Comments Thread For: Eddie Hearn Looks To Implement UFC Model With One Champ Per Division By 2021

[BIGPOPPAPUMP]

One month after beating Evander Holyfield in 1992, an undefeated Rid**** Bowe, who was then an IBF and WBA champion as well, stripped himself of the WBC strap before the sanctioning body could do so because "Big Daddy" wouldn't agree to fight Lennox Lewis. In a made-for-TV moment, Bowe staged a news conference in London and tossed his WBC belt in a trash can.
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[Oldskoolg]

Edward still thinking he’s Napoleon and wanting to bring it all under his control lol. So there will only be one belt in matchbook UK promotions then? He already failed in the USA....

[_Rexy_]

Just like he's going to take over boxing in America?

[PRINCEKOOL]

The Olympic's is valued very highly due to historic prestige 'In all Olympic sports'.

In track and field athletics, you may have a world championships, European championships, commonwealth games 'But nothing compares to the Olympic Games'.

I fully expect plenty of promoters to try and create UFC styled promotions 'But none of the champions will be valued as highly as WBC, WBA, WBO , IBF world boxing champions'.

It will be seen as just another belt or championship to capture 'And I don't think boxers will like the idea of being imprisoned inside one organisation'.

So we have Zuffa Champ, 1 Champ vs The universal boxing world.

All this will really do is create EVEN more titles 'Because the WBC, WBA, WBO AND IBF are going nowhere' do fans really want the WBC to disappear? I doubt it.

Are UFC champions really world champions? No 'They are the champions of the UFC'.

Boxing has actual legitimate world champions.

[Bronx2245]

"Hearn has a roster filled with a slew of champions, but IBF and WBA super featherweight titlist Murodjon Akhmadaliev is the only other current unified champion other than Joshua that he promotes."

He could have two if he would make the Smith vs. Saunders fight! I can't see why he has not? I don't have a problem with the 4 titles (I don't count IBO, barely recognize WBO) but why the multiple belts in one weight class by the same organization? The WBA is the worst, and the WBC just damaged their brand with the "Franchise" Champion! No Bueno!

[Bronx2245]

JANUARY 19, 2016:

WBA working to reduce number of titles

“I am working to reduce the titles,” Mendoza told me on Tuesday. “At first some promoters [might] complain. I just tell them it is my final decision. They would have to live with it.”

https://www.espn.com/blog/dan-rafael/post/_/id/15044/wba-working-to-reduce-number-of-titles

JULY 15, 2020:

WBA Prez Admits It's Not Easy To Reduce The Number of Titles

While the criticisms have not stopped against the WBA over their path of having numerous champions per weight class - Mendoza says the incoming requests from promoters to approve various title fights have continued to pour in - with promoters indicating, in their requests, that a title will benefit their fighters and their televised event...

"And on the other hand... a boxer with a title does better, a boxer who gets himself a title fight does better, a network that broadcasts a title fight does better, a promoter who has a title fight does better. The same fan [who complains], if he knows there is a title at stake, they are more attentive [to the fight]."

https://www.boxingscene.com/wba-prez-admits-its-not-easy-reduce-number-titles--150217

[Greenfield02]

Promoters can put a stop to this by not allowing their fighters to fight for secondary belts. Every time that sanctioning bodies try to offer secondary belts and other crap belts, promoters need to tell them no thanks and only fight for primary belts, that will only be the first step. Once you eliminate these secondary belts, then you could work on condensing the sanctioning bodies, where they become one body, ( that will be a big task and maybe won't work but need to work towards that goal) more realistic is to eliminate one or 2 bodies and only have 2 or three like it was back in the day before the WBO came along. Again this will be a tall order and probably won't happen but if the promoters organize together they could put pressure on the sanctioning bodies to make a deal, if they don't want to play ball, Promoters and the boxing industry can create one belt, one champion motto and just kick all the bodies to the curve, but I don't think that will ever happen because promoters themselves use these secondary belts as leverage so they can say they have a champion on their stable.

[Unidentified]

A good start would be having the WBO belt return to dumpster status where it belongs...

[Get em up]

I dont think it's as easy as just having 1 belt because that would mean only having 1 organization in charge and that's not happening. The problem is with the separate governing bodies having 3, 4, or 5 belts per weight class. It basically boils down to the top 20 or 25 people in the division yelling "I'M THE CHAMP" when truthfully it's all speculation amongst us fans as to who the man is in that division.

[rudy]

These guys are a joke his dad started this rubbish years ago with penta Intercontinel titles and IBO.