most prestigious belt in boxing

[CCCC]

Guys

I know this is an old chestnut. But I am doing a paper and I want a sanity check

Tell me what you think

The Ring - way above the rest. no politics, can't be stripped
WBC - the oldest, just above...
WBA - quite a way above...
IBF - younger also had some scandals.
WBO - newest of big four. All these way above...
IBO - computerised rating, try to do right thing, some big name champs. just above...
The rest - WBU, WBF, IBA etc

[bennie]

The WBA is the oldest. Most titles lack prestige these days because of all the confusing, game-killing interim titles, and the like, alongside them. Personally, I think great fighters gain more prestige ignoring the belts while still fighting over the championship limit of 12 rounds. Hopkins is quite a topical example of this (I don't think there was a belt at stake in his fight with Pavlik, and I don't care).

[Coco]

Boxers certainly do make the belts, and the Ring belt is owned by ODLH and it's his boys who tend to fight for it
The Londsdale belt still stands apart for me

[DG.]

Lonsdale Belt.

'The' Belt.

Not an accurate guide, but if you wanted to buy any world title belt it wold not cost much.

Most expensive?

1) Lonsdale

2) Ring

I am sure Henry Copper receoved £100K for his 3 belts, I know it epends who owns the belt but you could buy 1000 WBC/WBA belts etc for £100k.

[Coco]

I bought a WBA belt on ebay for $170, it was very nice but had no history.
Coopers bels did contain a lot of gold as well where modern day Lonsdales are all brass, Bobbie Vanzie only had bout £6k for his

[Coco]

Boxers certainly do make the belts, and the Ring belt is owned by ODLH and it's his boys who tend to fight for it
The Londsdale belt still stands apart for me

Yo Coco, you back for good or just visiting the site?

My PC is bust so I haven't been on much and I forgot my password on this! Typical, loads of stuff I wanted to say but couldn't log in!

[Poncey]

I bought a WBA belt on ebay for $170, it was very nice but had no history.
Coopers bels did contain a lot of gold as well where modern day Lonsdales are all brass, Bobbie Vanzie only had bout £6k for his

Had an eye on that too. DLH's "alleged" WBC belt that he fought Trinidad for was on there a while back for $5k.

The most I've seen is Frazier's WBA belt that went for $95k a few years ago.

[Old bones Ian]

Does a 'champion' of a world title get to keep his belt? or does he have to make a certain amout of defenses, like with the British title.

Someone recently told a story on here of Michael Hunter being rung up at home, and a guy from the WBF saying he had to hand his belt back. Michael said if the guy wanted to come round and fight for it in his back garden he was more than welcome. Don't think Michael heard anymore from them.

[Poncey]

Does a 'champion' of a world title get to keep his belt? or does he have to make a certain amout of defenses, like with the British title.

Someone recently told a story on here of Michael Hunter being rung up at home, and a guy from the WBF saying he had to hand his belt back. Michael said if the guy wanted to come round and fight for it in his back garden he was more than welcome. Don't think Michael heard anymore from them.

Mayweather used to walk around with all 5 of His WBCs, so I presume so. Maybe it's different for each sanctioning body?

[Coco]

Does a 'champion' of a world title get to keep his belt? or does he have to make a certain amout of defenses, like with the British title.

Someone recently told a story on here of Michael Hunter being rung up at home, and a guy from the WBF saying he had to hand his belt back. Michael said if the guy wanted to come round and fight for it in his back garden he was more than welcome. Don't think Michael heard anymore from them.

I didn't read that but thats brilliant DD

[stujones]

CCCC - Be careful about your praise of the ring belt - you now have to pay a sanctioning fee.... I predict within the next 5 years fighters will be stripped etc. They do seem to make the rules up for the more "marketable factor". For example, firstly it was something about a partially unified champion - involving the Big 3 (maybe 4) being considered the ring belt. But when Sven did this, they wouldn't award him and changed it to something like - it must involve the #1 ranked vs either the #2 or #3. As Ottke was ranked #2, and Mitchell ranked #3 it didn't count.

But then they count Klitchko's win, who best result prior to that was a defeat, over a part time golfer for a vacant WBC title as ring magazine worthy.

I'm pretty sure had Ring magazine not been so confident of Lacy beating Joe, that they would have found some loop hole as they did for Sven. They want the belt defended in the USA - Klitchsko would do that.

[DG.]

CCCC - Be careful about your praise of the ring belt - you now have to pay a sanctioning fee.... I predict within the next 5 years fighters will be stripped etc. They do seem to make the rules up for the more "marketable factor". For example, firstly it was something about a partially unified champion - involving the Big 3 (maybe 4) being considered the ring belt. But when Sven did this, they wouldn't award him and changed it to something like - it must involve the #1 ranked vs either the #2 or #3. As Ottke was ranked #2, and Mitchell ranked #3 it didn't count.

But then they count Klitchko's win, who best result prior to that was a defeat, over a part time golfer for a vacant WBC title as ring magazine worthy.

