World Boxing Federation (organization)
 | |
| Abbreviation | WBF |
|---|---|
| Formation | 1988 |
| Type | Non-profit institution |
| Purpose | Boxing sanctioning organization |
| Headquarters | Luxembourg |
Region served | Worldwide |
President | Howard Goldberg |
| Website | www |
The World Boxing Federation (WBF) is an organization which sanctions professional boxing bouts. It was created in 1988.[1]
Information
The World Boxing Federation was originally established in 1988 by Larry Carrier, who was part owner of Bristol Motor Speedway in northeastern Tennessee.[2][3][4][5] It was an expanded version of the American Pro Boxing Association.[6] The original concept for the WBF was written on the back of a napkin as an alternative for boxing as Carrier felt there was a lack of vision in boxing.[6][7][8] The WBF wanted to give overlooked fighters a chance and wanted to be a more affordable sanctioning body for aspiring promoters by only charging a $5,000 sanctioning fee.[9][7] The WBF also sought to promote itself in an honest manner and help the sport.[7] The promotion signed their first title fight in November 1990, when they organized a cruiserweight bout between Rickey Patkey and Joe Louis for December 7, 1990.[10][8] The WBF's titles were not initially recognized by the British Boxing Board of Control and had to wait until 1995 to achieve recognition.[11] The company had 17 field offices outside of the US by 1995[12] and the company moved its headquarters to Las Vegas prior to 1998.[13] Larry Carrier sold the WBF to Ron Scalf in June 1998.[14][15] The organization closed in 2004 after losing a lawsuit[16] and was revived in 2009.[1][11][17] In 2022, the promotion announced that they would no longer sanction title fights with boxers with negative records in an effort to raise standards.[18]
The organization has sanctioned matches on 6 of the 7 continents.[19] The organization has three levels of champions including World champions, Intercontinental champions and International champions. The organization also sanctions women's boxing matches.[19] The promotion also monitors its judges closely and feels integrity is its greatest asset.[20]
The promotion also had their own magazine called, "Inside Boxing with the WBF".[4]
Current WBF World Champions
As of 7 November 2024 (men):
| Weight class: | Champion: | Reign began: |
|---|---|---|
| Minimumweight | vacant | |
| Flyweight | vacant | |
| Super flyweight |  Gcina Makhoba (SA)
|
December 3, 2022 |
| Bantamweight | vacant | |
| Super bantamweight | Thato Bonokoane (SA)
|
October 9, 2022 |
| Featherweight | vacant | |
| Super featherweight | Lunga Stimela (SA)
|
July 9, 2022 |
| Lightweight | vacant | |
| Super lightweight | vacant | |
| Welterweight |  Meriton Karaxha (ALB)
|
November 1, 2019 |
| Super welterweight |  Freddy Kiwitt (LBR)
|
November 24, 2023 |
| Middleweight |  Charles Manyuchi (ZIM)
|
September 28, 2019 |
| Super middleweight |  Travis Hanshaw (USA)
|
June 29, 2019 |
| Light heavyweight |  Shefat Isufi (GER)
|
April 16, 2022 |
| Cruiserweight |  Siril Makiadi (FRA)
|
December 2, 2022 |
| Heavyweight | vacant |
Notable Past WBF champions
- Evander Holyfield, former Heavyweight champion
- Francois Botha, former Heavyweight champion
- Jimmy Thunder, former Heavyweight champion
- Johnny Nelson, former Heavyweight champion
- Adílson Rodrigues, former Heavyweight champion[21]
- Bert Cooper, former Heavyweight champion
- Mike Bernardo, former Heavyweight champion
- Roy Jones Jr., former Light Heavyweight champion[22]
- Robin Reid, former Super Middleweight champion
- Carl Daniels, former Middlweight champion
- Juan Lazcano, former Lightweight champion
- Rickey Parkey, former Cruiserweight champion
See also
References
- ^ a b Glover, Chris (2019), An introduction to the World Boxing Federation and its president Howard Goldberg, Ringnews 24, retrieved 12 April 2023
- ^ Irish Boxing Review, 2012 Edition, publisher: Lulu.com, published: 2012
- ^ Irish boxing: The sanctioning bodies' latest battleground, Irish-Boxing.com, 2011, retrieved 12 April 2023
- ^ a b Boxing group takes off, Johnson City Press, 1991, retrieved 12 April 2023
- ^ Bristol prez calls Carrier leader in racing industry, ESPN, 2005, retrieved 12 April 2023
- ^ a b Lane, Bill (1990), Carrier going worldwide with boxing, Kingsport Times-News, retrieved 12 April 2023
- ^ a b c Scalf, Ron (1995), Bristol-based WBF brings boxing to fans worldwide, Johnson City Press, retrieved 12 April 2023
- ^ a b Parkey tops WBF's first title fight, Johnson City Press, 1990, retrieved 12 April 2023
- ^ Lloyd, Leslie (1992), Former champ quit boxing but he's not out of the ring, Kingsport Times-News, retrieved 12 April 2023
- ^ Lane, Bill (1990), WBF readies for inaugural event, Kingsport Times-News, retrieved 12 April 2023
- ^ a b A Social History of Sheffield Boxing, Volume II, publisher: Springer International Publishing, url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/A_Social_History_of_Sheffield_Boxing_Vol/9h8SEAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=%22wbf%22, published: 2021
- ^ Carrier to fight at Freedom Hall, Johnson City Press, 1995, retrieved 12 April 2023
- ^ World Boxing Federation, Johnson City Press, 1998, retrieved 12 April 2023
- ^ Avento, Joe (1998), Golf Notes, Kingsport Times-News, retrieved 12 April 2023
- ^ WBF founder sells federation to Scalf, Johnson City Press, 1998, retrieved 12 April 2023
- ^ Mee, Bob (2003), Boxing: WBF given a change of title, The Telegraph, retrieved 12 April 2023
- ^ Uncovering the World Boxing Federation, fox News, 2014, retrieved 12 April 2023
- ^ Magasela, Bongani (2022), No more rubbish fights featuring the WBF – Goldberg, Sowetan Live, retrieved 12 April 2023
- ^ a b Title Results, Boxrec, 2023, retrieved 12 April 2023
- ^ Glover, Chris (2019), Looking At The World Boxing Federation, NY Fights, retrieved 12 April 2023
- ^ Dundee's stable: the Broward boxers, The Miami Herald, 1995, retrieved 12 April 2023
- ^ Dominitz, Nathan (2001), Jones gets more gold hardware, Pensacola News Journal, retrieved 12 April 2023