Ring, Rhyme & Reason
"The Real Thing"
Did you know that the only authentic way to gain recognition, as a true boxing champion is to receive the coveted Ring Championship Belt, awarded by Ring Magazine to undisputed titlists? The first one to receive one was Jack Dempsey. Established in 1922, Ring Magazine, known as “The Bible of Boxing,” has continued to fulfill the tradition of founder Nat Fleischer. The mentor and founder of the magazine, Fleischer was a pioneer in boxing, whose great Ring Record Book was the foremost boxing reference to be found anywhere. The Ring has always stood for the improvement and integrity of the ring game. Its focus and direction are synonymous with those of the American Association for the Improvement of Boxing, Inc., which was established 32 years ago with the late Rocky Marciano, world undisputed heavyweight champion, and Stephen B. Acunto. For quite a while, now, champions have been given pseudo belts by pseudo groups who buy pseudo ratings in order to sell tickets. Only a Number 1 challenger should be sanctioned to box for a title, and in my opinion, the title match should be for 13 rounds. Those champions who wish to meet contenders other than No. 1 challengers ought to be sanctioned to only box 10 round non-title bouts. It has been a longtime effort of the AAIB, Inc. to see Ring and other reputable publications along with the Association of Boxing Writers of America establish a true rating system for the first 12 boxers in each weight class and a Number 1 challenger in each weight class. While there used to be 8 divisions, we can find logic and reasoning to have 12 weight categories. The Junior Weight Classes would be acceptable where there is a weight discrepancy between fighters of 10 pounds or more. Boxers who can no longer make the weight for title fights have the alternative to move on to a heavier category. At this point in time, boxing fans all over the world will now be able to identify authentic champions by simply finding out if they hold the Ring belt, which is to boxing what the World Series ring is to a baseball player.