The World Boxing Association (WBA) rankings meetings took place this Monday, October 30, on the afternoon part of the agenda.  This is really something interesting to witness for those that have not been able to attend or see it before.

There were two separate sessions – one for promoters and managers to ply their cases for their fighters to be improved within their given weight class in the published top 15 WBA rankings and a second session for promoters, managers, and team members to again ply their case for a specific champion.

The first session saw everything from undefeated prospects to ex world champions from across the world having a case made for them on behalf of their teams.  This session is more of a simple request that the WBA takes into consideration and then reports back to the requestor.  All requests are accepted – it is simply a request.

The second session is where things can get a little more ugly and the uninitiated can see some things unfold that are rather curious.  Requests turn to appeals which in turn can devolve into more legal formalities to form in the future if agreements cannot be made based off of rules and formalities.  The WBA has rules that it abides by but as everyone knows things can turn very complicated in a hurry in this sport.

The important takeaway from these meetings, in short, is that there is indeed a podium for the fighters to be heard from and it is strongly suggested that teams air their concerns to the directory committee to get everyone on the same page.  The old adage nearly always rings true; communication is key, it all starts there.