I heard a wonderful rumor.

[Mendoza]

I heard a wonderful rumor this week. The WBO and the WBA have kicked around the idea of merging. If the WBO and WBA merge they will match their champions vs each other and re-claim vacant lineal titles. 15 round title unifcation matches are also on the table.

The rumor comes from a very good soruce. A boxing insider who only understands the business of boxing far better than any media person out there, but also knows the people in the organizations on a first name basis.

[McGrain]

:p

[GazOC]

Bollocks

[Mendoza]

Damned that would be great. 15 rounders back and with the merging of WBA and WBO the new organisation would be far more important than any other. Well, i hope it becomes true but since right now it´s just a rumour i´m very sceptic.

I'll give you some more detail. The WBA AND WBO used to be at odds, but in truth the WBO was born from people who bolted from the WBA. It was a " family " split up. The bad blood between the organizations is now water under the bridge and over the dam. What matters now is business.

The two organizations have agreed to give us title unification matches. Most notably Kessler vs Calzaghe, and Ibragimov vs Chagaev.

Plans for more title unifications are in the works. There has been loose talk of a big time press announcement that will not only give us more title unification matches, but also make them special 15 round attractions. The i's are not dotted and the t's are not crossed. One can only hope.

If this happens, it will be our duty as die hard fans to give full support to such a merger.

[cross_trainer]

I'll give you some more detail. The WBA AND WBO used to be at odds, but in truth the WBO was born from people who bolted from the WBA. It was a " family " split up. The bad blood between the organziations is now water under the bridge and over the dam.

The two organzations have agreed to give us title unification matches. Most notabley Kessler vs Calzaghe, and Ibragimov vs Chagaev.

Plans for more title unifcations are in the works. There has been loose talk of a big time press annoucement that will not only give us more title unifcation mathces, but also make them special 15 round attractions. The i's are not dotted and the t's are not crossed. One can only jope.

If this happens, it will be our duty as die hard fans to give full support to such a merger.

Amazing news, if accurate. This would create a very legitimate--and arguably sole--world champion, since he would be the only one who contended for his title over 15 rounds.

Of course, you could be pulling a very belated "April Fools" on us, but you seem a nice chap so I doubt it. Initially, I wondered why they would want to take such a step, but then considered that owning an "only" world champion would be very lucrative and make this a rational step.

[Mendoza]

I give you my word as a gentleman that I am not making this up. I heard it with my own ears on a phone conversation from a boxing insider who does not seek the spotlight. The person in question has great integrity and legal acumen.

[cross_trainer]

I give you my word as a gentleman that I am not making this up. I heard it with my own ears on a phone conversation from a boxing insider who does not seek the spotlight. The person in question has great integrity and legal acumen.

My apologies for sounding as if I believed you were lying--it came out sounding more skeptical than it was. If your contact is correct and the deal doesn't fall through, it is a heaven-sent opportunity for boxing.

[McGrain]

If this happens, it will be our duty as die hard fans to give full support to such a merger.


Show me where to sign my friend.

[Robot16]

If this is correct this is a great move for boxing.

[ripcity]

If this is true exlent. I would like to see a source. Not sure how I fell about 15 rounds though.

[Unchained]

15 rounders, this would be a dream come true.

[Icemmann]

15 rounders, this would be a dream come true.

Unless it's 15 rounds of John Ruiz slow dancing with Fres Oquendo.

[salsanchezfan]

If this pans out, it not only means we get one less sanctioning body AND 15-rounders; it could also set a precedent the remaining sanctioning bodies might be fearful not to keep up with. In a perfect world, it could eventually lead to 15 rounders for everyone.

Granted, that's thinking too far ahead at this point, but it's a nice thing to consider.

[fists of fury]

Well, this is interesting news indeed.

However, I have reservations. For one, the WBO was never regarded as "legitimate" by some in the business in the first place. If it were the WBC and WBA merging I'd be more excited, but the WBO?

Hey, I'll take what I can get and it's certainly better than nothing, but forgive me for not jumping up and down with excitement.

[TBooze]

I heard a wonderful rumor this week. The WBO and the WBA have kicked around the idea of merging. If the WBO and WBA merge they will match their champions vs each other and re-claim vacant lineal titles. 15 round title unifcation matches are also on the table.
.

Great....:-(

Sorry it would still be alphabet crap, just a hybrid of dog crap and cat crap...

It just seems rather silly; Lineage? People keep going on about that, but it means nothing now, there just cannot ever be a 'lineage champion'; the last one was Girard six years ago, unless there is a new division lineage will simply never exist in boxing again.

TV companies will make sure 15 rounders are non starters...

[fists of fury]

Sorry it would still be alphabet crap, just a hybrid of dog crap and cat crap...



Well said. :D

[Pat_Lowe]

I think the good news out of this is more so the reinstatement of 15 rounders, the merging of the 2 sanctioning bodies is secondary.

[ChrisPontius]

Great news but i wonder how they'll get TV right etc with 15 rounds, not to mention society's objection that 12 round fights are safer.

[Luigi1985]

15 rounders, this would be a dream come true.


But not for most of the fat HW´s... :yep

[achillesthegreat]

WBA and WBO merging would be fantastic. It would not mean lineal though.

