Ring Observer Boxing by Scoop Malinowski
Boxing has a practice of allowing sanctioning bodies to force boxers who win world titles to have to pay money to buy their belts.
Whether it’s a world title, regular title, interim title, diamond belt, whatever, sanctioning bodies like WBA, WBC, IBF, WBO, IBO charge the boxer a fee for their belt, sometimes over a thousand dollars for world titles.
I first learned about this greed by boxing sanctioning bodies from Kendall Holt who told me he had to pay over $1000 for his WBO belt.
This boxing rule is ridiculous and it has to be changed immediately. These fighters are risking their lives to win a world title belt and they should not also have to pay out of their pockets for the belt after they win it inside the ring.
If these sanctioning bodies are so broke that they have to steal money from boxers, maybe they don’t deserve to be in business anymore. To steal money from any boxer who risks his life inside the ring is one of the most absurd injustices in the world of sports.
Compare tennis to boxing. In professional tennis no champion who wins a professional tournament has to pay for his trophy, on any level. They earned it by winning the tournament and they get it moments after they win the final match.
I’m calling for an immediate change in pro boxing policy. Boxing must abolish the rule of making boxers pay sanctioning bodies for the belts, as soon as possible.
Or what is next…will these sanctioning bodies begin charging boxers to be ranked in the top ten? How do we know this isn’t already happening?
