One of the best tricks to have more trainees do martial arts—is a colorful belt system. While some people are big fans of this system (such as myself), others aren’t as delight to wear a white belt. Boxing, however, has a different approach to progress. Let’s see what it is.
While boxing doesn’t have a typical “martial arts” belt system, such as in Jiu-Jitsu or karate, it does include championship belts. You can track your boxing progress by having a solid record (hence, more wins than losses), and by whether you’re an amateur or a professional boxer. Boxing doesn’t need martial arts belts.
A colorful belt system will attract various new trainees to the martial art. Whether you like it or not, it sells. Trainees want to advance to the next stage of their training. The belt system essentially gives them an anchor for their progression.
I personally love this system because it helps trainees stay consistent. However, boxing has a different approach. Instead of using a colorful belt system, it uses your record as a metric for how good you are.
For instance, Floyd Mayweather Jr. has a track record of 50-0 (50 wins and 0 losses). You can probably understand why he’s one of the best boxers in history. Instead of having a black belt to his name, he has no losses competitively. Such a record is a sign of his skill.
This article will explain the true belt system of boxing. Before we dive in, however, if you want to learn more about how to become a boxing referee and whether it’s worth it, follow the link to read a complete guide I wrote on the topic.
Why boxing doesn’t have belts
The first section will discuss the reasoning behind the lack of colorful belts in boxing. When I say it that way, it’s sounds childish, and I do that on purpose. While other martial arts, such as karate, aren’t childish, they may be more attractive to the youth, as the belt colors attract them.
Boxing doesn’t have a belt system because this martial art tracks progress through your wins and losses in the matches themselves; this is called your boxing record. Likewise, when you begin boxing, you’ll be competing in the amateur scene. Once you become proficient, you become a professional boxer.
So yes, once you become a professional boxer, your real journey begins.
Now, I want to discuss a specific topic that may concern a specific group of individuals. Children usually won’t be as attracted to boxing as to judo, BJJ, or even karate. That’s because they don’t have a progress system.
Of course, if a child wants to know how to throw a fierce punch, then one will start one’s boxing journey. That said, most children won’t start boxing at a young age because it doesn’t have a traditional martial arts belt system. Is that a good thing? You can decide for yourself.
Concluding, boxing doesn’t have a traditional belt system. Rather, it follows your professional or amateur record to assess how good you are. Likewise, most professional boxers are more proficient at the sport than amateurs.
Boxing and championship belts
While there are no regular belts in boxing, there are other types, the championship belts. Only a single boxer can hold a particular belt at a time. That’s why it’s named the championship belt. In a title fight, the current holder will defend his title by fighting a contender, another professional boxer who threatens to attain it.
While boxing doesn’t have a typical colored martial art belt system, it does include championship belts. Boxers can get their hands on a belt by winning against the current holder of the championship belt in a fight named: “title fight”. The winner of the fight will be the new belt holder.
In the next section, we’ll examine the 4 types and what makes them unique. If you want to learn more about whether you can do both boxing and other sports simultaneously, follow the link to learn about the real answer to the question.
Are there belts in boxing, like karate?
Boxing has different metrics than most martial arts. Throughout history, it was clear that fighting styles, such as Jiu-Jitsu could use a progression system. It first only had two belt colors, separating the trainees from the coaches. With time, however, more belts have joined the equation.
The regular colored martial arts belt system—doesn’t exist in boxing. The art of punching uses three different metrics. First, there’s your win-loss record. Next, you can either compete in the amateur scene or in the professional one. And lastly, you can attain a championship belt by beating the current holder.
The martial arts belt system—really does sell. Some trainees would do whatever it takes to ensure they advance to the following belt. Indeed, it’s one of the best tricks to ensure fighters stick around for more.
I’m personally a big fan of it, even though I’m aware of the trick. If more people can stay active because of it, then the world of martial arts will spread faster and faster to the entire world, eventually leading to more people coming in.
What are the 4 championship belts in boxing?
While there are no colorful belts in boxing, there’s a different type of them, the championship belts. If you get your hands on one of them, you’re likely an elite boxer. Likewise, you’re also likely in the prime of your career.
There are 4 championship belts in boxing, IBF, WBA, WBC, and WBO. Each title has its unique holder, unless, of course, one boxer has managed to get one’s hands on a few. If you hold all 4, you’re an undisputed champion.
Getting your hands on one of these championship belts—is one of the toughest missions in the world of boxing. You first must close a deal for a fight with the current champion, who may not be as eager to spread the title.
If you hold a championship belt, however, you must fight at least 3 times a year. If you successfully defend your title in a single year, you’re considered a much better boxer than what you were before. So, championship holders do have some incentive of risking their belt.
Boxers who held all championship belts
This section, the last one, will list out individual boxers who have managed to be undisputed champions. These guys are the best of the best. If there’s anyone to learn from, it’s them. Imagine the hardships they went through to get their hands on all 4 boxing championship belts.
Boxers who hold all 4 boxing championship belts are named “undisputed champions”. The following list includes boxers who were undisputed champions at some point in their career:
- Jermain Taylor
- Terence Crawford
- Bernard Hopkins
- Oleksandr Usyk
- Devin Haney
- Jermell Charlo
- Canelo Alvarez
- Naoya Inoue
- Josh Taylor
These boxers are the best of the best. They’ve managed to be champions of all 4 belts, meaning that they’re a different breed. These fellas were capable of beating almost anyone in their division (lightweight, heavyweight, featherweight…). Meaning that they deserved to hold all belts.
Final words
While boxing doesn’t have a typical, colorful belt system like most martial arts, it does have other progression metrics. If you don’t compete, however, you won’t have any symbol or award for your hard work.
This can be difficult for some trainees, who want to see their progression in a concrete, real way. These individuals will be more prone to start their journey elsewhere, usually judo, Jiu-Jitsu, karate, or other martial arts.
If you enjoyed reading this article, you’ll also enjoy reading about the deadliest martial arts from all around the world. I highly recommend reading it if you’re looking to learn how to fight properly.
Eventually, however, boxing is one of the best martial arts. If you’re looking to learn effective fighting techniques in the form of punching and defensive moves, I highly recommend trying boxing out!