The WBA Axes Entire Division and Its Belts

The WBA has announced that it is reducing the number of divisions it will sanction fights for.

This comes as part of their initiative to reduce the number of world champions under their sanctioning body, the fourth time in 13 years they have made this promise, but this is the first major action they have taken.

WBA discontinues bridgerweight division

The WBA announced on X that it will no longer recognize the Bridgerweight division or sanction any further bouts at that weight.

The 224 lb division was first introduced by the WBC in 2020 as a means by which to 'bridge' the gap between the cruiserweight and heavyweight divisions, as the top end of the blue-riband division continues to grow. The WBA followed suit in 2023, but it looked doomed from the outset as very few fighters committed to the weight long-term and all preferred to use it as a transition from one weight to the other.

A good example of this and probably the biggest name to pass through the division is Lawrence Okolie, who claimed the WBC version of the title before making his move to heavyweight to get himself an automatic high ranking, using bridgerweight as a means to an end.

Therefore, this lack of depth and talent has left the division as something of a wasteland, where at one point there were only seven ranked fighters in the division. The participation was therefore never high enough to maintain the concept, and now the experiment comes to an end for the WBA.

The WBA's commitment to reducing the number of champions

The WBA said in a statement that they are still committed to reducing the number of champions, even though the number of champions has increased from 27 to 43 since 2024. They then officially announced the ending of their recognition for the bridgerweight division and that the remaining fights that have been approved in the division will still go ahead during a transition period.

This then means that whoever remains active at bridgerweight will have a decision to make - up to heavyweight, down to cruiserweight, or try and get ranked with the WBC. This includes the current WBA bridgerweight champion and Olympic silver medallist, Muslim Gadzhimagomedov, who will be feeling hard done by as one of the only fighters to fully commit to the division.

Additionally, the WBA announces that it will discontinue recognition of the bridgerweight division.

The remaining previously approved bouts in the weight class will be completed during a transition period. Thereafter, no bridgerweight contests will be sanctioned by the WBA.
— WBA Boxing (@WBABoxing) June 19, 2026

The expansionist era of boxing looks as though it may be coming to a close as Zuffa and its one-champion system becomes a real threat.

Sanctioning bodies need to start making tangible moves to re-engage fans with the championship system and reinstate the meaning of becoming a world champion in a division, rather than creating more.

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