The World Boxing Council (WBC) was founded in 1963. Representatives from national boxing commissions met in Mexico City on February 14, 1963, after an invitation from Mexican President Adolfo López Mateos. Their goal was to create a genuinely international body capable of coordinating boxing commissions and overseeing championship contests worldwide.
The WBC became one of professional boxing’s four major sanctioning organizations, alongside the WBA, IBF and WBO. It is headquartered in Mexico City and is especially recognizable for its green-and-gold championship belt. The organization’s founding reflected boxing’s increasingly international character, as existing bodies such as the National Boxing Association and New York State Athletic Commission did not represent the entire world.
A common mix-up is confusing the WBC’s founding with later milestones. In 1976, the organization adopted the modern green-and-gold belt design, while in 1983 it reduced championship bouts from 15 rounds to 12 after the death of Kim Duk-koo following a 14-round fight with Ray Mancini. Those events came years after the WBC itself was established.