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This thread is essentially going to show the champions in all divisions, according to all the "major" sanctioning bodies and also The Ring Magazine. I will group the fighters in terms of country and in terms of weight for a couple of reasons I will explain later.
Currently, there are 105 championships available. This includes the WBC, WBO, WBA, IBF and The Ring versions of the titles. This also includes interim championships, diamond belts, unified belts and super championships. Oh, and the actual championship itself.
Here's how the countries break down. (NOTE: Fighters will be considered nationals of the country they were born in. The percentages are rounded up. Some champions might be repeat champions.)
MEXICO: 16 championships. (16%)
Mexico does indeed have the most champions. However, they don't have a single title above 135 pounds. Two things come to mind with this fact. One, they dominate the lower weight classes. Two, they don't fair well at all at 140 or higher.
UNITED STATES: 9 championships. (9%)
Not so surprisingly, the US is second on the list. However, considering it's history and it's size, this number is rather low.
GERMANY: 7 championships. (7%)
Truthfully, I was surprised by this number a bit. Decent number, all things considered.
JAPAN: 7 championships. (7%)
Pretty decent number. Interesting to note is that none of the champions are repeat champions. 7 unique champions hold their championships.
UKRAINE: 6 championships. (6%)
While this number is impressive, we have to remember that four of the 6 belts listed are held by the Klitschko brothers. Still, solid number.
PHILIPPINES: 5 championships. (5%)
Considering where Filipino boxing was, say, 20 years ago, this is a very nice number.
UNITED KINGDOM: 5 championships. (5%)
This number isn't too bad at all, considering the retirement of a couple of successful boxers in Joe Calzaghe and Ricky Hatton.
CUBA: 4 championships. (4%)
With how brilliant some of their amateurs stars appear to be, this number can looked at one of two ways. Either those guys are about to take over, or exposed. Either way, the number stands where it stands.
ARGENTINA: 4 championships. (4%)
Quality number for a country that's been quiet internationally in the past few years.
PUERTO RICO: 2 championships. (2%)
For a country with quite a few talented boxers, this number isn't too impressive. Still, it's a small island.
Other countries include: Panama (3), Poland (1), Kazakhstan (2), Canada (3), Romania (1), Cameroon (1), Slovenia (1), France (1), South Africa (3), Ghana (1), Thailand (3), Nicaragua (1), Colombia (1), Dominican Republic (1), Venezuela (1).
These are the major countries that come to mind when thinking about boxing today. I put them in order of how many championships they can claim. I highlighted these countries due to their popularity in the sport internationally.
In terms of The Ring Magazine championships, the champions are as follow.
Wladimir Klitschko, Heavyweight Champion. Ukraine.
Jean Pascal, Light-Heavyweight Champion. Canada.
Sergio Martinez, Middleweight Champion. Argentina.
Juan Manuel Marquez, Lightweight Champion. Mexico.
Pongsaklek Wonjongkam, Flyweight Champion. Thailand.
Giovani Segura, Jr. Flyweight Champion. Mexico.
All the other Ring Magazine championships are vacant. Roughly 65% of their championships.
Whereas, as with the other organizing bodies, virtually all titles are in the hands of some boxer. Only two are vacant.
So, the point.
These are the questions I ask:
When you see these statistics, what first comes to mind?
What country do you HONESTLY feel has the best champions?
Any other thoughts.
Please, feel free to reply.
Currently, there are 105 championships available. This includes the WBC, WBO, WBA, IBF and The Ring versions of the titles. This also includes interim championships, diamond belts, unified belts and super championships. Oh, and the actual championship itself.
Here's how the countries break down. (NOTE: Fighters will be considered nationals of the country they were born in. The percentages are rounded up. Some champions might be repeat champions.)
MEXICO: 16 championships. (16%)
Mexico does indeed have the most champions. However, they don't have a single title above 135 pounds. Two things come to mind with this fact. One, they dominate the lower weight classes. Two, they don't fair well at all at 140 or higher.
UNITED STATES: 9 championships. (9%)
Not so surprisingly, the US is second on the list. However, considering it's history and it's size, this number is rather low.
GERMANY: 7 championships. (7%)
Truthfully, I was surprised by this number a bit. Decent number, all things considered.
JAPAN: 7 championships. (7%)
Pretty decent number. Interesting to note is that none of the champions are repeat champions. 7 unique champions hold their championships.
UKRAINE: 6 championships. (6%)
While this number is impressive, we have to remember that four of the 6 belts listed are held by the Klitschko brothers. Still, solid number.
PHILIPPINES: 5 championships. (5%)
Considering where Filipino boxing was, say, 20 years ago, this is a very nice number.
UNITED KINGDOM: 5 championships. (5%)
This number isn't too bad at all, considering the retirement of a couple of successful boxers in Joe Calzaghe and Ricky Hatton.
CUBA: 4 championships. (4%)
With how brilliant some of their amateurs stars appear to be, this number can looked at one of two ways. Either those guys are about to take over, or exposed. Either way, the number stands where it stands.
ARGENTINA: 4 championships. (4%)
Quality number for a country that's been quiet internationally in the past few years.
PUERTO RICO: 2 championships. (2%)
For a country with quite a few talented boxers, this number isn't too impressive. Still, it's a small island.
Other countries include: Panama (3), Poland (1), Kazakhstan (2), Canada (3), Romania (1), Cameroon (1), Slovenia (1), France (1), South Africa (3), Ghana (1), Thailand (3), Nicaragua (1), Colombia (1), Dominican Republic (1), Venezuela (1).
These are the major countries that come to mind when thinking about boxing today. I put them in order of how many championships they can claim. I highlighted these countries due to their popularity in the sport internationally.
In terms of The Ring Magazine championships, the champions are as follow.
Wladimir Klitschko, Heavyweight Champion. Ukraine.
Jean Pascal, Light-Heavyweight Champion. Canada.
Sergio Martinez, Middleweight Champion. Argentina.
Juan Manuel Marquez, Lightweight Champion. Mexico.
Pongsaklek Wonjongkam, Flyweight Champion. Thailand.
Giovani Segura, Jr. Flyweight Champion. Mexico.
All the other Ring Magazine championships are vacant. Roughly 65% of their championships.
Whereas, as with the other organizing bodies, virtually all titles are in the hands of some boxer. Only two are vacant.
So, the point.
These are the questions I ask:
When you see these statistics, what first comes to mind?
What country do you HONESTLY feel has the best champions?
Any other thoughts.
Please, feel free to reply.