World Boxing Association 93469 225969331 2008-07-16T07:03:39Z 210.4.122.42 /* Current WBA world title holders */ Calzaghe vacated [[Image:WBA Logo.jpg|thumb|right|200px|WBA logo mark]] The '''World Boxing Association (WBA)''' is a [[boxing]] organization that sanctions official matches, and awards the WBA world championship title, at the professional level. It was previously known as the National Boxing Association before changing its name in 1962. It is the oldest of the major organizations recognized by [[IBHOF]] which sanction world championship [[boxing]] bouts, alongside the [[International Boxing Federation|IBF]], [[World Boxing Council|WBC]] and the slighly less regarded [[WBO]]. ==History== The original sanctioning body of professional boxing, the World Boxing Association can be traced back to the original National Boxing Association, organized in [[1921]]; the first bout recognized by the organization being the [[Jack Dempsey]]-[[Georges Carpentier]] Heavyweight Championship bout in [[New Jersey]], [[USA]]. The NBA was formed by representatives from thirteen American states to counterbalance the influence the [[New York State Athletic Commission]] (NYSAC) wielded in the boxing world. This often meant that the NBA and the NYSAC crowned different world champions in the same division, leading to confusion about who was the real champion.<ref>{{cite book | last = Mullan | first = Harry | title = The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Boxing | publisher = Carlton Books | date = 1996 | location = London, England, UK | pages = 121 | isbn = 0785806415}}</ref> The International Boxing Research Organization describes the early NBA in this way: "Originally more comparable to the present American Association of Boxing Commissions than to its offspring and successor, the NBA sanctioned title bouts, published lists of outstanding challengers, withdrew titular recognition, but did not attempt to appoint its own title bout officials or otherwise impose its will on championship fights. It also did not conduct purse bids or collect 'sanctioning fees.'"<ref>{{Citation | title = Boxing Bodies: A Brief Chronology and Rundown | journal = International Boxing Digest | volume = 40, no. 1 | page = 58 | date = January 1998}}</ref> In [[1962]] the NBA, with the growth of boxing's popularity world-wide, changed its name to the '''World Boxing Association'''. The organization remained mainly American until 1974, however. In that year, two [[Panamanian]] boxing figures named Rodrigo Sanchez and Elias Cordova manipulated the WBA rules to give a majority of votes to nations in [[Latin America]].<ref>{{cite book | last = Mullan | title = The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Boxing | pages = 122}}</ref> [[Gilberto Mendoza]] has been the President of the WBA since [[1982]]. The WBA in the 1990s moved its central offices from [[Panama City]], [[Panama]], to [[Caracas]], [[Venezuela]]. In January of 2007 it moved its offices again to [[Panama]]. ==Controversies== The WBA has been plagued with charges of corruption for years. In perhaps the most notable instance, promoter [[Bob Arum]] claimed in a 1982 interview that he had to pay off WBA officials to obtain rankings.<ref>{{cite book | last = Mullan | title = The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Boxing | pages = 122}}</ref> In a 1981 ''[[Sports Illustrated]]'' article, a WBA judge claimed that he was influenced by the WBA president to support certain fighters. The same article also discussed a variety of bribes paid to WBA officials to obtain title fights or rankings with the organization.