The WBA is looking to implement 15 rounds for undisputed title fights according to its president, Gilberto Mendoza, who revealed interest in trialing the concept to The Ring. The current format for [world] title fights demands pertains to 12 rounds while non-title bouts between high-rated contenders or final elimination bouts also use 12 rounds.
The 15-round concept was introduced somewhere in the 19th century as the rules of boxing began to shift from its bare-knuckle boxing roots towards more professionalized standards. During the infancy of boxing when it began becoming popularized in the 19th century, there was no set round limit for matches, sometimes culminating in bouts that would go on for hours. In the 20th century, title fights began using a 13 to 15-round concept.
In 1982 the 15-round concept began becoming obsolete following a title bout between American lightweight (135 lbs) legend Ray Mancini and South Korean fighter Kim Duk-Koo after the latter died five days after the fight due to brain bleeding he suffered during the match. Duk-Koo had been stopped in the 14th round in his match with Mancini but fell into a coma not long after.
Not long after Duk-Koo’s death, the WBC, then ran by Jose Sulaiman―father of current president Mauricio Sulaiman―adopted a standard 12-round format for their title bouts. This was based on the danger 15 rounds posed with Duk-Koo’s demise―and the death of Richard Green who committed suicide 8 months after the bout―forming the basis for the WBC’s rule change.
Other sanctioning bodies still continued to apply the 15-round standard for title bouts until the WBA and WBO [which was still a part of the former] voted to change it to the 12-round concept in 1987. The IBF became the last to adopt 12 rounds in 1988, though notably the IBF had maintained they found no medical evidence of 15 rounds being more dangerous prior to shortening the rounds.
The last ever 15-round bout―sanctioned by one of the main sanctioning bodies― would be the heavyweight title bout between Mike Tyson and Tyrell Biggs on October 16, 1987. Tyson retained his WBA, WBC and IBF titles after stopping his opponent in the 7th round of their fight.
The reasons for Mendoza’s endorsement of the reintroduction of 15 rounds are unclear, but the WBA does have a history with introducing changes in boxing that do not appear all too beneficial for the parties involved. This is most evident through their concept of a WBA “regular” and “super” champion, effectively making two champions in one divisions which has often caused confusion.
This has also culminated in a misconception of what a world champion is, with WBA “regular” champions often branding themselves as “world champions” though other sanctioning bodies only acknowledge WBA “super champions” in their rankings and any unification bout could only transpire between a “super champion” and another champion.
In the absence or departure of a WBA “super champion”, the distinctions then get removed and the WBA “regular champion” becomes delegated as the sole world champion, with the most recent case seeing Gervonta Davis (29-0, 27 KO’s) become the WBA lightweight champion in that manner.
In response to the WBA’s apparent plans to introduce 15 rounds during their world title fights, the WBC and WBO have already shut down notions of implementing the same. The WBC made this abundantly clear during their last convention in November of 2025 where they argued that they would not jeopardize a boxer’s safety and health by implementing such rules―especially considering they were the first sanctioning body to implement 12 rounds for title fights in boxing.
More recently, the WBO has also responded to reports from the WBA’s 15-round plans and has declared to maintain the 12-round format for the foreseeable future:
“I strongly oppose the idea of reinstating 15-round championship bouts in any format, as it would be a clear step backward for fighter safety,” WBO president Gustavo Olivieri stated in a recent interview with World Boxing News.
“Boxing is an inherently dangerous sport, and the transition to 12-round fights was a necessary reform to reduce fatigue-related injuries and long-term health risks.
“As regulators, our primary responsibility is prioritizing fighter safety and continuously enhancing protective measures. Rather than revisiting past practices, we should focus on strengthening medical protocols, improving fighter well-being, maintaining integrity and transparency in our actions, and ensuring the sport continues to evolve in a way that safeguards its athletes.
“The pursuit of greatness in the ring should never come at the cost of a fighter’s long-term health, both during and after their career.“
General Entertainment Authority (GEA) chairman and The Ring owner Turki Alalshikh echoed much of the same as Sulaiman and Olivieri when it came to the WBA’s potential rule change:
“No, I don’t support this idea in any way,” The Saudi official told The Ring.
“This is bad for a fighter’s health. I would never be in favor of fights going back to 15 rounds. In my opinion, even a 12-round fight could be too much for a fighter’s health, but 15 rounds is out of the question. A 15-round fight should never be allowed to happen.”
The IBF has not yet issued a response to the WBA’s potential rule change format.
