The World Boxing Council is once again at odds with amateur boxing sanctioning body IBA.
The two organizations have verbally sparred several times in the past - with the tension increasing when the IBA (then the AIBA) declared their intention to stage boxing events with fully licensed professionals.
In the last few months, the IBA announced their alliance with the WBA, who themselves have been at odds with the WBC in the last few years.
The WBC has criticized the joint decision by the WBA/IBA to sanction cards in Russia and Belarus - who are currently involved in a military conflict with neighboring country Ukraine.
According to the WBC, the IBA is now infringing on their intellectual rights, and creating confusion, by creating a title that looks similar to the WBC's belt design.
"The World Boxing Council has learned that the International Boxing Association (IBA) recently: (1) organized, advertised, and publicized an event called IBA’s Champion Night; and (2) awarded a boxing belt in connection therewith confusingly similar to the WBC Championship Belt. In short, IBA is using the Intellectual Property Assets of the WBC in an infringing manner and without authorization of the WBC as the assets’ rightful owner," a WBC spokesman stated.
"The WBC wants to make it absolutely clear that it has put IBA on notice of the WBC’s complete rejection and opposition to IBA’s unauthorized use of a belt that is confusingly similar to the iconic WBC World Championship Belt. The WBC has also informed IBA and it will take any legal measures available to stop IBA’s infringing activities and to seek appropriate redress therefrom. The WBC is in no way associated with IBA.
"In its recent Annual Convention, the WBC ratified its positions: (1) not to allow any WBC activity in Russian or Belarus’ territories; (2) not to recognize any boxers from those countries as holding any WBC privilege (championship, mandatory positions, etc.); and (3) to take all boxers from those two countries out of the WBC World Ratings, as well as, those who competing in there IBA`s tournaments. The WBC rejects and denounces IBA’s activities therein.
"The WBC has declared publicly its support of the International Olympic Committee’s justified concerns about the lack of leadership and scandals in which AIBA (IBA’s predecessor) and now IBA have been involved in recent years. Consistent with the position the entire world boxing community has taken, the WBC fully supports the continuation of boxing competition in the Olympic Games.
"The WBC would also like to publicly declare its denunciation of IBA’s charter and mission to mix professional and amateur boxing. IBA’s policies in that regard are dangerous because they foster dangerous fights between athletes that range on levels of competition that endanger the health and safety of participants. There is absolutely not criteria to adjust the levels of competition. Consequently, IBA’s approach has created a huge disadvantage to the majority of the amateur boxing programs throughout the world."
