Ring Magazine Boxing Rating Article

A Short History Of Boxing

The world of boxing is certainly controversial and has had many problems over the years with lawsuits and a few boxers ending up in jail after winning national titles.

The World Boxing Council was started by 12 countries some of which were the United States, France, Mexico, Peru, Panama, Brazil and others. There were nine governing bodies.

If you are into boxing you have most likely heard of the World Boxing Council, which originated with Don King. The acting president is Jose Sulaiman who runs the organization. However, Mr. King is clearly the governing body and makes all of the decisions. Some people believe that Don King corrupted the world of boxing by bending the rules to suit his needs

Mr. King really popularized the sport and has brought it to the forefront on many levels. At one time, the sport was played behind the scenes in warehouse and small gyms across the country. However, Mr. King worked towards popularizing the sport and promoting boxers and the sport itself.

In the boxing world, the biggest upset of all time was the 1978 fight between Leon Spinks and Muhammad Ali. Most people thought Muhammad Ali would win however, Leon Spinks won. Then another great fight was the rematch between the two. Then another well known fight was between Larry Holmes and Ken Norton. This was another fight that was promoted successfully by Don King.

The world of boxing changed completely, and was deemed somewhat safer when the WBC reduced the number of bouts from 15 rounds to 12. This made the match somewhat safer.

Don King worked to find and promote talent. He promoted fights that were fought not necessarily to defend titles but, the promotions and the hype made people want to watch and cheer for the underdogs. He thought long term and hoped the fighter would bring in residual benefits for years to come.

Don King acted like a father figure for the fighters and he was criticized for this. Some people believed he was exploiting fighters for his own financial benefit. He also ran into some problems with some fighters such as Mike Tyson who ended up in prison and James Buster Douglas who has his share of problems.

Don King had a list of champions that he promoted and were lucrative for everyone involved including Roy Jones and Gracino Rocchigiani, Carlos Zarcate, Bobby Chacon and hector Camacho.

The WBC suffered several lawsuits claiming that the organization exhibited actions that diminished boxers and caused unnecessary harm. In 2004, the WBC entered into bankruptcy and the organization dissolved.

Today there are a multitude of boxing organizations in place including the North American federation, Caribbean Boxing Federation, European Boxing Union, Asian Boxing Council and the World Boxing Council.