World Boxing Union
The World Boxing Union (WBU) is a boxing sanctioning body. The original WBU was founded in January 1995 by IBF European representative Jon W Robinson. It was also supported by Bob Arum.
The WBU had a 'golden' period between 1996-2006 when its title contests were often shown live on satellite and terrestrial television. The WBU title during this time could be compared with the early days of the WBO. However, where as the WBO grew in credibility, the WBU faded into obscurity.
Until recently it was fully recognised by the British Boxing Board of Control (BBB of C) as a legitimate sanctioning body. WBU titles were particularly well recognised in Europe and Africa. WBU titles have been held by the likes of Ricky Hatton, George Foreman, Thomas Hearns, Baby Jake Matlala, James Tony, Johnny Nelson and Micky Ward.
After the death of WBU founder and chairman Jon W Robinson, the organisation began to descend into chaos and many of the organisations weight categories became vacant of champions.[citation needed] The directorship of the WBU allowed the title to be further devalued by allowing vacant titles being contested on small boxing shows with home fighters matched carefully to claim a title.
This descent reached its base in 2010 when the BBBofC stated that it no longer recognised the WBU as a legitimate sanctioning body. This has created a situation where WBU champions are often not held in the acclaim that greets the holders of other 'world' titles.
In July 2010, the WBU was reformed under the new directorship of Torsten Knille. Subsequently another organisation calling itself the WBU has also been created in America by Don 'Moose' Lewis.
List of WBU Heavyweight Champions
WBU heavyweight champions have included:[1]
| Name | Duration of reign | Defenses | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
 George Foreman
|
March 29, 1995 – 1997 | 2 | Foreman was recognized as champion after he was stripped of the IBF title |
 Corrie Sanders
|
November 15, 1997 – May 20, 2000 | 3 | Defeated Ross Purity |
| Hasim Rahman
|
May 20, 2000 – April 21, 2001 | 0 | Relinquished the title in order to fight Lennox Lewis for the IBF, IBO and WBC titles |
 Johnny Nelson
|
November 24, 2001 – December 4, 2001 | 0 | Defeated Alexander Vasiliev. Relinquished the title in order to concentrate on defending his WBO Cruiserweight title |
 Georgi Kandelaki
|
December 21, 2002 – January 2004 | 0 | Defeated Alexander Vasiliev. Kandelaki either relinquished or was stripped of the title |
| Matt Skelton
|
February 25, 2005 – January 26, 2009 | 0 | Skelton relinquished the title |
New WBU heavyweight champions have included:[1]
| Name | Duration of reign | Defenses | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
 Gene Pukall
|
March 3, 2011 – February 2012 | 0 | Pukall relinquished the title |
| Andreas Sidon
|
May, 2012 – present | 0 | defeated his Belarusian rival Henadzi Daniliuk in Ransbach-Baumbach New WBU title |
Other past WBU champions have include James Toney, Thomas Hearns, Micky Ward, Enzo Maccarinelli, Ricky Hatton, Angel Manfredy and Hamid Rahimi.
See also
Other world organizations
- International Boxing Association
- International Boxing Council
- International Boxing Federation
- International Boxing Organization
- International Boxing Union
- World Boxing Association
- World Boxing Council
- World Professional Boxing Federation
- World Boxing Organization
- European Boxing Federation
- World Boxing Federation
References
- ^ a b "Steve Dimitry's Heavyweight Boxing History". Archived from the original on 2007-12-08. Retrieved 3 November 2007.