have names such as Americas or
Intercontinental to denote a title that is not at the same level
as a world title. The titles are often steppingstones to a world
title fight for that sanctioning body.
Buttrick told me that
boxers want the titles they fight for to be listed on their
BoxRec record. Sanctioning bodies for women’s boxing that started sanctioning
world title fights in the 1990s enabled women’s boxing to
survive and thrive as a professional sport. The foundation had
been laid and the road had been paved for other sanctioning
bodies to be involved in women’s boxing.
Daniella Smith won the
vacant IBF welterweight title in November 2010. This was the
first IBF world title fight in women’s boxing.
In August 2015,
there was a unification world title fight between IFBA super
bantamweight champion Maureen Shea versus IBF super bantamweight
champion Yuliahn Luna Avila. It was a very close fight and the
result was a draw. This was the last fight sanctioned by the
IFBA. Avila is currently a top ten contender in the bantamweight
division.
Women who have been inducted into the International Women’s
Boxing Hall of Fame (IWBHF) and the International Boxing Hall of
Fame (IBHOF) won world titles from sanctioning bodies that still
exist today.
About a decade ago, Holly Holm’s last fight in
professional boxing was for the International Boxing Association
(IBA) and World Boxing Federation (WBF) super lightweight titles
in May 2013. Holm won these titles in her previous fight and
successfully defended the titles against Mary McGee by unanimous
decision.
Jane Couch won the vacant WBF lightweight title against
IWBHF inductee Sharon Anyos by unanimous decision in October
1999. The Women’s International Boxing Association (WIBA) has
sanctioned world title fights in women’s boxing for about 25
years.
Ann Wolfe and Laila Ali won world titles from the WIBA
and IBA. Wolfe and Ali last fought in 2006 and 2007 respectively
(not each other),
so they did not have the opportunity to become “undisputed”
world champions. Lucia Rijker won world titles from the WIBF and
the International Boxing Organization (IBO). Rijker was the
first women's world champion from the IBO. Rijker won the vacant
IBO super lightweight title in September 1998 against future
Hall of Famer Marcela Eliana Acuna by KO in the fifth round.
Acuna was a world champion in the super bantamweight and
featherweight divisions. Acuna is still an active boxer at age
47 and is currently rated the No. 13 contender in the world by
the IBO at featherweight. Rijker’s last fight
was in 2004. Laura Serrano first won a world title from the WIBF.
Claressa Shields added the WBF middleweight title to her
collection in February 2022. Shields defeated Ema Kozin to win
the WBF title. However, her record on BoxRec shows that she
first won the WBF title in June 2023 against Maricela Cornejo by
unanimous decision. This is incorrect. Articles on the WBF
website state that Shields became the new WBF middleweight
champion by defeating Kozin and Shields successfully defended
the WBF title against Cornejo. There is a note above the WBF
Champions web page: “Due to BoxRec not recognizing certain
national federations and their results, it may be possible that
some linked records of WBF champions are incomplete/incorrect.”
The WIBA continues to sanction good matchups in world title
fights with contenders among the top 15 of their divisions. Ryu
Kyung Suh will face Riyuna Yoshikawa for the vacant WIBA
minimumweight title on March 16. Olivia Gerula has been a pro
boxer for 26 years and is 44 years of age. Gerula will fight
24-year-old Mary Casamassa for the vacant WIBA super
middleweight title on March 30.
Top featherweight contender Nina Meinke is rated No. 1 by the
IBF, WBA, WBO, and IBO. Meinke defeated Edith Soledad Matthysse
by unanimous decision to win the WIBF and Global Boxing Union (GBU)
featherweight titles in November 2022.
Future Hall of Famer
Layla McCarter won a WIBF and GBU world title fight in the
welterweight division against Halanna Dos Santos by unanimous
decision in March 2022.
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