World Boxing Federation
AbbreviationWBF
Formation1988
TypeNon-profit institution
PurposeBoxing sanctioning organization
HeadquartersLuxembourg
Region served
Worldwide
President
Howard Goldberg
Websitewww.worldboxingfederation.org

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[2][3] in Northeastern Tennessee[4] by Larry Carrier, who was part owner of Bristol Motor Speedway.[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 8 January 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

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Glover, Chris (2019), An introduction to the World Boxing Federation and its president Howard Goldberg, Ringnews 24, retrieved 12 April 2023
  2. ↑ Irish Boxing Review, 2012 Edition, publisher: Lulu.com, published: 2012
  3. ↑ Irish boxing: The sanctioning bodies' latest battleground, Irish-Boxing.com, 2011, retrieved 12 April 2023
  4. 1 2 Boxing group takes off, Johnson City Press, 1991, retrieved 12 April 2023
  5. ↑ Bristol prez calls Carrier leader in racing industry, ESPN, 2005, retrieved 12 April 2023
  6. 1 2 Lane, Bill (1990), Carrier going worldwide with boxing, Kingsport Times-News, retrieved 12 April 2023
  7. 1 2 3 Scalf, Ron (1995), Bristol-based WBF brings boxing to fans worldwide, Johnson City Press, retrieved 12 April 2023
  8. 1 2 Parkey tops WBF's first title fight, Johnson City Press, 1990, retrieved 12 April 2023
  9. ↑ Lloyd, Leslie (1992), Former champ quit boxing but he's not out of the ring, Kingsport Times-News, retrieved 12 April 2023
  10. ↑ Lane, Bill (1990), WBF readies for inaugural event, Kingsport Times-News, retrieved 12 April 2023
  11. 1 2 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
  12. ↑ Carrier to fight at Freedom Hall, Johnson City Press, 1995, retrieved 12 April 2023
  13. ↑ World Boxing Federation, Johnson City Press, 1998, retrieved 12 April 2023
  14. ↑ Avento, Joe (1998), Golf Notes, Kingsport Times-News, retrieved 12 April 2023
  15. ↑ WBF founder sells federation to Scalf, Johnson City Press, 1998, retrieved 12 April 2023
  16. ↑ Mee, Bob (2003), Boxing: WBF given a change of title, The Telegraph, retrieved 12 April 2023
  17. ↑ Uncovering the World Boxing Federation, fox News, 2014, retrieved 12 April 2023
  18. ↑ Magasela, Bongani (2022), No more rubbish fights featuring the WBF – Goldberg, Sowetan Live, retrieved 12 April 2023
  19. 1 2 Title Results, Boxrec, 2023, retrieved 12 April 2023
  20. ↑ Glover, Chris (2019), Looking At The World Boxing Federation, NY Fights, retrieved 12 April 2023
  21. ↑ Dundee's stable: the Broward boxers, The Miami Herald, 1995, retrieved 12 April 2023
  22. ↑ Dominitz, Nathan (2001), Jones gets more gold hardware, Pensacola News Journal, retrieved 12 April 2023
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