China Bids to Make Presence Felt in Pro Boxing Through WBBU
By Teodoro Medina Reynoso
PhilBoxing.com
Mon, 16 Dec 2019
Don't look now but starting next year China is set to make its presence felt in professional boxing in the Asia Pacific region, including the Philippines through a new boxing body called the World Boxing Buddies Union or WBBU.
This was revealed by Robert Bridges, a Japanese American boxing judge and referee based in the Philippines and accredited by the Games and Amusement Board (GAB) upon his return from China where he officiated in two major international boxing bouts organized by the WBBU.
The WBBU was originally established in the United States in 2009. It had since relocated to Beijing, China where its headquarters is currently located, with Baojian Zhang as Chairman.
Bridges said he has been a member of WBBU since August of 2018 and recently appointed as regional representative for both the United States and the Philippines.
The GAB last November 12 has approved a resolution regarding the application for accreditation of the WBBU as one of the sanctioning organizations for staging professional boxing contests in the Philippines under its supervision.
Bridges said the WBBU plans to start having boxing promotions in the country by the first quarter of new year, 2020.
The WBBU has also established cooperative relations with Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, New Zealand, Mongolia, Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Turkey, Spain, Sweden, South Africa, Zambia and the United States.
Last November 24, Bridges refereed two WBBU title bouts where Ziquang Hou of China stopped Thailand's Vachayan Khamon for the WBBU intercontinental welterweight title and another Chinese fighter Mingchun Chen knocked out in the first round former WBO champion Chaya Pothang for the WBBU light heavyweight championship in a nationally televised promotion in Beijing.
Recognized boxing sanctioning bodies have been instrumental in the development of pro boxing and the emergence of top boxing nations in the world.
The United States and England where modern boxing originated dominated the fight sport from the early years through the World Boxing Association.
Mexico and other Latin American as well as Asian countries including Japan, the Philippines and Thailand became leading boxing nations through the World Boxing Council established in 1962.
The international Boxing Federation was created in 1983 to rival the WBA and the WBC and countries as South Korea, the Philippines, Indonesia and Thailand benefited by way of world title opportunities particularly in the lower weight divisions.
The World Boxing Organization established in 1988 to cater primarily to boxers from Europe became the fourth major boxing sanctioning body after years of struggling for international recognition. And Asian boxing also benefited from the WBO with the exception of Japan which only recognized until recently the WBA and the WBC.
There had been other international boxing bodies that were formed through the years including the World Boxing Federation (WBF), the International Boxing Association (IBA) and the World Boxing Union (WBU).
There also was the International Boxing Organization (IBO) which caters primarily for boxers from Africa and is considered as the closest to being recognized as the fifth major sanctioning boxing body.
Since China legalized professional boxing in the new millennium following the Olympic success of Zhou Shiming and other Chinese boxers, it has promoted the game under the auspices of the different existing boxing bodies.
But in nearly two decades, it has produced just three world champions, Shiming and Chao Xiongchong who once held world titles at flyweight and minimumweight and Can Xu who as WBA regular featherweight champion is the lone Chinese major titleholder at present.
With this low rate of success, Chinese boxing authorities could have deemed the relocation of the WBBU as the catalyst needed not only to boost further the fight sport in the mainland but also promote and give break to top Chinese boxers to fight for international and even world titles as sanctioned by the WBBU.
The entry of the WBBU could add to the already muddled state of affair in global and international pro boxing but if it will mean business for local promoters and more opportunities and earnings for local fighters, it is worth supporting.
After all, what is important is that the new organization delivers better bottomlines for all concerned, especially the boxing fans where China has without argument, the most number globally.
This had prompted Bob Arum to try and corner the huge Chinese market early this decade through his then prize ward Manny Pacquiao.
With the WBBU, the entry of American or Western promoters to spur pro boxing in China and the region may no longer be necessary.
The author Teodoro Medina Reynoso is a veteran boxing radio talk show host living in the Philippines. He can be reached at teddyreynoso@yahoo.com and by phone 09215309477.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Teodoro Medina Reynoso.
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