<ref>{{cite book | last = Heller | first = Peter | title = Bad Intentions: The Mike Tyson Story | publisher = New American Library | date = 1988 | location = New York, NY | pages = 141-142 | isbn = 0688101232}}</ref> The WBA also came under fire in the 1980s for allowing [[South African]]s to fight for its titles. ==Other organizations== [[Image:BoxChamps.png|thumb|upright|250px|Champions since 1920 of heavyweight boxing of 5 most important Associations]] Through the years, many competitors who also recognized world championship bouts sprung up, and in that line, the [[World Boxing Council|WBC]] started out in [[1963]], the [[International Boxing Federation|IBF]] in [[1983]], the [[WBO]] in [[1988]], and nearly a dozen others. == Current WBA world title holders == {| class="wikitable" !style="background: #e3e3e3;"|Weight class: !style="background: #e3e3e3;"|Champion: !style="background: #e3e3e3;"|Date won: |- |[[Minimumweight]] |{{flagicon|JPN}} [[Yutaka Niida]] |[[July 3]] [[2004]] |- |[[Light flyweight]] |{{flagicon|France}} [[Brahim Asloum]] |[[December 8]] [[2007]] |- |[[Flyweight]] |{{flagicon|JPN}} [[Takefumi Sakata]] |[[March 19]] [[2007]] |- |[[Super flyweight]] |{{flagicon|MEX}} [[Cristian Mijares]] |[[May 17]] [[2008]] |- |[[Bantamweight]] |{{flagicon|PAN}} [[Anselmo Moreno]] |[[May 31]] [[2008]] |- |[[Super bantamweight]] |{{flagicon|PAN}} [[Celestino Caballero]] |[[October 4]] [[2006]] |- |[[Featherweight]] |{{flagicon|IDN}} [[Chris John (boxer)|Chris John]] |[[November 4]] [[2006]] |- |[[Super featherweight]] |{{flagicon|VEN}} [[Edwin Valero]] |[[August 5]] [[2006]] |- |rowspan=2|[[Lightweight]] |{{flagicon|USA}} [[Nate Campbell]] {{small|([[Championship unification|unified champion]])}} |[[March 8]] [[2008]] |- |{{flagicon|JPN}} [[Yusuke Kobori]] {{small|(regular champion)}} |[[May 19]] [[2008]] |- |[[Super lightweight]] |{{flagicon|UKR}} [[Andreas Kotelnik]] |[[March 22]] [[2008]] |- |[[Welterweight]] |{{flagicon|PUR}} [[Miguel Cotto]] |[[December 2]] [[2006]] |- |[[Super welterweight]] |{{flagicon|PUR}} [[Daniel Santos (boxer)|Daniel Santos]] |[[July 11]] [[2008]] |- |[[Middleweight]] |{{flagicon|GER}} [[Felix Sturm]] |[[April 28]] [[2007]] |- |[[Super middleweight]] |{{flagicon|DEN}} [[Mikkel Kessler]] |[[June 21]] [[2008]] |- |[[Light heavyweight]] |{{flagicon|ARG}} [[Hugo Garay]] |[[July 3]] [[2008]] |- |rowspan=2|[[Cruiserweight]] |{{flagicon|UK}} [[David Haye]] {{small|([[Championship unification|unified champion]])}} |[[November 11]] [[2007]] |- |{{flagicon|GER}} [[Firat Arslan]] {{small|(regular champion)}} |[[June 16]] [[2007]] |- |[[Heavyweight]] |{{flagicon|UZB}} [[Ruslan Chagaev]] |[[April 15]] [[2007]] |- |} == See also == ==== Other world organizations ==== *[[International Boxing Association (for-profit organization)|International Boxing Association]] *[[International Boxing Council]] *[[International Boxing Federation]] *[[International Boxing Organization]] *[[International Boxing Union]] *[[World Boxing Association]] *[[World Boxing Council]] *[[World Professional Boxing Federation]] *[[World Boxing Federation]] *[[World Boxing Organization]] *[[World Boxing Union]] === Regional Organizations === *[[North American Boxing Federation]] *[[North American Boxing Council]] *[[United States Boxing Association]] === WBA affiliated organizations === *[[FEDELATIN]] *[[Pan Asian Boxing Association]] (PABA) *[[European Boxing Association]] (EBA) *[[North American Boxing Association]] (NABA) === Transition of WBA titles === *[[List of WBA world champions]] *[[List of WBA international champions]] *[[List of WBA Fedecentro champions]] *[[List of WBA Fedelatin champions]] *[[List of WBA Pan African champions]] *[[List of WBA women's champions]] == External links == *[http://www.wbaonline.com/ WBA official homepage] ==References== {{reflist}} [[Category:Professional boxing organisations]] [[da:WBA]] [[de:World Boxing Association]] [[es:Asociación Mundial de Boxeo]] [[fr:World Boxing Association]] [[id:World Boxing Association]] [[hu:Boksz Világszövetség]] [[nl:WBA]] [[ja:世界ボクシング協会]] [[no:World Boxing Association]] [[pl:World Boxing Association]] [[ru:Всемирная боксёрская ассоциация]] [[fi:World Boxing Association]] [[sv:World Boxing Association]] [[th:สมาคมมวยโลก]] [[zh:世界拳击协会]]