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The WBC Diamond Championship Belt

The World Boxing Council (WBC) was founded in Mexico City, Mexico on February 14, 1963 in order to establish an international regulating body. The WBC established many of today’s safety measures in boxing, such as the standing eight-count, a limit of 12 rounds instead of 15, and additional weight classes. The WBC is one of four major organizations recognized by International Boxing Hall of Fame which sanction world championship boxing bouts, alongside the IBF, WBA and WBO.

The WBC is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the service of boxers and promoters, trying its best to have the most competitive and attractive fights for the benefit of the boxing fans and of boxing as a sport. Boxers and promoters who promote fights for a WBC championship are committed to respect the constitution, rules, regulations and rulings of the WBC, in absolute respect to its exclusive ownership of its trademark, as well as the WBC championship accolade.

In the month of September 2009, the World Boxing Council created its new “Diamond Championship” belt. This new implementation was voted for unanimously by the WBC Board of Governors, will include 18 karat gold fusion, 598 diamonds, 196 emeralds, 6 rubies and 150 swarowsky semi-precious stones on beautiful Italian Ferrari leather. Apparently, in my understanding the Diamond Belt is a belt to recognize the winner of a matchup of great fighters, and once the fighter has the belt, it is his to keep forever. There is no defense of that belt as it is only awarded for special fights, one designed specifically for elite fighters in catch weight bouts and it does not matter if the belt has already been awarded to anybody else in any particular division. According to Jose Sulaiman it will be in the benefit of…”improving boxing, to the world, to promoters, television and everybody involved in the sport of boxing.”

A source I came across stating precisely from the man who runs the World Boxing Council; he had this to say:

…..”The Diamond Belt” is a historical recognition to the greatest boxers in the ring of today and the future.They have to be elite boxers and whoever wins it, keeps it forever. We do believe that promoters are free to decide what their promoted fights are for, but the organizations are also free to award recognition to their boxing heroes.”–José Sulaimán

The inaugural Diamond Belt was given on November 14, 2009 to Manny Pacquiao who won his seventh world title (in seven different divisions) after completing his 12th round TKO over Miguel Ángel Cotto at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

The WBC has also created a “Silver” world title recently, with Justin Savi to be the first one to win it on April 16, 2010, against Cyril Thomas in France. Former WBC presidents include Luis Spota and Ramon G. Velázquez of Mexico, Onslow Fane of Great Britain and Justiniano N. Montano, Jr. of the Philippines. The organization’s current president is José Sulaimán.

Just recently, the WBC bolstered the legitimacy of women’s boxing by recognizing fighters such as Christy Martin and Lucia Rijker as contenders for World Female titles in 16 weight divisions. The first WBC World Female Champion (on May 30, 2005) was super-bantamweight Mexican, Jackie Nava. With her former-champion father at ringside, Laila Ali won the super-middleweight title on June 11, 2005.

I suppose the Diamond belt will have a sanctioning fee that goes along with it. I recently heard that some fighters would not fight for a belt of this nature. Hey, the belt is studded with a ton of diamonds, gold, emeralds, rubies and other precious stones. Why not take it, after the boxing career is over and you fall on hard times or become homeless, you can sell it.

About the Author

Daniel Miltz was born in Downriver Detroit, Michigan and now resides in Methuen, Massachusetts, twenty miles north of Boston, MA. He is currently a Freelance Boxing Writer, in which he contributes his journalistic expertise to creating expert news analysis and commentaries – on professional sanctioned fights for interested Promotional Companies and many General Boxing Website Forums.
He was educated in the Downriver Area private school systems, primarily under the guidance of the Felician Sisters Order, Detroit, Michigan. He began his writing career when he relocated to Southern California in 1971, working in the Aerospace Industry as a Commercial Standard Specifications Writer and Mechanical Designer for the Aerospace Engineering Government Document Programs. He is currently involved with USA Boxing, New England officiating local amateur bouts. He has recently started writing a fiction-novel, based loosely on his experience growing up in the Downriver outskirts of South Detroit’s urban decayed area, outlined with ethnic diversity, steel mills, auto factories, blue-collar taverns.

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