Women's International Boxing Association

Last updated
Women's International Boxing Association
AbbreviationWIBA
FounderRyan Wissow and Luis Bello-Diaz
Purpose Boxing sanctioning organization
Headquarters Cooper City, Florida
Location
Region
Worldwide
Website wiba-champions.com

The Women's International Boxing Association (WIBA) is a sanctioning body for women's professional boxing. Established in July 2000, it quickly grew into a major force in the sport. [1]

Contents

History

The WIBA was officially founded by American Ryan Wissow, and Colombian Luis Bello-Diaz. Ryan Wissow is the president and owner of the WIBA. Luis Bello-Diaz heads the Universal Boxing Council (UBC), an obscure men's sanctioning body headquartered in Bello's hometown of Cartagena, Colombia. The UBC is a separate entity from the WIBA.

The WIBA is considered a respectable championship organization for a number of reasons. The WIBA has received praise for their accurate and up-to-date ratings, the quality of WIBA title fights in consistent. A number of highly touted boxers have held WIBA titles at some point in their career including names like Layla Ali and Amanda Serrano.

WIBA has had title fights in Asia, Europe, South America, and the Caribbean, in addition to the USA. WIBA is very geographically balanced, having champions and title fights in many parts of the world, and giving opportunities to female fighters all over the globe, truly opening up the sport worldwide.

WIBA is also credited for several 'firsts' in the sport. WIBA was the first to establish a 102-pound division for women's boxing, citing the need for a smaller weight class for female boxers. WIBA is also credited for legalizing women's professional boxing in the Philippines. Women's professional boxing was not legal in the Philippines (despite the fact that the island nation has a strong amateur women's boxing team). Ryan Wissow and the WIBA worked with the Games and Amusement Board (GAB), who oversee all professional sports in the Philippines, to change the laws in their books to allow women to box there professionally. The WIBA is also responsible for sanctioning the very first title fight, male or female, to take place in Guyana and in Macao.

The WIBA rates all worthy professional female boxers, including champions of other sanctioning bodies. WIBA also encourages unification bouts with other major women's sanctioning bodies like the IWBF, IFBA, WIBF, and the WBC Female Title.

WIBA's current and former champions include Laila Ali, Jacqui Frazier-Lyde, Ann Wolfe,Destiny Day-Owens,Leatitia Robinson, Gina Guidi, Sumya Anani, Kara Ro, Chevelle Hallback, Maribel Zurita, Ria Ramnarine, Emiko Raika, Marcela Acuña, Ada Vélez, Anita Christensen, Melinda Cooper, Jenifer Alcorn, Jeannine Garside, Mary Jo Sanders, Duda Yankovich and Melissa Hernández, Sylvia Scharper.

Current champions

Weight classChampionReign beganDaysRecord
Atomweight Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Denise Castle October 26, 201921003–2
Mini flyweight Flag of Germany.svg Asiye Özlem Sahin Mar 16, 2019232425–2–1
Light flyweight vacant
Flyweight Flag of Australia (converted).svg Jasmine Parr
Super flyweight Flag of Australia (converted).svg Susie Ramadan February 15, 2020198828–3
Bantamweight Flag of the United States.svg Rosalinda RodriguezMarch 23, 2019231711–0
Super bantamweight Flag of Hong Kong.svg Ruru Yang [2] May 30, 20244226–0–0
Featherweight vacant
Super featherweight Flag of South Korea.svg Bo Mi Re ShinMarch 17, 201923239–1–3
Lightweight vacant
Light welterweight Flag of Germany.svg Alicia KummerApril 29, 20173010
Welterweight Flag of Ireland.svg Katelynn Phelan October 17, 202017434–0
Light middleweight vacant
Middleweight Flag of Slovenia.svg Ema Kozin December 15, 2017278019–0–1
Super middleweight Flag of Slovenia.svg Ema Kozin October 14, 2018247719–0–1
Light heavyweight vacant
Heavyweight vacant

See also

References

  1. "Statistics at boxrec.com". boxrec.com. 31 December 2012. Retrieved 1 January 2013.
  2. Chan, Mike (31 May 2024). "Hong Kong's first woman world champion Yang regrets winning 'only' by decision". South China Morning Post.