Who "legitimized" the WBO?

[Super Cruiserweight]

no disrespect to eubank, but he is no thomas hearns, and he never ****** it up like benn did and went to america. except for his first 4 fights or so. i don't hate him but he didn't legitamize ****..............

I CAN APPRECIATE WHAT HE DID FOR THE GAME ON THE BUSINESS SIDE AND ENTERTAINMENT SIDE, AND HE DID IT CARRYING THE WBO BELT...SURE YOU'D AGREEIF IT WASNT FOR EUBANKS THE WBO WOULDNT OF SURVIVED-THATS WHY THEY KEPT GIVING HIM GIFT DECISION AFTER GIFT DECISION......

[dansweeney]

I CAN APPRECIATE WHAT HE DID FOR THE GAME ON THE BUSINESS SIDE AND ENTERTAINMENT SIDE, AND HE DID IT CARRYING THE WBO BELT...SURE YOU'D AGREEIF IT WASNT FOR EUBANKS THE WBO WOULDNT OF SURVIVED-THATS WHY THEY KEPT GIVING HIM GIFT DECISION AFTER GIFT DECISION......

he didn't single handedly keep the wbo alive. granted he represented it well,. i think eubank . was a great fighter, but it would have survived without him, but saying that, he was a fighter who could have made a much bigger impact on the world scene than he did

[Super Cruiserweight]

Thats An Understatement..probably The Biggest Waste Of Talent I Know Of Who Never Came Over Here....he Was A Household Name Everywhere Else Apparently..shame Because I Think His Limey Gentleman Personality Would Of Really Got Over Over Here..!

[LeeMc]

The WBO has grown to be legitimized. There is not one fighter who changed the image. At the core is the middleweight/Super Middleweight where we have had Barkley, Hearns, Benn, Eubank, Collins and Calzaghe as WBO champions . That is a time span of nearly 20 years and I suppose that if the names on the WBU list in 20 years time are decent that belt would have become legitimized as well.

However, I think it is interesting to note that as the WBO becomes legitimized a lot of boxing fans are turning to The Ring magazine title as the only champion. I know that 5 years ago I could name most of the alphabet champions in most weight divisions but now I could only tell you the Heavyweight alphabets and The Ring Champions in each weight.

[gnostic19]

The WBO has grown to be legitimized. There is not one fighter who changed the image. At the core is the middleweight/Super Middleweight where we have had Barkley, Hearns, Benn, Eubank, Collins and Calzaghe as WBO champions . That is a time span of nearly 20 years and I suppose that if the names on the WBU list in 20 years time are decent that belt would have become legitimized as well.

Well said. I still think DLH went a ways in propping it up.

[ejk22]

Well, when Wlad Klitschko was the WBO Heavy champ during Lennox's reign, you didn't hear very many people saying there was more than one champion, but then he lost it to Sanders, go it back somehow and then lost it again to Brewster...then it was a legit piece of the heavyweight title? I was confused by this and still am...

I did not even know that the WBO was a belt in the heavyweight division when Lewis reigned supreme. No one cared. All boxing fans cared about was that Lewis was considered the best.


Oscar DelaHoya won the WBO super featherweight title and defended it twice before moving up to the lightweight ranks in order to fight for the WBO lightweight title. There he won and defended it six time's before he relinquished it only because he moved up in weight class and fought for the WBC light welterweight title. So DelaHoya went on to capture the WBC title. DelaHoya then went 8 years before fighting for a WBO belt again which he did in his first venture to the middleweight division against Felix Sturm.

[TheEvilSaint]

i think the official match that made WBO legit was brewster vs wlad.