Women's International Boxing Association
Encyclopedia
The Women's International Boxing Association (WIBA) a sanctioning body for women's professional boxing
came into existence in July 2000, and quickly grew into a major force in the sport.
The WIBA was officially founded by American Ryan Wissow, and Colombian Luis Bello-Diaz.
Ryan Wissow is the president and owner of the WIBA.
Luis Bello-Diaz heads the Universal Boxing Council (UBC), an obscure men's sanctioning body headquartered in Bello's hometown of Cartagena, Colombia. The UBC is a separate entity from the WIBA.
WIBA is considered by many within the sport as the best and most respected sanctioning body in women's professional boxing, for a number of reasons.
WIBA is almost universally praised in the boxing community for their accurate and up-to-date ratings, and also for the overall consistent quality of WIBA title fights.
The contenders rated by the WIBA are worthy of their status, and most of the WIBA champions are considered the legitimate best of their respective weight divisions.
WIBA is seen by many within the sport as the crown jewel of women's boxing, distinguishing itself from other sanctioning bodies.
WIBA has had title fights in Asia, Europe, South America, and the Caribbean, in addition to the USA.
WIBA is very geographically balanced, having champions and title fights in many parts of the world, and giving opportunities to female fighters all over the globe, truly opening up the sport worldwide.
WIBA is credited by some in the sport for having "raised the bar" of women's professional boxing, helping to make it a more respectable professional sport, not only by having higher standards and ethics, but also by adding depth to the talent pool by including quality female fighters from all over the world into its ratings and title fights.
WIBA is also credited for several 'firsts' in the sport.
WIBA was the first to establish a 102 pound division for women's boxing, citing the need for a smaller weight class for female boxers. WIBA is also credited for legalizing women's professional boxing in the Philippines
. Women's professional boxing was not legal in the Philippines (despite the fact that the island nation has a strong amateur women's boxing team). Ryan Wissow and the WIBA worked with the Games and Amusement Board (GAB), who oversee all professional sports in the Philippines, to change the laws in their books to allow women to box there professionally.
The WIBA is also responsible for sanctioning the very first title fight, male or female, to take place in Guyana
.
The WIBA rates all worthy professional female boxers, including champions of other sanctioning bodies.
WIBA also encourages unification bouts with other major women's sanctioning bodies like the IWBF
, IFBA
, WIBF
, and the WBC
Female Title.
WIBA's current and former champions include Laila Ali
, Jackie Frazier-Lyde
, Ann Wolfe
, Leatitia Robinson
, Gina Guidi
, Sumya Anani
, Kara Ro
, Chevelle Hallback
, Maribel Zurita
, Ria Ramnarine
, Emiko Raika
, Marcela Acuña
, Ada Vélez
, Anita Christensen
, Melinda Cooper
, Jenifer Alcorn
, Sharon Anyos, Jeannine Garside
, Anissa Zamarron, Gwendolyn O'Neil, Mary Jo Sanders
, Duda Yankovich, Melissa Hernández
and many others.
Women's boxing
Women's boxing first appeared in the Olympic Games at a demonstration bout in 1902. For most of the 20th century, however, it was banned in most nations. Its revival was pioneered by the Swedish Amateur Boxing Association, which sanctioned events for women in 1988. The British Amateur Boxing...
came into existence in July 2000, and quickly grew into a major force in the sport.
The WIBA was officially founded by American Ryan Wissow, and Colombian Luis Bello-Diaz.
Ryan Wissow is the president and owner of the WIBA.
Luis Bello-Diaz heads the Universal Boxing Council (UBC), an obscure men's sanctioning body headquartered in Bello's hometown of Cartagena, Colombia. The UBC is a separate entity from the WIBA.
WIBA is considered by many within the sport as the best and most respected sanctioning body in women's professional boxing, for a number of reasons.
WIBA is almost universally praised in the boxing community for their accurate and up-to-date ratings, and also for the overall consistent quality of WIBA title fights.
The contenders rated by the WIBA are worthy of their status, and most of the WIBA champions are considered the legitimate best of their respective weight divisions.
WIBA is seen by many within the sport as the crown jewel of women's boxing, distinguishing itself from other sanctioning bodies.
WIBA has had title fights in Asia, Europe, South America, and the Caribbean, in addition to the USA.
WIBA is very geographically balanced, having champions and title fights in many parts of the world, and giving opportunities to female fighters all over the globe, truly opening up the sport worldwide.
WIBA is credited by some in the sport for having "raised the bar" of women's professional boxing, helping to make it a more respectable professional sport, not only by having higher standards and ethics, but also by adding depth to the talent pool by including quality female fighters from all over the world into its ratings and title fights.
WIBA is also credited for several 'firsts' in the sport.
WIBA was the first to establish a 102 pound division for women's boxing, citing the need for a smaller weight class for female boxers. WIBA is also credited for legalizing women's professional boxing in the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
. Women's professional boxing was not legal in the Philippines (despite the fact that the island nation has a strong amateur women's boxing team). Ryan Wissow and the WIBA worked with the Games and Amusement Board (GAB), who oversee all professional sports in the Philippines, to change the laws in their books to allow women to box there professionally.
The WIBA is also responsible for sanctioning the very first title fight, male or female, to take place in Guyana
Guyana
Guyana , officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, previously the colony of British Guiana, is a sovereign state on the northern coast of South America that is culturally part of the Anglophone Caribbean. Guyana was a former colony of the Dutch and of the British...
.
The WIBA rates all worthy professional female boxers, including champions of other sanctioning bodies.