I'm pretty sure had Ring magazine not been so confident of Lacy beating Joe, that they would have found some loop hole as they did for Sven. They want the belt defended in the USA - Klitchsko would do that.

Yes, the Ring belt won't mean shit in 2 years let alone 5!

The Magazine is a waste of time for UK readers and the belt is some frilly looking garter.

Lonsdale all the way!

[banjo]

Lonsdale is definitely the most prestigious.

The Ring belt means about as much as the magazine itself these days

[CCCC]

I accept all these points.

But I was talking about world title belts here

so what is your order then???????

[Coco]

I accept all these points.

But I was talking about world title belts here

so what is your order then???????

There is no order, it is all about the fighter that holds them

[DG.]

In a line up you would say of the World Titles it the WBC.

But the fighter makes the belt.

[Cannibal]

The Ring belt lost meaning around the time Vitali Klitschko was parading it around like it was the only thing he ever needed to win. Every interview he'd refer to himself as "The Ring" champion. They started changing the struture of it after that.

Personally, it's not a belt, but I think the title of P4P #1 is the most prestigious. To get it, you have to fight the best. Any mug can win a world title, but only the elite get called P4P #1.

[bennie]

I accept all these points.

But I was talking about world title belts here

so what is your order then???????

There is no order in disorder. The world title scene is farcical.

[twenty six]

There was a time when if you won the Lonsdale you kept it until it was outright yours, (used to be win plus 2 defences, now 3 defences) or handed it in if you lost.
Nowadays you don't get to take the belt away until you've won it outright.
Rhodes handed his back in the dressing room at Bethnal Green, then the Board Rep brought it to Sheffield for his first defence.
It's a beautiful thing in comparison to all the others.
Makes it difficult to get photos of him with the two belts together !
He's got a couple of Intercontinental belts as well, but they rarely come out.
The Lonsdale's got pride of place on the sideboard.

[WildWaylon]

Lonsdale Belt.

'The' Belt.

Not an accurate guide, but if you wanted to buy any world title belt it wold not cost much.

Most expensive?

1) Lonsdale

2) Ring

I am sure Henry Copper receoved £100K for his 3 belts, I know it epends who owns the belt but you could buy 1000 WBC/WBA belts etc for £100k.

Thats correct what Cooper got for them or there abouts but i thought nowadays the lonsdale belt is not made of the same material, i thought it was made of something cheap.

WBU belt, plastic and milk bottle tops

[stujones]

Didn't have to wait long 26!.

[Phenomenal-Nutrition]

I say you can't beat being Linear Champion - the man who beat the man. Not a belt but we know who the real champion. This goes down the drain with Erdei, whos pish, but it depends if you count DM as the Linear too, RJJ was P4P no1 in the division when Hill and DM were supposedly fighting for linear status

ANyone remember when Calazage was going to enforce his WBO right to fight the champion the division above in facing the limited Gonzalez who just beat DM but changed his mind after Erdei beat Gonzalez

[Mooresy]

There was a time when if you won the Lonsdale you kept it until it was outright yours, (used to be win plus 2 defences, now 3 defences) or handed it in if you lost.
Nowadays you don't get to take the belt away until you've won it outright.
Rhodes handed his back in the dressing room at Bethnal Green, then the Board Rep brought it to Sheffield for his first defence.
It's a beautiful thing in comparison to all the others.
Makes it difficult to get photos of him with the two belts together !
He's got a couple of Intercontinental belts as well, but they rarely come out.
The Lonsdale's got pride of place on the sideboard.

When I won mine in 2003 they let me take a brand new one home because Wayne Alexander had it still and they hadn't got it back off him. Think they changed the rule because the links on them break pretty easily, so when people were winning them they were taking them out a lot, obviously proud, but breaking them and the board were constantly getting them repaired. This way if you break it you hav to pay for it, coz by the time you've got it to break it's yours!! Lonsdale's the most prestigious and here's why, if i'm not mistaken it was the first belt ever. Before belts were invented you were just 'called' champion, but I think it was in the early 1900's, around 1918?, that the first 'belt' was given as a sign of the champion. I came across this because I was the first fighter from Salford to be British champion in over 100 years, since Joe Bowker in 1902, and I was looking him up to find out about him and found that he never had a Lonsdale belt because they were'nt around then. So that made me the first fighter ever from Salford to have won a Lonsdale belt. Not that I'm boasting or anything!!!! That's my bit a of history lesson for you guys. My heads hurting now. And my fingers.

[twenty six]

Bang on the money, Jamie.
Ryan's had to shell out to have his repaired.
Silky hadn't been very careful with it, when it was handed over !

[ApolloCreed]

Dragging up an old one here...

I say you can't beat being Linear Champion - the man who beat the man. Not a belt but we know who the real champion. This goes down the drain with Erdei, whos pish, but it depends if you count DM as the Linear too, RJJ was P4P no1 in the division when Hill and DM were supposedly fighting for linear status

Where can you find a list of all the current linear champions?