| World Boxing Federation | |
| Abbreviation: | WBF |
| Formation: | 1988 |
| Type: | Non-profit institution |
| Purpose: | Boxing sanctioning organization |
| Headquarters: | Luxembourg |
| Region Served: | Worldwide |
| Leader Title: | President |
| Leader Name: | Howard Goldberg |
The World Boxing Federation (WBF) is an organization which sanctions professional boxing bouts. It was created in 1988.
The World Boxing Federation was originally established in 1988 by Larry Carrier, who was part owner of Bristol Motor Speedway in northeastern Tennessee.[1] It was an expanded version of the American Pro Boxing Association. The original concept for the WBF was written on the back of a napkin as an alternative for boxing as Carrier felt there was a lack of vision in boxing. The WBF wanted to give overlooked fighters a chance and wanted to be a more affordable sanctioning body for aspiring promoters by only charging a $5,000 sanctioning fee. The WBF also sought to promote itself in an honest manner and help the sport. The promotion signed their first title fight in November 1990, when they organized a cruiserweight bout between Rickey Patkey and Joe Louis for December 7, 1990. The WBF's titles were not initially recognized by the British Boxing Board of Control and had to wait until 1995 to achieve recognition.[2] The company had 17 field offices outside of the US by 1995 and the company moved its headquarters to Las Vegas prior to 1998. Larry Carrier sold the WBF to Ron Scalf in June 1998. The organization closed in 2004 after losing a lawsuit and was revived in 2009. In 2022, the promotion announced that they would no longer sanction title fights with boxers with negative records in an effort to raise standards.
The organization has sanctioned matches on 6 of the 7 continents. The organization has three levels of champions including World champions, Intercontinental champions and International champions. The organization also sanctions women's boxing matches. The promotion also monitors its judges closely and feels integrity is its greatest asset.
The promotion also had their own magazine called, "Inside Boxing with the WBF".
As of (men):
| Weight class: | Champion: | Reign began: |
|---|---|---|
| Minimumweight | ||
| Flyweight | ||
| Super flyweight | December 3, 2022 | |
| Bantamweight | ||
| Super bantamweight | October 9, 2022 | |
| Featherweight | ||
| Super featherweight | July 9, 2022 | |
| Lightweight | ||
| Super lightweight | ||
| Welterweight | November 1, 2019 | |
| Super welterweight | November 24, 2023 | |
| Middleweight | September 28, 2019 | |
| Super middleweight | June 29, 2019 | |
| Light heavyweight | April 16, 2022 | |
| Cruiserweight | December 2, 2022 | |
| Heavyweight | ||