WIBA also encourages unification bouts with other major women's sanctioning bodies like the IWBF
International Women's Boxing Federation
The IWBF is, along with the WIBA, WIBF and others, one of the more recognized world championship fight sanctioning organizations in Women's boxing. The organization is based in Huntington, New York....
, IFBA
International Female Boxers Association
The IFBA was formed in February 1997 with its main endeavor to promote distaff species boxing throughout the world as a genuine, professional and athletic competition. It is ascending to the foregoing of boxing by leaps and bounds boasting skyrocketing television ratings...
, WIBF
Women's International Boxing Federation
The WIBF is, along with the WIBA, IWBF and others, one of the more recognized world championship fight sanctioning organizations in women's boxing. The organization is based in Miami, Florida, and is not associated with male boxing's IBF.The WIBF was formed in the middle 1990s. It is presided by...
, and the WBC
World Boxing Council
The World Boxing Council was initially established by 11 countries: the United States, Argentina, United Kingdom, France, Mexico, Philippines, Panama, Chile, Peru, Venezuela and Brazil plus Puerto Rico, met in Mexico City on February 14, 1963, upon invitation of the then President of Mexico, Adolfo...
Female Title.
WIBA's current and former champions include Laila Ali
Laila Ali
Laila Amaria Ali is a retired American professional boxer. She is the daughter of boxing legend Muhammad Ali from his third wife Veronica Porsche Ali.-Boxing career:...
, Jackie Frazier-Lyde
Jackie Frazier-Lyde
Jacqueline "Jacqui" Frazier-Lyde is an American lawyer and former professional boxer, who is the daughter of former world Heavyweight boxing champion Joe Frazier. In the year 2000, she shocked the boxing world by announcing that at the age of 38, she would begin participating in the sport of...
, Ann Wolfe
Ann Wolfe
Ann Wolfe is a female boxer who held world titles in four different weight classes simultaneously. Wolfe is regarded by many within the sport as the hardest puncher and best fighter in the history of women's boxing...
, Leatitia Robinson
Leatitia Robinson
Leatitia "Baby Girl" Robinson is the undefeated WIBA Middleweight Champion of the World in women's boxing.-Amateur career:...
, Gina Guidi
Gina Guidi
Gina "Boom Boom" Guidi is a California native and resident of San Leandro, California, a professional female boxer, and a three-time champion of the world....
, Sumya Anani
Sumya Anani
Sumya Anani is one of the top fighters in the sport of women's boxing.Anani, like many women's boxers, came to the sport in a roundabout fashion. While living in Kansas City in the early 1990s and working as a massage therapist, she took a course in self-defense...
, Kara Ro
Kara Ro
Kara Rheault , best known as Kara Ro, is a Canadian boxer. She is the current Women's International Boxing Association lightweight champion.-Career:...
, Chevelle Hallback
Chevelle Hallback
Chevelle Lynette Hallback is a female boxer from Plant City, Florida. Hallback, nicknamed "Fist of Steel", has been featured on television many times, usually fighting the biggest names in the sport...
, Maribel Zurita
Maribel Zurita
Maribel "Little Thunder" Zurita is the WIBA Light Flyweight World Champion and former IFBA Flyweight World Champion in women's boxing. She fights out of San Antonio, Texas and is trained by Tony Ayala Sr....
, Ria Ramnarine
Ria Ramnarine
Ria Ramnarine , is a professional boxer and the first female world boxing champion from that country. She made her boxing debut in Port of Spain on December 9, 1999, and won the WIBA Mini Flyweight World title on May 27, 2005 at the Jean Pierre Sports Complex in Port of Spain...
, Emiko Raika
Emiko Raika
Emiko Raika is a Japanese female professional boxer. The former WIBA Featherweight Champion on the World, Raika is considered one of the greatest Japanese female boxers of all time....
, Marcela Acuña
Marcela Acuña
Marcela Eliana Acuña is an Argentine female boxer, who is nicknamed La Tigresa. Her mother wished for Acuña to become a ballerina, but that was never Acuña's dream....
, Ada Vélez
Ada Velez
Ada "Ace" Vélez is a Puerto Rican female professional boxer who lives in Hollywood, Florida. Vélez was brought into boxing by former women's boxing world champion Bonnie Canino....
, Anita Christensen
Anita Christensen
Anita Christensen, is a world champion female professional boxer.She posted a 19-2-0 record as an amateur boxer, and was the 1998 Nordic 57-kg Women's Champion before turning professional....
, Melinda Cooper
Melinda Cooper
Melinda "La Maravilla" Cooper, born in Las Vegas, Nevada on March 6, 1985, was the WIBA and IBA Flyweight Champion of the world, and is recognized as one of the elite female professional boxers on the planet....
, Jenifer Alcorn
Jenifer Alcorn
Jenifer Lynn "All-American" Alcorn is a retired, undefeated WIBA, IWBF, and IBA World Champion female professional boxer. Alcorn was one of the hardest working and hardest punching fighters in women's boxing....
, Sharon Anyos, Jeannine Garside
Jeannine Garside
Jeannine Garside is a Canadian rising star in the sport of women's boxing. After a long and distinguished amateur career, Garside has made her presence felt as a professional, winning the WIBA Super Bantamweight World Title in just her 4th pro bout...
, Anissa Zamarron, Gwendolyn O'Neil, Mary Jo Sanders
Mary Jo Sanders
Mary Jo Sanders is a female professional boxer. She is also daughter of NFL Hall of Famer, Charlie Sanders....
, Duda Yankovich, Melissa Hernández
Melissa Hernandez
Melissa "Huracán" Hernández is a Puerto Rican boxer who won the WIBA Super Bantamweight World Title in 2006.- Amateur career :...
and many others.