The first of four major professional boxing organizations - the World Boxing Association (WBA) was born in Rhode Island in 1921 as the National Boxing Association (NBA), and the first boxing title fight recognized by the new Association was the Heavyweight bout between Jack DEMPSEY and Georges CARPENTIER on July 2, 1921.

In 1962, as boxing's popularity worldwide grew, the organization changed its name to the World Boxing Association. Dr. Gilberto Mendoza, Venezuelan-Panamanian former amateur boxer and sports executive, has been the President of the WBA since 1982. In 2015, he left his position due to illness, and his son, Gilberto Mendoza Jr., was elected as the WBA President. Now, the WBA Central office is in Panama.

On February 14, 1963, at a meeting of representatives of 11 countries: the USA, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, France, Great Britain, Mexico, Panama, Peru, the Philippines, and Venezuela, in Mexico City, the first real international boxing organization, World Boxing Council (WBC), was established. The New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC), a rival of the WBA in world boxing, supported the new organization and was adopted into the WBC in 1970.

In July 1963, in Chicago, Sonny LISTON beat Floyd PATTERSON by knockout in the 1st round. It was the first sanctioned Heavyweight title fight for the new boxing organization. In 1983, for boxers' safety, the WBC decided to reduce the distance of world championship fights from 15 rounds to 12, and other boxing organizations soon followed suit. Among the changes proposed by WBC are the official weigh-in 24 hours before each bout and the introduction of new intermediate weight divisions.

In 1975, Jose Sulaiman, a Mexican boxing official of Lebanese descent, was elected President of the WBC. In 2014, after the death of Jose Sulaiman, his son Mauricio Sulaiman was elected President of the WBC.

In April 1983, the members of the United States Boxing Association (USBA) decided that the organization's regional status extended to the international level. A new boxing organization, the United States Boxing Association-International (USBA-I), , was founded. Robert W. Lee Sr., president of the USBA, who lost in his bid to become WBA president against Gilberto Mendoza in 1982, led the USBA-I.

In 1984, USBA-I changed its name to the International Boxing Federation (IBF). The first sanctioned title fight for the new IBF was a Cruiserweight bout between Marvin CAMEL and Roddy MACDONALD in December 1983, and Marvin Camel became the first IBF World Champion. In the same year, the IBF recognized heavyweight boxer Larry HOLMES as champion after he relinquished the WBC title.

From 2001 to 2010, the President of the IBF was American Marian Muhammad. She was voted out of office in May 2010 and was succeeded by Daryl Peoples. IBF's main offices are in New Jersey.

The World Boxing Organization (WBO) is the last of four major professional boxing organizations that currently recognize professional boxing world champions. It was formed in 1988 after the scandal at the WBA annual meeting in Isla Margarita, Venezuela, when a group of Puerto Rican and Dominican businessmen complained about the existing WBA's questionable rules and ratings systems.

The first championship bout was for the vacant super middleweight title between Thomas HEARNS and James KINCHEN. Hearns won and became the first WBO world champion. The first holder of the WBO heavyweight title became Francesco DAMIANI. However, WBA, WBC, and IBF recognized Mike TYSON as the heavyweight champion at the time.

In 1996, the new WBO President became Puerto Rican lawyer Francisco Valcarcel, who soon signed deals with the WBA and IBF to hold unification fights between the WBO and other boxing organizations. Due to a long-standing personal feud between Francisco Valcarcel and WBC President Jose Sulaiman, the WBC became the last organization to write the unification bouts convention. The Central Office of the WBO is located in San Juan, Puerto Rico.