The WBO is a splinter group from the WBA so they are going back to where they belong. Hopefully the IBF can do the same.

[achillesthegreat]

15 rounders would cause issues with the other orgs. Hopefully the WBC would do it and the IBF could be alienated.

12 rounds for eliminators etc 15 roudns for the champs so we can seperate the men from the boys.

[Duodenum]

TV companies will make sure 15 rounders are non starters...Since the golden age of televised network boxing was primarily composed of 15 rounders, my expectation is that they would be totally on board for this proposal. (If the BBB of C did it for example, the U.K. would be at the forefront of boxing for the first time since the 19th Century. If the NYSAC did it, their versions of the world championship would override those of the alphabet sewers, and New York would one again be the Mecca of boxing in the states. Don't forget that Joe Frazier said "screw you" to those puppet outfits in the late 1960's, and legitimized the NYSAC HW Title as the true championship. The person makes the title, as Frazier did for the NYSAC, and Holmes did for the IBF. If the IBF had never discontinued 15 rounders, then the WBA and WBC would no longer exist.)

The first sanctioning body which reinstates the 15 round distance might be able to put the final nail in the coffin of the WBC, the corrupt outfit which initiated it's removal.

If the IBF and WBA had never done away with the 15 round distance, the WBC and it's slimeball banana republic puppet dictator Sulamain would today be an ancient and unpleasant memory.

Unfotunately, when it comes to boxing the governing authorities have exclusively one goal in mind. Kill the goose which lays the golden eggs ASAP.

[Nemesis]

Since the golden age of televised network boxing was primarily composed of 15 rounders, my expectation is that they would be totally on board for this proposal. (If the BBB of C did it for example, the U.K. would be at the forefront of boxing for the first time since the 19th Century. If the NYSAC did it, their versions of the world championship would override those of the alphabet sewers, and New York would one again be the Mecca of boxing in the states. Don't forget that Joe Frazier said "screw you" to those puppet outfits in the late 1960's, and legitimized the NYSAC HW Title as the true championship. The person makes the title, as Frazier did for the NYSAC, and Holmes did for the IBF. If the IBF had never discontinued 15 rounders, then the WBA and WBC would no longer exist.)

The first sanctioning body which reinstates the 15 round distance might be able to put the final nail in the coffin of the WBC, the corrupt outfit which initiated it's removal.

If the IBF and WBA had never done away with the 15 round distance, the WBC and it's slimeball banana republic puppet dictator Sulamain would today be an ancient and unpleasant memory.

Unfotunately, when it comes to boxing the governing authorities have exclusively one goal in mind. Kill the goose which lays the golden eggs ASAP.

The worst thing (re. Sulaiman) is that he managed to worm his way into the HOF, completely demeaning it in every way possible

[Duodenum]

The worst thing (re. Sulaiman) is that he managed to worm his way into the HOF, completely demeaning it in every way possibleMy friend, you now owe an apology to worms the world over. (Sulaiman won't be that highly evolved for at least a million years more.)

[Ted Spoon]

If such manoeuvres are carried out then the future of Boxing will look sweet indeed.

The re-instating of 15 round bouts, and long craved for belt minimizing would cause for a huge boost in popularity, and just general interest in the sport.

[Ezzard]

Sounds great. The moment an injury occurs in rounds 13-15 though there will be outrage.

Still this would be truly great news, a merger and 15 rounds, got to be good

[barneyrub]

It would still leave the situation murky since who cares about the WBO title anyway, whats it got to do with being Undisputed? about as much as Toney`s IBA belts!

If the chagaev Ibragamov fight had happened there would still be a separate WBA champion, the WBA were going to award the winner the super title and have an elimination match for the vacant WBA title between Ruiz and Valuev or some other hopeless cases.

[TBooze]

Since the golden age of televised network boxing was primarily composed of 15 rounders, my expectation is that they would be totally on board for this proposal. (If the BBB of C did it for example, the U.K. would be at the forefront of boxing for the first time since the 19th Century. If the NYSAC did it, their versions of the world championship would override those of the alphabet sewers, and New York would one again be the Mecca of boxing in the states. Don't forget that Joe Frazier said "screw you" to those puppet outfits in the late 1960's, and legitimized the NYSAC HW Title as the true championship. The person makes the title, as Frazier did for the NYSAC, and Holmes did for the IBF. If the IBF had never discontinued 15 rounders, then the WBA and WBC would no longer exist.)

The first sanctioning body which reinstates the 15 round distance might be able to put the final nail in the coffin of the WBC, the corrupt outfit which initiated it's removal.

If the IBF and WBA had never done away with the 15 round distance, the WBC and it's slimeball banana republic puppet dictator Sulamain would today be an ancient and unpleasant memory.

Unfotunately, when it comes to boxing the governing authorities have exclusively one goal in mind. Kill the goose which lays the golden eggs ASAP.

To start of with boxing more than 12 rounds in Britain is illegal now; and I doubt that will ever change again.

Already you can only get 11 minutes of adverts in the 47 minutes of a 12 round fight, so I cannot see TV companies going for another nine minutes of fighting against three minutes of adverts.

Plus people are thick and have no patience now a days, they do not want to see another three rounds...