Sanctioning bodies, WBC, IBF, WBA...why do you have to pay them?

Anybody know why Fighters have to pay them...where does the money go exactly? Hundreds of thousands of dollars for big fights for....? ‘Benny Leonard’ originally posted this thread, unfortunately hours before the Mijares-Darchinyan fight, so it disappeared among all other threads. But I think the subject is certainly worth discussion. It is said that fighters have benefit from the present situation, because more titles mean the TV companies get more interested and pay more money. Though they are not real titles, you can always fool some of the watchers. But you can’t fool them for too long (and no wonder the interest for the sport has declined in the US). I go nuts when commentators introduce a boxer as "champion of the world" and I know independent ratings have that “champ” placed around the 10th spot or lower as there are several guys better, and more worthy of fighting for a (real) world title, than him. I believe the truth is, the men behind the ABC’s are only in the game for one reason, to line theirs pockets at the fighters expense. Prove me wrong … Some say the Ring Magazine belt isn’t worth anything. Well, it can’t be, can it? After all, it is for free.

Comments (8)

gridiron

If you don't pay them, you don't get their belt, and so you don't get to call yourself a world champion. And that's why the bodies (especially WBA) are doubling their champions in several divisions. It's a lucrative market. The WBA recently broke their own rules, upgrading Margarito to "super champ" so they could get extra sanction fees out of Yuri Nuzhnenko, making him "world champ". I suspect a "regular" belt comes at a higher price than a "interim" belt.

17y ago

brooklyn_kid

If you don't pay them, you don't get their belt, and so you don't get to call yourself a world champion. One example is the WBO. Frank Warren likes to have British fighters fight in Britain, preferably against other Brits. The problem with this is that some of those fighters are ambitious, and want a title shot, and winning a title is harder if you have to go to America and face the best in the world. There's also the fact that a fight being for a world championship makes it more marketable. The solution? Warren developed a close relationship with a sanctioning body (the WBO) and they have helped each other out ever since. Naseem Hamed got a lot of attention and was seen as the best in the division, and him holding the WBO belt helped the org to become more valued. Ditto Calzaghe, which is why both Hamed and Calzaghe chose to hold onto the WBO belt rather than the WBC or IBF when they unified. Warren makes sure that his best known fighters hold onto the WBO belt, and the WBO make sure that they make people like Gary Lockett and Michael Jennings the mandatory challengers, even though they haven't done anything to earn it. Quid pro quo Clarice. excellent post

17y ago

Benny_Leonard

It was the Ring Magazine, along with Dempsey promoter Tex Rickard, who compiled the very first ratings in the 1920's. You just can't throw tradition overboard. And so far, there hasn't been anything indicating that the GBP tries to influence the way the mag is edited. If it would, the Ring would commit suicide. I'm assure of the staff being very aware of that fact. Also, the oldest, still existing mag, Boxing News (1909), most often refers to alphabet title holders as 'world' champs. The '-marks surrounding the word world tells it all about how they really estimate the prestige of certain titles. Ah, yes you can, especially when the tradition is bogus. I still need to know why it costs so much. What else do they do besides rate you?

17y ago

Mr_Ryan

What's funny about these fees, you don't have to just pay the fees, you have to pay for travel and accommodations for one of their representatives to "present" the belt. That's usually like another $500 or so.

17y ago

gridiron

17y ago

Benny_Leonard

Fighters gotta pay sanctioning fees in every fight if they wanna get ranked by the organization, then pay even higher fees to fight for the championships. Alphabet bosses are just out for the $. People shit on the Ring belt cuz DLH owns it now, but I still think it trumps the alphabelt belts. So that's it: you pay for being ranked. $300,000 is some cases to be ranked? Wonder where the money is going. Fighters should take control of it if that is the case. For you {the boxer} to have to pay some fat guy behind a chair that makes out rankings based on how much your promoter gives him for kickbacks, that's messed up. It seems like the Mob and TV companies are still screwing over the working man. I'm hoping there is more to it, which is why I'm asking.

17y ago

MANGLER

17y ago

Benny_Leonard

That rag mag belongs to GBP now, and they do not always give it to the true (linear) champ anyway. You have to pay sanctioning fees because nothing is free in life. Everyone in football pays their local FA. Same thing. You have to pay your trainers and managers in boxing too, just like footballers have to pay their agents. Yes, but why do they have to pay the Sanctioning bodies...what do they do exactly? And why so much? The only thing I know is that they make rankings and hand out a title, which they like to strip the fighter of if he refuses to pay their amount...as well as being corrupt. Are they paying medical bills for the fighters...are the setting up schools...is it going back into boxing? This is what I want to know. Thinking is free

17y ago