Why Is The WBA Actually Considering A Paul-Chavez Jr. Title Fight?

Can it be? Might it be? The WBA is plotting to break the promise it made to the boxing public to enforce a permanent reduction policy for its number of championship belts. I don’t want to come off as a jerk, but the WBA violated that vow long ago. Anyone who has read my work knows I’ve had issues with sanctioning bodies for years, whether it be lousy rankings, mandatory mismatches, or shady business practices.

WBA president Gilberto Mendoza recently stated he is open to Jake Paul facing former world champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. for a crusierweight title. Let me be very clear: It doesn’t matter if it’s a secondary title or a legitimate world championship; Paul vs. Chavez doesn’t belong in either category.

Give Credit Where Credit Is Due, However…

The WBA does a great job of fooling people, although they could never fool this writer. In 2016, it was announced that the sanctioning body was said to have been working on a plan to reduce the number of titles it handed out. It took them an additional five years to act on it. The decision to finally “clean up” its act at the top level came just three days after a historically bad decision that saw Gabriel Maestre win a 12-round unanimous decision over Mykal Fox to capture the WBA interim welterweight title, an outcome so preposterous that it inspired them to deviate off course temporarily.

Although Mendoza claimed their decision to reduce the number of titles was permanent in 2021, that was misleading because we’re talking about potentially sanctioning Paul-Chavez Jr. as a title bout. Moreover, financial issues were blamed for the WBA’s “demise.” How exactly? How is an organization that collects sanctioning fees from a plethora of fighters struggling with money? Mendoza also said the WBA would continue to award two titles out of the three it typically sanctions — interim, regular, and super champion — and all three are still being awarded. Sure, it’s not being thrown out there at the same rate it once was, but we were promised they would be gone. Despite the new regulations, Eimantas Stanionis has been WBA’s interim welterweight titleholder for years (now recognized as world champion), and there are also a number of interim titlists, including Ismael Barroso, David Morrell, and David Jimenez, to name a few.

At one point, the WBA crowned up to four titleholders in the same weight class — super, regular, unified, and interim — to collect sanctioning fees, which is nothing more than a fancy term for robbing the fighters. Keep in mind, folks. This is the same WBA that ranked a dead man and demoted Alberto Machado from super champion to regular titlist all because he didn’t have the popularity nor the market pull of a Gervonta “Tank” Davis.

So why would Mendoza be willing to risk his reputation—if he ever had one— on a Jake Paul main event? It’s an obvious answer. Money and power, but who’s willing to call out Mendoza for his blatant hypocrisy? Look no further. The WBA might have a new banner and mission, but they can’t avoid what’s behind the mask.

Ryan O'Hara

Ryan O’Hara is an award-winning sportswriter based in Denver, Colorado. The 30-year-old has been recognized by the Boxing Writers Association of America three times for his accomplishments, with a best finish of 2nd at the 2022 awards ceremony.

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