Do you know the difference between an international and a national federation? From a practical and technical point of view, there are no differences. Both serve to manage the fighters, train them and transform them into great champions.
We can say that the biggest difference is in the scale and recognition of the organization and, consequently, in the visibility it will provide to its athletes.
While a national federation only has the means to propel its boxers within the confines of its territories, international federations can turn boxers into real rockstars.
When it comes to boxing, the four federations that inevitably stand out are:
- WBA
- IBF
- WBC
- WBO
The WBA (World Boxing Association) is the oldest of all. Founded in 1921, the WBA replaced the NBA, National Boxing Association (whose acronym is now used in basketball) in 1962, becoming the oldest federation.
Divided into three categories, WBA divided into subcategories: lightweight, middle – middleweight, heavyweight and super heavyweight.
The WBC organizes its world championships with the American fighters who dominate the rankings.
In total, 7 of them are present in a total of 18 categories, including middleweight (Keith Truman) and super welterweight (Jermell Charlo).
The IBF (International Boxing Federation) is the biggest boxing federation in the world! Founded in 1983, it is the main successor of the USBA (United States Boxing Association).
While the champions and aspirants are of all nationalities, we cannot erase from our memory the fight between Tony Tucker, the darling of the IBF, who succumbed to the powerhouse Mike Tyson, one of the greatest boxers of his time.
And finally, we have the WBO (World Boxing Organization), which is the most recent of all, but not least. Founded in 1988, the WBO saw one of the most spectacular matches in its tournaments.
His biggest fight, at least the most publicised, was McGregor, undefeated MMA champion (in the UFC federation), against Mayweather, who was stripped of his WBO champion title before the famous fight.
