World Boxing Organization for a long time was not recognized in authoritative boxing circles, some authority was used in Europe, and its championship belt was not included in the list of mandatory to win the title of absolute world champion, but since the mid-2000s, the situation has changed. She was recognized by the other three major organizations and now the title of absolute champion includes the WBO.
The formation of the WBO began when several businessmen from Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic disagreed with the rules dictated by the WBA. This happened on Margarita Island in Venezuela at the WBA’s annual convention in 1988.
The first to lead the organization was Dominican Ramon Pina Acevedo. Soon after the constitution and bylaws were approved, the WBO began organizing boxing bouts in different countries. The first WBO world boxing title was shared between Thomas Hearns and James Kinchen. The fight was in the super middleweight division, and Hearns won the fight.
A little later, José Torres, a former boxer and holder of the World Boxing Association (WBA) light heavyweight title, was elected president of the organization. The purpose of this formation was to increase the respectability of the WBO, as well as to cement a more tangible connection to the boxing world. In 1996, Torres was succeeded by a more bureaucratic successor, Puerto Rican lawyer Francisco Valcarcel, who still serves as WBO president.
WBO does not disperse into different titles, there is one title for the most deserving champion. The organization has a worthy slogan: “Dignity, Democracy, Honesty”. In the media, the attitude toward the WBO is ambiguous. Not everyone recognizes the association and champions from the list of leaders of the organization.
The main belt weighs 3.6 kg and is made of brown leather. In the center is a gilded medal and two smaller medals on the side of it. The main medal shows a world map, a logo, and the inscription “world champion”. In the upper part of the eagle, which embraces the medal.
What is WBO?
WBO is an abbreviation standing for the World Boxing Organization, a sport association, which was established in 1988. WBO handles boxing matches internationally and is one of the four most influential boxing communities in the world, even though at the beginning of its history it didn’t have any influence.
In terms of visual identity, the World Boxing Organization chooses simple design but confident shapes, the combination of which creates quite a strong image for the WBO and represents it as a reputable and influential boxing association.
The World Boxing Organization logo depicts a horizontally stretched white globe with thin light blue meridians and a thick golden outline. The WBO abbreviation is written across the globe in a bold serif typeface, with the capital characters set in a dark shade of red and boasting a thin black shadow, which adds distinction and volume to the composition. The graphical emblem is underlined by a lightweight sans-serif “World Boxing Organization” inscription and accompanied by a drawing of two crossed red boxing gloves.
The primary logo of the World Boxing Organization features two styles of lettering: a lightweight title case inscription in a modern sans-serif font, looking close to Formula Serialtrade or TS Formulatrade; and a bold serif uppercase abbreviation set in a stylized serif type, which is somewhat close to Pleasantwood JNL, but with significant modifications.
As for the color palette of the World Boxing Organization, it is based on a combination of white and red, with blue and gold as additional colors. Red here stands for passion and brutality, while white adds a sense of reliability, blue — for confidence, and gold — for importance and excellence.