European Boxing Union

The European Boxing Union (EBU), formerly known as the International Boxing Union (IBU), is a pan-European governing body that sanctions championship bouts in professional boxing. The EBU governs the most-prestigious^{[citation needed]} continental title in Europe, the EBU European Championship, in addition to their EBU EU Championship for competitors from within the European Union and the EBU EE Championship for those outside the European Union. It is a federation affiliated with the World Boxing Council (WBC).

During most of the 20th century and, specially, during that era's first decades, the EBU recognized many world title fights as the IBU. It competed against the American-based

(NBA), which staged the more widely recognized world title fights.

History

International Boxing Union (1911–1942)

The International Boxing Union (IBU) was created June 1911 in Paris, France. It was the first attempt to create a unified international governing body for professional boxing. Signators of the Protocol for the IBU were the President of Fédération Française de Boxe et de Lutte for France, the President of Fédération Belge de Boxe for Belgium, and the President of Société Française de Propagation de la Boxe Anglaise who acted on behalf of some American boxing authorities. Switzerland joined the IBU in November 1913. Denmark, the Netherlands, Italy, Sweden, Norway, Brazil, Argentine, Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom also joined. By 1922, the UK had withdrawn support, and the US was never fully committed.^[1]

The IBU suspended operations with the outbreak of World War I, but resumed action on February 5, 1920.

Associazione Pugilistica Professionistica Europea (1942–1944)

Headquartered in Paris, the IBU was in the hands of the Nazis and Italian Fascists during the Nazi occupation of France during World War II. On 5 June 1942, the Associazione Pugilistica Professionistica Europea (APPE) was formally established, replacing the IBU. Vittorio Mussolini, eldest son of Italian dictator Benito Mussolini, was declared the APPE's first President. The first official meeting of the APPE's steering committee was held June 7, who recognized the following European champions: Enrico Urbinati (fly), Gino Bondavalli (bantam and feather), Ascenzo Botta (light), vacant - it was announced to Marcel Cerdan that he had lost his title (welter), Jupp Besselmann (middle), Luigi Musina (light-heavy), and Max Schmeling (heavy).

The lira was adopted as the official currency for bout and congress fees. The APPE also changed the division weights by adopting the kilogram: 51 kilos (fly), 54 (bantam), 58 (feather), 62 (light), 67 (junior middle—abolishing the term "welter"), 73 (middle), 80 (light-heavy), and 80-plus (heavy). Ultimately, all European bouts held under the APPE's aegis were matched at these weights until December 1944.

It was planned that after the Axis won World War II, the APPE would be transformed into the APPI (Associazione Pugilistica Professionistica Internazionale) and be headquartered in Rome. But by December 1, 1944, the IBU/APPE was extinct.

European Boxing Union (1946–present)

The

(EBA)--but other countries protested because the two veteran countries would have reintroduced the principle that the European Champion would be decided by a bout between British and French champions. Instead, in 1946, the European Boxing Union (EBU) was established.

In 1963, the president of Mexico, Adolfo López Mateos, invited the EBU, the British Boxing Board of Control, the New York State Athletic Commission, and the national sanctioning organizations of nine other countries to form the World Boxing Council. The EBU's personnel ultimately decided to recognize regional title bouts as a federation under the WBC.

During the 1990s, the EBU began to recognize women's boxing regional championship bouts, and welcomed former Yugoslavian country Bosnia and Herzegovina as a member country.

Currently, winning an EBU title is considered important, but not necessary, by many European boxers in order to go on and fight for a world title of the four most widely recognized world championship boxing organizations, the

, the EBU issued subtitles for the Union countries (EBU-EU title) and "External" countries (EBU-EE title), below their main EBU title which would cover all 50 countries on the continent and 3/4 billion residents.

In light of the

Rules

The EBU follows certain rules, but most rules in EBU bouts obey the rules set by the independent boxing commission of the country where an EBU fight will be held at. Some of the EBU rules are that a fighter must not be younger than 20 years of age when fighting for an EBU championship, and that hotel accommodation for boxers, referees and European Boxing Union officials visiting a country for an EBU fight must be paid by the fight's promoter. The EBU does, however, pay for the air or train tickets of referees and officials that travel away from home for an EBU fight. Other rules are also imposed on EBU recognized events, but not many of the EBU rules interfere with the fighting rules to be followed during the fight itself.

The EBU recognizes world titles sanctioned by the WBA, WBC, IBF, WBO and IBO. A boxer holding a world title is rendered ineligible for EBU, including EU and EE, rankings.^[3][4]

A male boxer must have competed in at least eight bouts to be eligible for rankings. For female boxers, it is four bouts. At least five of a boxer's last 10 bouts must have taken place in Europe and sanctioned by an EBU affiliate association, two of which in the last 24 months, to be eligible for rankings.^[3]

A boxer challenging for a European title from another sanctioning body is disqualified from rankings for nine months. A boxer holding such a title will only be eligible for rankings after 12 months from the time of having relinquished it.^[3]

EBU members

Albania Austria Belarus Belgium Bosnia and Herzegovina Bulgaria Croatia Czechia Denmark Estonia Finland France Georgia Germany Great Britain Greece Hungary Italy Kazakhstan Kosovo Latvia Lithuania

North Macedonia Malta provisional member Moldova Monaco Montenegro Netherlands Norway Poland Republic of Ireland Republic of Srpska provisional member Romania Russia Serbia Slovakia Spain Sweden Switzerland Turkey Ukraine

Current champions

Male

Weight class:	Champion:	Reign began:
Heavyweight	Oleksandr Zakhozhyi	13 April 2024
Cruiserweight	Michał Cieślak	22 April 2023
Light-heavyweight	vacant
Super-middleweight	Kevin Lele Sadjo	18 December 2021
Middleweight	Tyler Denny	18 November 2023
Super-welterweight	vacant
Welterweight	Jordy Weiss	31 October 2023
Super-lightweight	Adam Azim	18 November 2023
Lightweight	Gavin Gwynne	1 December 2023
Super-featherweight	Juan Felix Gomez	5 May 2023
Featherweight	Mauro Forte	5 May 2023
Super-bantamweight	Liam Davies	19 November 2022
Bantamweight	Thomas Essomba	20 May 2023
Flyweight	Conner Butler	9 June 2023

Female

Weight class:	Champion:	Reign began:
Super-middleweight	vacant
Middleweight	vacant
Super-welterweight	Priscilla Peterle	8 April 2022
Welterweight	Dee Allen	3 November 2023
Super-lightweight	Flora Pili	5 May 2023
Lightweight	Rhiannon Dixon	30 September 2023
Super-featherweight	vacant
Featherweight	Sheila Martinez	24 February 2023
Super-bantamweight	vacant
Bantamweight	vacant
Super-flyweight	Lauren Parker	2 December 2023
Flyweight	Chloe Watson	1 December 2023
Light-flyweight	vacant
Strawweight	Isabel Rivero	15 December 2023

Other regional WBC federations

• Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation (OPBF)
• Asian Boxing Council (ABCO)
• African Boxing Union (ABU)
• Caribbean Boxing Federation (CABOFE)
• Central American Boxing Federation (FECARBOX)
• CIS and Slovenian Boxing Bureau (CISBB)
• North American Boxing Federation (NABF)
• South American Boxing Federation (FESUBOX)

See also

• List of European Boxing Union champions
• List of European Boxing Union female champions

References

• EBU Championships BoxRec Boxing Records

External links

• Official website