WBA's multiple champions draws ire of former WBO, ABC heads

One of the easiest ways to criticize boxing’s sanctioning bodies is over the abundance of world champions and the fees being charged to fighters whose purses, in many cases, fall far below the sport’s biggest names.

That indignity was one of the points highlighted by Zuffa Boxing in their ongoing campaign to transform the Muhammad Ali Act, and their preference to avoid working with the four major sanctioning bodies – WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO.

On one hand, two of the sanctioning bodies, the WBO and IBF, award just one belt per division. 

The WBA, however, has a combination of 28 super, regular and interim champions over 18 divisions, turning the value of its straps into something just north of a youth sports participation trophy, in some eyes.

In a scathing post on “X” Monday, former WBO President Francisco “Paco” Valcarcel asked, “When will the Association of Boxing Commissions grow a spine and force the WBA to kill the stinking ‘regular’ and ‘interim’ titles. Enforce the Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act already.”

The Mexico-based WBC offers 25 belts in 18 divisions, offering interim belts to those in holding patterns for various reasons, including heavyweight Agit Kabayel, cruiserweight Michal Cieslak and super-middleweight Lester Martinez.

Former Association of Boxing Commissions President, Mike Mazzulli, previously confronted the WBA over its glut of belts and warned the WBA that continuing the practice would warrant the ABC to recommend that state commissions “not honor the WBA belt.” Mazzulli told WBA President Gilberto Mendoza that multiple world championship belts were “misleading the public and the boxers.”

The letter, and a subsequent summit of the four sanctioning body heads, calmed some of the excess, but when Valcarcel noticed the updated WBA belts, he said he felt obligated to rip them.

When asked if he felt it looks like an obvious money grab, considering title fights usually generate a 3% fee from fighters, Valcarcel said, “I don’t know what the intention is, but it’s damaging the sport.

“Start with the transparency. Who’s the champion if there’s three belts in one division? There’s a lack of respect for the true champion. It confuses the fans. We need a clear system so the fan can trust the sport.”

Valcarcel said the wealth of belts plays right into Zuffa Boxing’s hands as they move toward winning Senate approval and obtaining the signature of President Trump to overturn the Ali Act that forbids a promoter from ranking its fighters and rewarding its own belts. The current Act also requires providing financial disclosures to fighters.

Mazzulli told BoxingScene Tuesday he will recommend new ABC President Tim Shipman to again confronts the WBA because the past misbehavior “has reared its ugly head.

“We addressed this numerous years ago, Mazzulli said. “I concur with the WBO that it should be addressed again. I don’t have a problem with interim champions if they’ll fight immediately for the full title, but I don’t want fans thinking guys are fighting for a world title when they’re not.

“This is falsifying to the fan base, and this is a sport that needs more fans.”

Mendoza and a WBA attorney did not immediately respond to messages left by BoxingScene Tuesday, and Valcarcel said his attempts to air his grievances have not been fruitful, as he cannot successfully contact Mendoza.

“The fans don’t distinguish the WBO from the WBA. We can be clean, but the fan thinks everyone is dirty,” Valcarcel said. “We all made a commitment to stop this years ago, but it turns out the WBA hasn’t done anything.”