Editing World Boxing Association (section)

==History==
The WBA can be traced back to the original National Boxing Association, organized in 1921. The first bout it recognized was the [[Jack Dempsey vs. Georges Carpentier|Jack Dempsey–Georges Carpentier]] heavyweight championship bout in [[New Jersey]].{{Citation needed|date=March 2025}}

The NBA was formed by representatives from 13 [[U.S. state|American state]]s, including Sam Milner, to counterbalance the influence that the [[New York State Athletic Commission]] (NYSAC) wielded. The NBA and the NYSAC sometimes crowned different "world champions" in the same division, leading to confusion about who was the real champion.<ref name=":0">{{cite book
 | last = Mullan
 | first = Harry
 | title = The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Boxing
 | publisher = Carlton Books
 | year = 1996
 | location = London
 | page = 121
 | isbn = 0-7858-0641-5}}</ref>

The International Boxing Research Organization describes the early NBA as follows:

<blockquote>Originally more comparable to the present American Association of Boxing Commissions than to its offspring and successor, the NBA sanctioned title bouts, published lists of outstanding challengers, withdrew titular recognition, but did not attempt to appoint its own title bout officials or otherwise impose its will on championship fights. It also did not conduct purse bids or collect "sanctioning fees."<ref>{{Cite journal
  | title = Boxing Bodies: A Brief Chronology and Rundown
  | journal = International Boxing Digest
  | volume = 40
  | issue =  1
  | page = 58
  | date=January 1998
  }}</ref></blockquote>

The NBA officially became the WBA on 23 August 1962.<ref>[http://www.wbaboxing.com/wba-history/world-boxing-association-history "World Boxing Association History"]. WBA. Retrieved September 2, 2018.</ref> [[Gilberto Mendoza]] was the President of the WBA from 1982 until his death in 2016, after which [[Gilberto Mendoza Jr.]] took over as president. In the 1990s, the WBA moved its central offices from [[Panama City]], Panama, to [[Caracas]], Venezuela. In January 2007, it returned its offices to Panama.{{Citation needed|date=March 2025}}