In current professional boxing, power is held by four major federations – the World Boxing Council (WBC), the World Boxing Association (WBA), the International Boxing Federation (IBF) and the World Boxing Organization (WBO). The WBA is the oldest of the four organizers of boxing fights.
The official history of professional boxing began in 1921. Before that, there were no weight categories, no ratings, no clear rules for fights, and no tournament regulations. That is why the first professional boxing organization appeared in the USA, which took responsibility for solving these issues, the National Boxing Association, which in 1962 was renamed the World Boxing Association and gave rise to several other organizations.
In its 100 years of existence, the WBA has been governed by 43 North American presidents (except for Canadians Frank Hogas (1937) and Niro Mackenzie (1964). In 1964, Panamanian physician Elias Cordova became the first Latino to serve on the WBA Executive Committee, and 10 years later, he took over as president of the organization. After that, WBA leaders were predominantly Hispanic.
Today the World Boxing Association Ranking includes the strongest boxers in the world in seventeen weight categories. Updates are published monthly on the official website of the organization.
The World Boxing Association gives out a very large number of minor belts. In total, challengers can win 21 titles, including regional, international, Australian, and other belts. In addition, in almost every weight class, the World Boxing Organization distinguishes three champions: super-champion, current champion, and interim champion.
The belt of this association is valued by boxers and is coveted because it is the very first boxing organization, but not everyone thinks so. The belt is made in black color, the material is leather. In the middle is a large gilt medal with a crown and precious stones. There are two smaller medals on the sides. The weight of the belt reaches 3.6 kg. Since the appearance of the association, the belt has changed several times.
What is WBA?
WBA is an abbreviation standing for the World Boxing Association, originally called the National Boxing Association (NBA). It was formed back in 1921 in Rhode Island., and renamed in 1962. It was from it that the IBF and WBC emerged, which were originally its subsidiaries, but later broke away and created independent organizations.
In terms of visual identity, WBA looks pretty much old school, as its logo hasn’t been changed for many years. Although, the badge of the organization depicts its purpose and values, and emphasizes the “international” level of its activity.
The logo of the World Boxing Association is a solid blue roundel in a smooth and bright shade, with a wide frame in a white outline, where the bold white uppercase inscription is written in a geometric serif typeface, and a central part stylized as a globe with white meridians and a thick red outline. The WBA abbreviation is inscribed into the globe, repeating its shape with the arched bars of the characters. On both sides of the central element, there are two black-and-white figures of boxers, which are supported by the black-and-white “Simply the Pioneers” tagline, written in sharp cursive at the bottom of the composition.
There are three types of fonts used in the official logo of the World Boxing Association: the central abbreviation is set in a stylized modern sans-serif, with wide bars and straight cuts of the lines; the full name of the organization is written in a geometric serif typeface with square serifs on the bars, it looks quite close to such fonts as Jawbreak or Empirez, and the tagline is executed in a handwritten outlined cursive.
As for the color palette of the World Boxing Association’s visual identity, it is very delightful and at the same time strong and patriotic. The combination of blue, white, and red looks elegant and powerful, and evokes a sense of professionalism and excellence.