The first of four major professional boxing organizations - World Boxing Association (WBA) was born in Rhode Island, in 1921, as the National Boxing Association (NBA) and the first boxing title fight recognized by the new Association being the Heavyweight bout between Jack DEMPSEY and Georges CARPENTIER on July 2, 1921.

In 1962 organization, with the growth of boxing's popularity world-wide, changed its name to the World Boxing Association. Dr. Gilberto Mendoza from Venezuela has been the President of the WBA since 1982. Now WBA Central office is in Panama.

On February 14, 1963 at the meeting of representatives of 11 countries: USA, Argentina, Brazil,Chile, France, Great Britain, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Philippines and Venezuela in Mexico City was created the first really international boxing organization - World Boxing Council (WBC). New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC), rival of the WBA in world boxing, supported new organization and was adopted into WBC in 1970.

On July, 1963, in Chicago, Sonny LISTON beat Floyd PATTERSON by knockout in the 1st round. It was the first sanctioned Heavyweight title fight for the new boxing organization. In 1983, for boxers' safety, WBC decided to reduce the distance of world championship fights from 15 rounds to 12 and other boxing organizations soon followed. Among changes proposed by WBC also are the official weigh-in 24 hours prior to each bout and intoduction of new intermediate weight divisions.

In 1975 Jose Sulaiman, a Mexican boxing official of Lebanese-descent, was elected President of the WBC. In 2014, after the death of Jose Sulaiman, his son Mauricio Sulaiman was elected President of the WBC.

In April, 1983, the members of the United States Boxing Association (USBA) decided regional status of the organization extended to international. New boxing organization got name United States Boxing Association-International (USBA-I) and Robert W. Lee, Sr., president of the USBA, who lost in his bid to become WBA president against Gilberto Mendoza in 1982, led the USBA-I.

In 1984 USBA-I changed its name to the name it currently operates under, the International Boxing Federation (IBF). The first sanctioned title fight for the new IBF was Cruiserweight bout between Marvin CAMEL and Roddy MACDONALD on December, 1983 and Marvin Camel became the first IBF World Champion. Marian Muhammad, IBF President In same year the IBF recognized heavyweight boxer Larry HOLMES as champion after he relinquished the WBC title.

Now President of the IBF is American Marian Muhammad, who was elected in 2001. IBF main offices are in New Jersey.

The World Boxing Organization (WBO), last of four major professional boxing organizations, that currently recognizing professional boxing world champions. It was formed in 1988 after scandal at WBA annual meeting in Isla Margarita, Venezuela, when group of Puerto Rican and Dominican businessmen complained existing WBA's questionable rules and ratings systems.

The first championship bout was for vacant super middleweight title between Thomas HEARNS and James KINCHEN. Hearns won and became the first WBO world champion. The first holder of WBO heavyweight title became Francesco DAMIANI, although WBA, WBC and IBF recognized Mike TYSON as the heavyweight champion at the time.

In 1996 the new WBO President became Puerto Rican lawyer Francisco Valcarcel that soon sign deals with the WBA and IBF to hold unification fights between WBO and other boxing organizations. Due a long personal feud between Francisco Valcarcel and WBC President Jose Sulaiman, the WBC was the last organization, which wrote unification bouts convention. The Central office of the WBO is located in San Juan, Puerto Rico.