European Boxing Union celebrating seventy-five years of Great Achievement

The EBU which is the Grandparent of Boxing, is globally respected as a tried and tested gold standard of impartial, important, and far-reaching bastion of the Sport, celebrates its seventy fifth anniversary. EBU a founder member of The WBC in 1963 is one of the nine continental federations affiliated to the World Boxing Council.

As Oscar Wilde once controversially remarked: “With age comes wisdom, but sometimes age comes alone.” In the case of the European Boxing Union, it most assuredly has in word and in deed, developed into an admired elder but still spritely statesman, who has accumulated a wealth of experience and wisely as well as intelligently applied rather than enforced it, utilizing wise governance.

Founded in 1948 in Paris, The EBU grew from and developed out of the International Boxing Union 1911-42. The EBU started with seven Federations: France, Britain, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands. Its first President was Lord J Onslow Fane of England, who was the first president of The WBC in its creation in Mexico City. Today it has one hundred and twelve member organizations spanning fifty-six European Nations. A League of Nations, The Old Continent wields some clout!

The EBU was one of the pillars which founded the World Boxing Council in 1963. The EBU is universally recognized by The Big Four of Boxing`s sanctioning bodies. It represents men and women boxers without fear or favour, holding its own monthly ratings committee meetings. Its umbrella of rules generally compliment and dovetail with those of the independent boxing Commissions, where the bouts are held. However, it maintains several hard and fast rules of its own, superseding that “Entente Cordiale.”

A fighter cannot be younger than twenty when contesting an EBU Championship. A male EBU boxer must have contested eight bouts to be ranked. a female boxer must have fought four times. Winning a EBU championship is an accolade in itself, but also a crucial learning curve and a steppingstone to progressing even further, in order to contest the pinnacle WBC Absolute Green and Gold Belt. At the fledgling stage, the EBU also has its very own Youth Championships.

Continuity is one of the EBU`s foundations and a key cornerstone of its quality. The finest example of this is its Secretary General Enza Jacoponi. She joined the EBU and the WBC in January 1964. Enza was appointed EBU Secretary General in June 1990 in Paris. Described as a window on to Europe, Enza is also a WBC Governor.

Some of the greatest boxing commissioners in the history of our sport were presidents of the EBU. Among others Piero Pini from Italy, Ruben Martinez from Spain, Bob Logist from Belgium and current President Peter Stucki from Switzerland.

Legendary champions have held The EBU championship to then become world champions, some of them are:

Vitali Klitschko

Wladimir Klitschko

Jean Baptiste Mendy,

Tyson Fury

Lennox Lewis

Tony Bellew

Francisco Javier Castillejos

Alan Minter

David Haye

Naseem Hamed

A seventy fifth anniversary even exceeds Diamond. And as we all know: “Diamonds are forever.” Happy Birthday 75 EBU. Let the champagne flow and the diamonds sparkle!