Do you wonder why there are barely any good fights in boxing between good fighters? A big reason for this is that there are too many world title belts in each division/weight class. We have the WBO, WBC, WBA, IBF belts. With 4 different belts, the best fighters don’t have to face each other at all. Shouldn’t the title of world champion be given to only one person only? Here are the reasons why we should only have one belt in each division/weight class.
- Only the strongest survive
Too many belts in boxing create fake champions, fighters who take easier paths and still get to call themselves “world champions.” But with only one belt per division, there would be no shortcuts, no hiding, and no pretending. Every fighter would have to earn their spot by taking on the best competition. This would lead to more exciting fights, fewer ducked matchups, and a true measure of who the strongest really is. A perfect example is Ryan Garcia vs. Devin Haney. two elite fighters, but only one could win. Ryan proved he was the better man, just like every real champion should have to do.
- Give the fans what they want:
Fans who watch boxing want to watch good fights. As a person who boxes myself I would love to see fights where good fighters actually fight one another instead of them fighting randomly matched opponents. A good fight that could happen with only one belt is Shakur Stevenson vs. Gervonta Davis. The current system allows any fighter to duck the fighter that has the WBO belt, because they know they can’t win against them, and then go for the champion that holds the WBC title because they know they could stand a chance. Fights where good boxers actually face other good boxers only happen a few times a year. Those fights are the ones that make the most money and get most people’s attention. Meaning if there were just one championship belt then the stakes would be higher with way more good fights each year.
- Win Win
Only one belt would benefit both the boxing community, fighters, and the people who run the sport. Fans would get better, more meaningful fights since every top fighter would have to face each other to claim one true title. This would make boxing more exciting and bring in more viewers, which means bigger crowds, high pay-per-view sales, and more money for promoters, networks, and fighters. Everybody wins. Fans get the high-quality action that they want, and the business side of boxing becomes stronger, popular, and more profitable.
